Feminist initiatives in the SWANA region: fighting the patriarchal education with feminist knowledge

ABSTRACT This research analyses the way in which the majority of the formal school education system in the SWANA region reproduces and reinforces gender stereotypes. Through a discussion of the idea of feminist pedagogy and comparing it to classroom practices in predominant public education, it becomes clear that feminist pedagogy is almost absent from schools in most countries of the region. I interviewed ten women who received their school education within different countries of the region, and employ their lived experiences as a primary source of data to support the argument of this research. It is essential to highlight that said formal education systems are beginning to change in some countries of the region, for instance, the Moroccan education system has introduced a gender equality curriculum. However, there is currently no published research on the implementation methods and viability of such initiatives. Finally, this research displays a few feminist platforms and podcasts that aim to spread feminist knowledge to fill in the gap created by formal education in terms of gender equality.