TEACHING IN AGRICULTURAL ENGINEERING:

REFLECTIONS ON GENDER CONSIDERING THE PERSPECTIVE OF HISTORICAL-DIALECTICAL MATERIALISM

Abstract

This research aims to analyze how the gender gap of labor established in social relations between the sexes manifests itself in the career of female agronomist professors. This study addresses the teaching work carried out by women trained in Agricultural Engineering; since, on the one hand, masculinization within engineering, the gender gap in labor stands out; on the other hand, the feminization of the teaching profession gives one the false impression that there is no gender gap in the engineering academia workforce. To conceptualize the cat egories of work, gender, and gender gap in the workforce, we used the Marxian theoretical framework. As for the methodology, we used a bibliographical review and interviewed four agronomist professors who teach at the Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Laurence Bardin, a Content Analysis, analyzed the interview's data. This analysis observed that 75% of the interviewees recognized the gender gap in the academic teaching profession. We conclude that women, although gaining more space in Agricultural Engineering, even in teaching, still need to overcome many obstacles due to their gender. Furthermore, although teaching is a feminized profession, there were reflections on the gender divide of labor that corroborate the Glass Ceiling theory.