GENDER STEREOTYPES AND MALE DOMINATION IN THE UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE

Abstract

This article is the result of a qualitative analysis that also included semi-structured interviews in which participated women who differ by social class and by self-declared race, intending to analyze the sexist social structure within universities and how gender discrimination in this environment affects the female experience in several aspects. After a brief retrospective of the insertion of women in the academy, and, also, of male domination and its origins, dated from 612 BCE., In which they began to define the expected roles that the female and males should reproduce, it was possible to highlight some practices that maintain, even in a subtle way, a gender-centered power system in society. The exposure of the problems experienced by the women interviewed makes clear the need for universities to act, considering that, as knowledge-promoting institutions, they should fight for equality and not walk in line with patriarchy. Thus, the choice of this theme was in order to make new discussions and reflections on it and reaffirm the importance of occupying academic spaces from the female perspective. The research was based on several authors, however, the most used concepts were taken from the work of Simone de Beauvoir (1949) and Gerda Lerner (1986) who, in addition to presenting important notions for the constitution of the article, also show the need to prioritize greater visibility to women in the academy.