Gender and Early Childhood Education: a systematic review of Brazilian productions

Abstract

This research corresponds to a systematic review of scientific articles whose main goal is to analyze the Brazilian publications focused on the relationship between gender issues and Early Childhood Education. From the descriptors 'gender' and 'childhood education', a search was made in the databases, namely Periodical Capes, Scielo, PubMed and PsycINFO. This review followed the methodological recommendations of the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyzes (PRISMA), and delimited 2020 as being the search’s final year. Initially, as many as 454 publications were identified, of which 59 were selected as the research’s final corpus. The analysis made it possible to assume that the theme is investigated, mainly, by the areas of Education and Psychology, and that there has been a continuous growth in the number of publications yearly, as of 2011. The themes most approached by the publications were in relation to the way that gender issues permeate teaching conceptions and practices, and how they are present in cultural artifacts, toys, and games. Outcomes are discussed in terms of how gender issues interfere in both child-child and child-adult social relationships as institutional.