The gender approach in the teaching of Law: Guidelines for teachers of the Faculty of Law of the Universidad de Oriente

Abstract

Introduction: This article addresses the need to prepare law professors at the Universidad de Oriente de Cuba from a gender perspective, enabling them to assume the mandate assigned to the Ministries of Higher Education and Justice in the National Program for the Advancement of Women, which has been in effect since February 2021. The need to provide Cuban society not only with jurists skilled in their profession, but also with values ​​of justice, defense of identity, equity, and equality, compels us to redefine our teaching practices with a gender perspective. Therefore, our objective is to propose a set of guidelines in accordance with the National Program for the Advancement of Women to promote the inclusion of a gender perspective in law teaching practices.
Materials and methods: Different qualitative methods were used in this work, such as analysis-synthesis, document review, interviews, and observation, which allowed us to establish everything from the interconnection of the assumed references to the assessment of the results obtained.
Results: Despite this, we cannot affirm that our law school has achieved the comprehensive inclusion of a gender perspective in its curriculum and degree program. This is due to the lack of awareness and importance given to it in terms of teacher intervention and preparation in this area. However, in the Criminal Law and Family Law courses, debates and research on the subject were undertaken, although this has been seen to a lesser extent in other areas of legal knowledge.
Discussion: The use of technology and social media serves as an important tool. Achieving greater interactivity on the part of teachers allows for the detection of potential behaviors related to gender violence, harassment, or gender conflicts that require their intervention. Furthermore, the use of these mechanisms can become an ally in the promotion, education, and struggle for gender equality. Conclusions: The University must contribute to strengthening society, and law studies in particular must strengthen the values ​​of justice and respect for human rights, beginning with the principle of equality and non-discrimination. It is important to reflect on the opportunity we, as professors in this field of knowledge, have to teach and transmit the transformative power of law and the ethical sensitivity that inspires it.