Intersections of Religion and Gender in Public Schools of Baltic Countries ¹

Several countries, including the Baltics, have policy aims related to gender equality. Since education is one of the most influential tools for promoting social change, one may expect that general education promotes values related to gender equality. However, this can be challenging when teaching religion(s), as religions have historically been male-dominated. This chapter examines how gender in different religious traditions is portrayed in general education programs and textbooks, as well as how teachers respond to these representations. These three countries have diverse approaches to organizing studies of religion. In Lithuania, we examine six denominational programs from confessional Religious Education or Ethics; in Estonia, we analyze the teaching of religion predominantly in the subject of Social Studies and the elective subject of non-confessional Religious Education; in Latvia, we look at the transition period from ecumenical Religious Education to a competency-based curriculum. Teaching the intersections of religion and gender is a contested issue that navigates the delicate balance between promoting the core values of gender equality and the potential risks of reinforcing gender stereotypes inherent in the subject matter. Understanding how this tension is handled in these three different contexts enables us to look critically at the current teaching of this topic in general education.