Degree of Alignment with Global Norms? Gender Equality and Sex Education Curricula in Finland and South Korea

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: The aim of this qualitative study is to understand how sociocultural differences between Korea’s conservative interpretations of gender equality rooted in Confucian values and Finland’s inclusive interpretations of gender equality rooted in liberal political and religious values relate to the content and dissemination of its sex education materials. I examined the United Nations’ (UN) policy documents and Finland and Korea’s sex education curricula to determine how the UN’s Western-centered interpretations of human rights values align with the beliefs and values of Finland and Korea. Using world society theory, I showed that the UN policy recommendations, guided by Western perspectives, are more similar to Finnish perspectives on women’s rights and gender equality, as compared to Korean perspectives. In fact, comparative document analysis revealed that the UN’s emphasis on gender and sexual diversity and sexual culture aligned closer with the content of the Finnish and European sex education curricula than to the content of the Korean sex education curriculum. The intent of this qualitative study was to highlight the importance of understanding how a country’s sociocultural and historical context relates with the ways in which they promote and implement sex education programs.

Author	Yoo, Seung Gon

Subject	Diversity
Subject	Gender
Subject	Sex education
Subject	Curriculum
Subject	United Nations
Subject	Finland
Subject	Korea
Subject	Stanford Graduate School of Education International Comparative Education
Genre	Text

Related item	Title Stanford Graduate School of Education International Comparative Education
Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/qm851cd2479

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Preferred citation: Yoo, S. (2021). Degree of Alignment with Global Norms? Gender Equality and Sex Education Curricula in Finland and South Korea. Stanford Digital Repository. Available at http://purl.stanford.edu/qm851cd2479

Graduate School of Education International Comparative Education Master's Monographs

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