A look at the historical configuration of rural teaching from the gender perspective

Abstract

At the beginning of the 20th century, the introduction of agricultural content in rural schools contributed to prioritizing the appointment of male teachers given the masculinization of agricultural work. The training of male teachers and their designation as principals in these schools was prioritized. In the middle of the same century, rural depopulation incentivized policies to encourage rural residence. Female teachers were identified as mediators between the State and family groups and young peasant women were called to work as teachers. This article proposes to understand the origin of social representations about rural teachers linked to gender. It also focuses on the creation of two rural normal schools in the province of Entre Ríos (Argentina) that defined identity traits and specific functions of teachers. The analyses are related to the provision of teachers for the agricultural colonies.