Gender in het curriculum: marginaal of integraal?

In this special issue, we evaluate the integration of gender in academic education in the Netherlands, focusing mostly on disciplinary study programmes. We show that while gender has become a permanent feature of Dutch academic teaching, there are substantial differences between disciplines and universities. We observe that the integration of gender in compulsory core curricula is weak. If gender is discussed at all in basic courses, it is too often merely as a descriptive category, rather than as an analytical perspective on power and social relations. As a result of poor institutional embeddedness, the integration of gender in academic education depends entirely on individual teaching staff. Sustainable integration requires a cultural shift away from the perception of gender as a (marginal) specialisation, towards the recognition that gender is an integral part of the basic training in each academic discipline. We conclude with recommendations for a step by step strategy to promote the integration of gender in academic education in the Netherlands.