A Pathway to Reach Equity

Achieving gender equity in education is essential for national development, yet history education often reinforces gender bias. This study examines gender mainstreaming in the curriculum of Indonesian history, comparing the 2013 Curriculum and the Merdeka Curriculum through Nancy Fraser’s social justice framework on redistribution, recognition, and representation. This study aims to: (1) analyse the paradigm of history education in both curricula, (2) evaluate how gender discourse is integrated, and (3) assess the shift in historical narrative towards gender inclusivity. This study examines curriculum documents and history textbooks using a qualitative content analysis approach. The findings reveal that although both curricula emphasise national identity, the Merdeka Curriculum adopts a more progressive attitude towards gender equality by integrating feminist historiography and multidimensional narratives. This marks a shift towards redistributive justice and recognition, ensuring increased visibility of women’s contributions in history education. However, the extent of curriculum implementation remains untested, raising concerns about teacher readiness and classroom implementation. The study highlights the need for ongoing curriculum reform to better integrate gender perspectives across subjects. In addition, teacher training is essential to prevent unintentional reinforcement of gender bias. Future research should explore how gender-inclusive history education affects student perceptions and how educators interpret and implement these curriculum changes. Although the Merdeka Curriculum reflects progress, achieving gender justice in education requires systemic reforms in pedagogy, teacher training, and policy.