Finland is a country with long traditions of promoting gender equality and higher education for women as well Finland has received high rankings in overall gender equality by international comparisons (Heikkinen 2012; Husu 2007). The current Equality Act between Women and Men in Finland requires schools as well universities to promote the gender equality and prevent the discrimination (Act 1986/609).

Our presentation draws on a research where students’ experiences and views on gender equality and awareness in the Faculty of Education have been studied (Jauhiainen, Laiho & Kovalainen 2012). Faculty offers among others teacher education. Promoting gender equality is not a question of opinion for teachers and other professionals in the field of education, but an obligatory responsibility in Finland. It is important to study how students in the field of education regard gender equality in their studies. The students' views are needed both to make gender equality plans – obligated by Equality Act – and to develop curricula in the Faculty.

As Lombardo and colleagues (2010) state gender equality is a concept that has travelled a lot: through time and place, across national borders, across national and international organizations as well as policy actors. Furthermore, the education system is strongly integrated into the society around it. There is a lack of universally accepted definition of gender equality in education, but as Lynch and Baker (2005, p. 154) express: “Schools and colleges need to be inclusive institutions that teach students and teachers to engage critically with difference and to analyse and challenge inequality.”

The national equality policy is a central starting point to the pursuit of the functional equality but it does not guarantee that the equality in the education comes true (Cushman 2010). Since the 1970s a significant amount of equality work has been conducted in co-operation with schools, universities, vocational training, teachers, researchers, adult educators, governments and employer in Finland. However, the promotion of equality seems to be women-based, project-based and marginalised political activity. (Brunila 2012; Brunila & Ylöstalo 2013.) During the last years political will to promote gender equality in education has strengthened. In the background of the will lies gender differences of learning outcomes brought out by international and national comparisons and the segregation of the education fields as a continual problem. Also supranational actors – for example OECD, UN, EU – have an influence on  national equality policy goals. (Laiho 2013.)

Conducting equality surveys is one part of equality work in educational institutions. However, it is important to resist“…writing about equality work as something that can be synthesized into a singular picture that tells the whole truth about equality.” as Brunila (2012, p. 251) writes. Equality survey in the context of education can be a starting point to begin ask more critical questions. In this presentation we discuss about contradictions in our equality survey data based on quantitative and qualitative information. Especially in the feminist methodology there has been debate about quantitative and qualitative ways of knowing which has resulted on criticism of quantitative research methods (Oakley 1998).  In addition, we ponder the challenges of the equality surveys in the educational institutions. 

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