GENDER AND SEXUALITY IN UNDERGRADUATE NURSING CURRICULA IN PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS IN MARANHÃO

Abstract

This article analyzed the incorporation of gender and sexuality themes in the curricula of public undergraduate nursing courses in the state of Maranhão. This is a documentary, descriptive-exploratory research, with quantitative and qualitative analysis of 11 current courses at UFMA and UEMA (nine integral Pedagogical Course Projects and two approved curricular matrices), through lexical search and manual validation supported by routines in Python. It was found that all the curricula analyzed were structured under the 2001 National Curriculum Guidelines. Among the 50 curricular components related to the theme, 56% addressed these contents in a transversal way, mainly associated with sociocultural aspects, vulnerabilities and rights, while 40% had a biomedical focus, related to reproductive health and communicable diseases. Among the 20 components with a biomedical focus, 65% were concentrated on the obstetric-reproductive axis and 35% on the infectious axis, with no affirmative mentions of gender identity or the LGBTQIAPN+ population. Only 4% corresponded to specific components on gender and sexuality, all of which were an optional nature, and no explicit descriptors of the theme were identified in the supervised curricular internships. It is concluded that the insertion of gender and sexuality in the curricula analyzed is limited, fragmented, and discontinuous, evidencing the need for greater integration of these contents throughout training in the face of the new 2026 National Curriculum Guidelines, with a view to integrality and equity of care.