The Constitution called for equality between men and women, prohibited discrimination, and expected its realization in education. The Fundamental Law on Education specified equal opportunities in education and coeducation. It abolished single-gender education, and brought an epoch-making reform by making higher education open for women. However, looking at society as a whole, there remain clear gender distinctions, and Japan is still a developing country in gender equity. In this study I analyze these factors based on a view of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women Treaty, and I examined what future gender-equity education should be. The Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women Treaty says that "physiological difference"is not the basis of gender discrimination, but it proposes that custom and practice should be modifid from the view of gender. In this respect, interpretations of the equility between men and women of the Fundamental Law on Education were restricted by historical facts, and it recognized gender roles and specialization. There have been some factors which prevented gender-equity education. The first factor is that education policy introduced the intention of the industrial world where the idea of gender roles and specialization because of different traits and characteristics was preferred. The second factor is that single-gender elementary and secondary schols, many women's colleges, and women's universities were established and have been maintained. The third factor is the formal curriculum classified by gender and the hidden curriculum which reproduces gender have been continued at school. However, in the interaction that competes with those elements above, "education about life and reprocuction of life, " "education about occupation and skill, " "sexual education, " and "gender-free discrimination" have been creating contents for Gender-fair education. However, in the recent government announcement the problem of gender-equity education was not discussed as an educational policy for the 21st century. From now on, it will be thought important that the modern school which has contributed to industrial development and state control should reviewed for the purpose of promoting gender-equity education. Furthermore, both parents and students should reach mutual agreement on gender-equity education, and course of studies should be of local citizen's own creation.
