Gender stereotypes in educational texts: A comparative study of Indonesian and international primary English textbooks

Abstract

Despite the claim that the world is progressing toward gender parity, gender stereotyping continues to be a challenge for many countries, including Indonesia. This critical discourse study sought to investigate if gender stereotypes (still) exist in English language textbooks (ELTs) utilized in international and local (Indonesian) contexts. To this end, this study analysed visual texts portraying male and female characters from the student books of English Chest 6 and Let’s Go 6 from a Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FCDA) perspective. In terms of gender representation and responsiveness, both quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed that both ELTs depict unequal portrayals. Furthermore, gender stereotypes were identified in both educational documents under investigation in two social settings, namely family and occupation/profession. This empirical research implies that, in order to achieve more equality in education, both textbook authors and schoolteachers around the world should be fully aware of gender issues encapsulated in educational documents.