Comparison of 9th Grade History Textbooks Used in 2013 and 2023 in Terms of Women's History

Abstract

As an extension of women's history and gender equality studies, the level of visibility of women in history textbooks and the reflection of their historical roles in textbooks has become an important area of research. The language, information, and visuals used in history textbooks are considered very important data tools for these studies. In this research, which has a qualitative approach, the 9th grade history textbooks taught in 2013 and 2023 were compared in terms of women's history. The aim of the research is to make a comparison of the 9th grade history textbooks taught in 2013 and 2023 in terms of women's history and to reveal the point reached regarding women's history. In line with this purpose, document analysis was preferred as the method. The 9th grade history textbooks were selected through the purposive sampling method. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. According to the findings of the study, history textbooks reveal a regression in terms of women's history. Most of the female names identified in the history textbooks taught in 2013 are not included in the history textbooks used in 2023. The visuals in the book are not sufficient in terms of women's history. It can be thought that the changing history programs have an impact on this outcome since textbooks are written within the framework of history programs. It can also be argued that not enough sensitivity has been shown to the inclusion of women's history in textbooks.