Gender in science textbooks

Abstract

Education is universally acknowledged to benefit individuals and promote national development. If we envision a world that values equality, tolerance and the well-being of all those who live in it, then we need to instill these values in young minds through education in a proper way. It is the educational institutions that mould children's ideas, beliefs, and attitudes and experiences, which they are likely to carry throughout their life. The educational system mostly relies on textbooks that are largely accessed by students and teachers across the country for conveying knowledge and values. Textbooks are a basic vehicle of socialization and have economic and ideological implications. While going through various science textbooks it was felt that gender concerns have not been integrated in a meaningful manner. It may give rise to gender inequalities, i.e. differences between men and women that systematically favor one group. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behavior, activities and attributes that a given society at a given time and place considers appropriate for men and women, and boys and girls and the relationships between them. To inculcate a culture of gender equality, science textbooks need to be revised to sieve out words, phrases disparaging women, use of gender-biased visuals, distinct roles and behaviors that are defined for boys and girls, and men and women in a society. Educators and textbook illustrators need to make conscious efforts to overcome the gender biases that creep into science textbook besides science content, by keeping the concepts of gender in mind. The aim of this paper is to consider the overall environment of the science textbooks in relation to gender, and to explore the possibilities of how the textbooks can be used as a powerful lever of social change in propagating gender equality and universal values.