Gender in Textbooks

Abstract

Scholarly works of education in Hungary usually fail to do gender- sensitive research. 'Gender studies' as a scientific field, approach or perspective is highly neglected in the field of education in Hungary. There have been several research studies focusing on gender roles in textbooks, too. The absence of research and available scientific data on gender issues in education, combined with a lack of gender awareness, knowledge and openness towards gender theory as a means of social criticism applicable in the fields of social sciences and pedagogy, allows actors in the field of education to claim that there are no gender inequalities and discrimination in schools and that the gender dimension is irrelevant in education. There have been several research studies focusing on gender roles in textbooks in Hungary. Researchers have shown that textbooks mostly represent the experiences of men and boys, which are considered as the norm in them. The experiences, ways of thinking and knowledge of girls mean something 'different' from that. This is problematic, because in this way very little and limited space is ascribed to women and girls, which also mean rendering invisible a large part of people's experience that is usually associated with women, though could be with both genders. My paper addresses the gendered dimension of textbooks as parts of the 'hidden' curriculum in the process of the formation of subject-specific skills and identities, focusing especially on elementary level textbooks, and particularly how the world represented in textbooks render prescribed, divided and unquestionable spheres for both boys and girls in the process of learning and knowledge production. Besides drawing on the relevant Hungarian and mostly English literature I argue that though there are some 'alternative' examples of gender representations in textbooks, which aim to differ from mainstream representations, these cannot be considered as a general and conscious practice yet. Traditional approaches of gender roles, the family and the educational situation dominate the textbooks. Gender as a point of view and analytical category is not integrated in the pedagogical canon in the Hungarian context. My paper focuses on one field of education, namely textbooks in general, and five Hungarian grammar textbooks in particular, and addresses the question of equality/inequality of genders concerning the knowledge produced in them. The paper emphasizes the role of textbooks as parts of the 'hidden curriculum' in the process of the formation of subject-specific skills and identities, focusing especially on how education is highly gendered, and particularly how the world represented in textbooks related to subjects render prescribed, divided and unquestionable spheres for both boys and girls in the process of education.