The Changing Role of Women from the mid-19th Century to the Present Day: an Analysis of German History Textbooks from a Gender Perspective

Abstract

The article presents the findings of a study that conducted a content analysis of German history textbooks for upper secondary schools, investigating gender aspects of the educational content. The analysis focused primarily on the presentation of the historical evolution of women’s roles from the mid-19th century to the present day. The study draws on previous research of history teaching materials comparing the content of history textbooks in Austria, Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland. The methodology is anchored in recent literature, and includes a qualitative analysis based on a set of predetermined criteria. The findings of the analysis indicate that German textbooks devote substantial coverage to the history of women’s emancipation; the textbooks contain separate chapters focusing on the gender dimension, including the struggle for women’s suffrage, women’s war efforts during the two world wars, the status of women in the Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany and post-1945, and questions of everyday life. The didactic elements of the texts are also well-elaborated (methodological passages, the use of didactic media, interpretation of historical sources, project-based teaching).