Gender roles in textbooks as a function of hidden curriculum in Tanzania primary schools

Abstract

One gender related issue addressed in the Education and Training Policy of Tanzania is the thrust to ensure that gender equality prevails in the schooling process. One way of implementing gender equality is the elimination of gender role stereotyping in school textbooks. Tanzania scholarship on gender shows that there is knowledge gap on how gender roles are depicted in textbooks. Furthermore there are no adequate mechanisms to ensure the production of textbooks that are free from gender stereotyping.

Based on a Liberal Feminist Framework, the study using content analysis method has examined the extent to which gender roles had been portrayed in the 40 textbooks in the six subjects taught in Tanzanian government primary schools. Further, employing interviews, the study examined mechanisms instituted by the Ministry of Education and Culture (MOEC) and Publishers to ensure that the production of textbooks is not gender biased.

The findings of this study include the following:  Female compared to male characters were being under represented in:  Frequency of appearance and power related aspects such as leadership, ownership of property and association with technology,  leisure and sports activities;  The depiction of reproductive and productive roles is biased into traditional femininity and masculinity;  Gender biased language is minimal; and  Personality traits are differentiated between traditional masculinity and femininity groupings; and  The mechanisms to eliminate gender stereotyping in producing textbooks are inadequate as the emphasis is on producing textbooks that matched with the official curriculum.

The Hidden Curriculum Theory and the corresponding Social Learning Theory instruct that gender biased hidden messages in textbooks are acquired by students through socialization. Gender biased hidden messages have the negative impact of creating a society that disrespects gender equality. While both boy and girl learners are negatively affected by these messages, girls are more affected in not building positive self-esteem, have less career options and few role models.

The study concludes with recommendations to stakeholders in textbooks production to produce non-sexist textbooks. The recommendations are intended to generate awareness on the importance of producing textbooks that are non-sexist. This is coupled with recommendations for further studies.