Unfolding Hidden Gender Bias in Textbooks in Taiwan
Hidden Obstacles to Gender Equality in Education
As Benjamin Franklin once said,” An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” Indeed, most parents believe that giving their children an education is to provide them a path to a brighter future. But, what if there are gender bias and adverse social norms embedded in this education? Will it still pay the best “interest” for their children?
The answer might be NO because their children might not be able to really express themselves or develop their true talent!
Gender Bias in Textbooks around the Globe
Whether you admit it or not, textbooks illustrate a society through a microcosm, revealing its social values and priorities. In 2016, UNESCO released a study on teaching materials in countries around the globe, in which they found an overwhelmingly strong level of gender bias.
In India, only 6% of the illustrations in primary English, Hindi, mathematics, science and social studies textbooks consisted of females, while more than half were those of males according to the Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report at UNESCO. Not a single woman was shown as an executive, engineer, shopkeeper or merchant in six mathematics books used in Indian primary schools. The same conditions were found in the textbooks of Congo. When introducing different types of leaders, images of males appeared to be more recognizable for the publishers of the textbooks.
In some cases, women are fully represented in textbooks. Let’s check out how they are illustrated. In a Turkish textbook, a girl is pictured dreaming of her wedding day, while a boy imagines becoming a doctor. In a Tunisian one, students are asked to complete sentences about Mr. Thompson, who is in the garage washing his car, while Mrs. Thompson is in the kitchen preparing lunch. Content like this might cause girls to believe that there’s nothing more to their lives but marriage, husband and house chores. As a result, the motivation and achievements of girls are very likely to be undermined due to an invisible restriction on thoughts or plans for their future career paths.
Although these stereotypes might still exist in many educational materials, there is progress after years of review by international organizations and NGOs. Analysis for the GEM Report in 2018 shows that content relating to gender equality has increased in textbooks across the world. The percentage of textbooks mentioning women’s rights increased from 15% in the 1946 to 1969 period to 37% in the 2000 to 2011 period. Some countries, such as Vietnam, have made important steps towards including gender equality in their textbooks. They set goals to review and remove gender stereotypes from textbook content and images.
What about textbooks in Taiwan?
Decades ago, the publication rights for textbooks hadn’t yet been opened to the public in Taiwan. There was only one version of each type of teaching material, which had a deep impact on all students. Affected by traditional concepts and social myths, some of the content included sections like this:
“Who wakes up early? / Mother wakes up early to clean. / Who wakes up early? / Father wakes up early to read.”
Gender disparity can easily be seen in content describing the overall situation of families at that time. However, due to the efforts of scholars and NGOs, much of this content has been removed. Furthermore, there are increasingly more choices for textbooks nowadays, so teachers can choose ones that better match their needs in classes. Yet, such gender bias can still be found in lectures on classical Chinese. For example, this is what Confucius stated in “The Operation of Etiquette”:
“Men have their respective occupations and women their homes.”
This is where the challenge stands. Embracing one’s heritage has always been an essential part of building one’s self identity, and the wisdom of a culture lies in its literature. But, what if there’s a huge gap between traditional culture and our modern social values? Perhaps, new teaching methods or materials must be developed! It’s important to let the next generation know that literature and artworks embody the social values of the era in which they were created. Social values change according to time, and some concepts are no longer suitable for our society. Yet, we should still recognize the value and beauty of the artwork.
What should we do next?
Improving textbooks to ensure they promote gender equality can be a challenging task. The GEM Report recommends that textbooks should be reviewed and revised as soon as curricula has been reformed to meet the needs of lectures in changing societies. Textbooks should not confine women to employment that is only a simple extension of their domestic and maternal activities. The role of women in business, science and leadership should also be illustrated. It should be clear on textbooks that students can be whoever they want to be, regardless of their gender, just like how it is in modern society.
Reference
- “Gender bias in textbooks: a hidden obstacle on the road to gender equality in education” UNESCO, 2007.
- “Eliminating gender bias in textbooks: Pushing for policy reforms that promote gender equity in education” UNESCO, 2015.
- “Textbooks pave the way to sustainable development” UNESCO, 2016.
- “Viet Nam: Using Textbooks and Curricula for Gender Equality” World Education Blog, 2016, Available at: https://gemreportunesco.wordpress.com/2016/12/19/8940/
- “Textbooks worldwide rely on gender stereotypes, report finds” The Guardian, 2016.
Other articles in this issue
How Menstruation Education is Carried out for Young Girls in Taiwan?
While it is an international trend to remove period stigma, primary and middle schools in Taiwan have yet to conduct menstruation education profoundly.
Call for Implementation of Gender Equality Education in Taiwan
Other than Same-sex Marriage Bill, another gender equality reform is taking place in Taiwan, sparking heated debates on whether the new Curriculum Guidelines should include sexual and LGBT-friendly contents.
Author: Vivian Chen
A curious person, trying to create social impact with gender lens. Currently expanding knowledge in impact investing.
