Exploring Gender Stereotypes in First-Grade School Textbooks in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Textbooks perform a crucial role in providing pupils with knowledge and transmitting subtle cues about the desired norms, ideals and values of society. Previous studies have consistently shown that stereotypical representations of gender in school textbooks represent a prominent source of gender bias and discrimination, particularly in patriarchal societies where male privileges are underwritten by formal and informal social, legal and cultural practices. This study provides a content analysis of gender representations in a sample of 15 first-grade textbooks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, focusing upon the pictorial, in addition to discursive, representations of gender. The study finds that gender stereotypes are prevalent across a wide range of domains including: traits and characteristics; activities and interests; occupational roles; and physical appearances and attributes. Female characters are also underrepresented compared to male characters. Crucially, unlike male characters who are portrayed in a wide array of settings, female characters are primarily depicted in a domestic context. As a result, the representation of gender in Saudi Arabian first-grade textbooks embeds a rigid binary system of gender hierarchies while reinforcing some of the most pervasive gender stereotypes. Most notably, the findings in this study show that textbooks continue to promulgate the myth that the natural habitat for women and girls is the home. Drawing upon a range of theories, the study argues that these stereotypical representations of gender in school textbooks perpetuate gender inequalities through socializing young children into accepting the hegemonic ideas of patriarchy. Only by dismantling the norms and assumptions upon which stereotypes are founded can school textbooks facilitate a more equal and nuanced representation of gender.