Gender Bias Analysis of Primary School Textbooks of Amhara Region

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Date

1998-06

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Addis Ababa University

Abstract

The study was designed to examine the portrayal of female and male sexes in primary school textbooks of Amhara Region (Region three) and to identify if the contents and illustrations of the newly developed textbooks have gender biased (sex -stereotyped) messages. To conduct the research, content analysis was used The analysis was done on 42 textbooks for 13 subjects on topics, language, activites, biograpies and characters, occupations and examples. Of the 42 textbooks, 50 percent of each textbook chapters were selected for analysis by using random sampling technique. On the basis of categories frequency counts were made and the frequency counts were changed into , percentages. Chi-square (x) statistical test was computed to see if there is significant difference between male and female sex portrayal. The general result of the study revealed that out of the total 42 textbooks analysed 26 textbooks were found gender biased Among these only one was female biased and the other 25 were male biased The rest, 16 texts were found fairly gender balanced The problem was most serious in social studies texts of grade 7 and 5. The cumulative result indicated that women/girls were depicted only 23 percent while men/boys 77 percent. In the activiles and occupations male and female sexes were depicted stereotypically. No sex demeaning messages were transmitted and pictures of men/boys and women/girls were fairly balanced English subjecl texIs of all grade levels were found fairly balanced.

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Gender Bias Analysis of Primary School

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