A tale of gender portrayal in Ethiopian public primary math textbooks

Abstract

This study examined the portrayal of gender in math textbooks that were recently published and utilized in Ethiopian public elementary schools. The study used a modified version of Brugeilles and Cromer’s (Eulalia and Rommel in Sex Cult 24:1167–1188, 2020) methodological guide to conduct a quantitative and qualitative content analysis. Textual data served as the main data source for this study. The female and male characters in the textbooks, their roles, and the number of times each character appeared were all recorded for the quantitative analysis. In the qualitative analysis, attention was paid to identifying what social and occupational roles female and male characters hold, as well as what character traits are ascribed to females and males, and whether gender representations reinforce gender stereotypes. The results reveal a prevalence of gender bias in the portrayal of female and male characters though awareness of and sensitivity to gender is sparingly shown by the textbook authors. This study contributes to the existing literature on portrayal of gender in educational materials and provides insights for educators, policymakers, and textbook publishers to promote gender equality in educational contexts in Ethiopia and beyond.