International Journal of Gender & Women's Studies

Gender Bias in Elementary School Language Textbooks
Darni, Fithriyah Inda Nur Abida

Abstract
This paper examines the appearance of gender bias in Language textbooks in Elementary school. The research focused on Java, especially in East Java and Central Java. The research finding will be used as a recommendation for Elementary textbooks writing. Further, it is hoped that the result will be used as a pilot project of gender mainstreaming in education. This research use qualitative method. The sources of data are text books in elementary school. The data are focused on language text books i.e. Indonesian and Javanese text books which are used in East Java in 2013 and Central Java in 2014. The data deals with words and actions that describe gender bias. Data collection of this research is library documentation and the data are analyzed and classified using gender concept. The research found that gender biased images remain strongly present in elementary textbooks. The materials differentiate between men and women in the form of job types, games, and attitudes. The textbooks reinforce the stereotypical image that men dominate the public sphere and women the private sphere. Cooking, cleaning, and decorating a house and various domestic works done by women, while men performing challenging jobs and heavy manual labour. Gender discrimination also occurs in children’s game; girls were shown playing with domestic toys and the boys were shown building and enacting stereotypically masculine roles such as doctor or police officer. The patriarchal society also sets the difference attitude between boys and girls. Girls should smile and be sensible while boys should be brave.

Full Text: PDF      DOI: 10.15640/ijgws.v5n1a13