Teacher, Queen, Servant : Inclusion

Written by: Jovana Đinđić, Gender Equality and Human Rights Coordinator, Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit

The Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit, in cooperation with the Coordination Body for Gender Equality of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, has implemented an analysis of the curricula and textbooks for the subject Serbian Language from I to IV grade of primary school, to examine the inclusion of a gender perspective in the teaching materials and documents used to programme classes.

The analysis was implemented during the period October 2017 – June 2018, encompassing curricula from I to IV grade and textbook sets from three textbook publishers with the highest share in schools in Serbia (Klett, Eduka, Novi Logos). The subject Serbian Language was chosen because it has the highest number of classes and covers topics related to various aspects of social and family life that can serve to stimulate discussion on the status of women, gender roles and stereotypes.

Rulebooks on the curricula for the first four grades state that one of the tasks in teaching Serbian Language is that students should be educated to “live and work in the spirit of humanism, truthfulness, solidarity and other moral values”. However, gender equality is not mentioned at all. None of the contents on offer cover the topic of gender equality, nor does the way the content is covered involve an explanation of the conditions for the development of gender equality or the sources of gender inequality in our society, even though each of the textbooks analysed contain multiple texts fit for stimulating discussion on this topic.

Gender inequality is further reflected in the disproportionate number of male and female authors whose works are included in the curricula – the curriculum for first grade lists 2 female and 19 male authors, for second grade 3 female and 20 male authors, for third grade 5 female and 27 male authors, while for fourth grade it covers 4 female and 30 male authors. The language of the textbooks is mainly gender-inconsistent, although a tendency can be noted towards the use of gender neutral language (e.g. describe, draw, explain, etc.).

Most of the male characters throughout all textbooks have a higher share of participation in texts and illustrations compared to female persons. A positive example can be noted in the significant presence of female-male pairs in illustrations. The main characters are mainly male, they are characterized by an incomparably broader range of occupations, characteristics, values and interests compared to female characters. For example, one first-grade textbook contains five times as many male characters than female, and the female characters are shown only as teachers, queens and servants. Likewise, the interests of female characters are mainly aimed at childcare and the family. The textbooks fail to create a balance between the roles of the mother and the father regarding childcare, showing instead a stereotypical attitude whereby the mother is the only one taking care of the children. Furthermore, a stereotypical division of spaces has been noticed in the text of the majority of textbooks – male characters are most frequently shown in public spaces, while female characters most frequently appear in a closed, private space.

This text presents just some of the findings of the analysis that will soon be made public and available for download from the website of the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit and the Coordination Body for Gender Equality of the Government of the Republic of Serbia.

Family, school and the media have a very important role in the process of child socialization. The content of textbooks and the way teachers interpret them provide children with information on social values and desirable models of behaviour and thought. Explicit and implicit messages on desired behaviour among men and women contained in the teaching materials affect the formation of opinions among boys and girls and their models of behaviour. Therefore it is very important to consider whether educational materials contain gender stereotypes, to what degree are traditional gender roles being re-examined, and whether gender equality is being affirmed.

This analysis has shown that despite positive examples in textbooks and work sheets, such as the use of gender neutral or gender sensitive language, showing male-female pairs in non-stereotypical activities, the participation of both boys and girls in housework and showing girls in sports outfits and with medals around their necks, additional effort must clearly be invested to enrich the teaching materials with gender-relevant content that would stimulate discussion and encourage students to take a critical view of the structural foundations of gender relations in our society. In addition to the contents of the textbook, the views of teachers are of great importance for the development of critical thinking among children, therefore the priorities of the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit will be to work on the improvement of the content of textbooks from the aspect of gender equality, and strengthening the capacities of teachers for the inclusion of gender perspectives in Serbian Language classes.

(The text was originally published as the Introduction to the 52^nd Newsletter on Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction.)