A Comparative Analysis of Gender Representation in Sindh Textbook Board’s Grade 11 Old and Revised Editions English Textbooks

Abstract

Gender representation in the textbooks has great influence on the how students perceive gender and societal norms. The present study comparatively analyzes gender representation in the old and revised editions of the Grade 11 English textbook published by the Sindh Textbook Board. By employing the theoretical frameworks of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) along with Feminist Critical Pedagogy (FCP), this study investigates  how gender roles are constructed and to which extent these constructed identities  are either reinforced or challenged in these textbooks. The results shows that, visuals in the old edition mostly  feature male figures, but the revised edition reflects some inclusivity with 77.8% males and 22.2% females. As for the occupational roles, in both editions male characters are highly dominated; only a small fraction 16.7% female characters were represented in professional roles. The qualitative analysis reveals that old edition strengthens the stereotypical beliefs by associating adjectives like authoritative, daring etc to males  and  silent ,lovely to females portraying them submissive, emotional and weak. However, in the revised edition there is an increased female visibility and inclusion in educational and occupational context. Yet, the male dominance in roles of management and authority still persists which impacts learners thinking, career choices, and their understanding of societal norms. The findings highlight the need for textbook revisions that adopt an empowered and diverse gender representation. This research further expands its discussion on broader educational reforms.