A Comparative, Historical Study of Gender Representation in Persian, English, and French Textbooks in Iran within a Seventy-year Period (1938-2015) with an Interdisciplinary Approach

Abstract

Gender is an important cultural issue towards which there are different views in different cultures. Investigating the similarities and differences among cultures can shed light knowing that cultures. In this regard, educational systems play a vital role, either directly or indirectly, in familiarizing students with different cultures, and textbooks are recognized as one of the most important tools for framing students’ intellectual framework. This way, the specific purpose of the present study is to examine the representation of gender in Persian, English, and French textbooks written in a seventy-year old period (i.e. from 1938 to 2015). In this regard, nine textbooks including: 3 Persian textbooks written in 1940 (1319), 1984 (1361), and 2012 (1391); 3 French textbooks written in 1937 (1316), 1988 (1367), and 2012 (1391); and 3 English textbooks written in 1940 (1319), 1984 (1361), and 2012 (1391) were gathered and investigated. The results of qualitative content analysis and frequency measures showed similarities and differences regarding the representation of gender in the textbooks that seem to have been less visible. Moreover, in English and French textbooks, there are some traces of bias towards females. The results of the present study could open new vistas towards intercultural relationships among Iran, England, and French.

Keywords

• comparative study
• culture
• gender representation
• textbooks