Steroid hormones and gender issues: an analysis of didactic books of biology

Abstract

Historically, science tries to explain the differences between men and women, and sometimes legitimizes the masculine as superior in relation to the feminine. The Didactic Books are used as a pedagogical tool in the teaching and learning process and widely used by teachers from different areas of knowledge. The question of research that is posed is: what historical and social gender ideas in the knowledge of steroid hormones are reaffirmed in didactic books? The objective of this research is to analyze the discourse present in didactic books concerning the contents of steroid hormones and to reflect on the gender issues immersed in Biology books. This research is qualitative. Eight books assessed by the National Textbook Program of Brazil were analyzed. For this analysis of data, six Registry Units were created: Hormones and sexual determination; Hormones and gender stereotypes; Sex hormones; Hormones and the menstrual cycle; Hormones and psychic differences; Gender approaches. The didactic books present descriptions of the hormones as being exclusively sexual, with gender stereotypes, as a mode of behavioral determination and of psychic differences. Historically, the scientific description of the knowledge of steroid hormones has contributed to the maintenance of inequalities between men and women, the books in turn reproduce this knowledge acritically.

Keywords

• gênero e livros didáticos
• ensino de biologia
• hormônios esteroides.