Nowadays, it is clearly well known that English has become a key language not only for English-speaking countries, but also for every other country in the world. The reasons for this situation are certainly many, such as the growth of tourism, the accessibility to technological devices, the strong presence of foreign affairs, the use of social media platforms and the Internet, among many other features that push people to deal with a wide range of information from English sources. It is quite relevant then that all members from different societies, especially future generations, prepare to face the expansion of this language in the best way possible. In order to achieve this "mission", teacher of English and the materials employed in their classrooms will play a crucial role in schools, not only in teaching the language, but also in raising awareness about relevant cultural changes and other important issues about the world that surrounds us.
In relation to the latter, the focus of the following analysis relies on gender issues and how do English textbook's designs affect the perspective of the students towards gender. It will be discussed the relative "invisibility" of female characters, which means according to Weatherall (2002), a controversial area of sexism caused by many reasons such as the use of male-generic items that refer to both women and men such as he or mankind, and the lack of leadership that women have in pictures and images. Besides, it will also be discussed the use of stereotypes that can harm gender roles. Since textbooks have direct contact with students, they are an important source of gender stereotypes, because they present a model to learners on which they organize their own gender behavior (Sovic & Hus, 2015). These stereotypes eventually lead to gender ideology, which is another topic to be discussed in this analysis. Taylor (2003) claims that these ideologies can be presented as a system of signs easily recognizable in examples such as beauty, where women are represented using cosmetics, certain styles of dress and even certain colors. Eisenberg (2002) supports that this is a very serious topic, since people may not be even aware of their perception about reality, and this is constantly structured in an ideological manner.
The purpose of this analysis is then to discover whether the increasingly predominant images used in one particular EFL textbook convey a specific vision of gender reality and ideology.
The textbook: "Go for Chile! 11th Grade Students' Book (2000).
The reasons for choosing Go for Chile! are that this textbook was previously analyzed by Glas (2013) under a critical approach to the cultural discourse that textbooks' content (texts and images) can imply. However, the version we have chosen differs from the one analyzed, because this was published two years after. But. considering that they were designed by the same authors, there might not be much of a change. In addition, what motivated the selection of this book is an attempt to enrich the previously done analysis by Glas (2013), contributing with a different point of view from our experience as Chilean students.
Analysis:
The analysis will be guided with a set of questions taken from Peter Giaschi (2000)'s Critical Image Analysis article.
- What is the activity of the image(s)?
- Who is active (the "protagonists") in the image?
- Who is passive ("the receiver") in the image(s)?
- Who has status in the image(s)?
- What does the body language communicate?
- What does the clothing communicate?
- Where are the eyes directed?
One of the concepts applied in this analysis is critical discourse analysis, focused principally on the importance that images have positioning gender roles, either as support for text or on their own. As Fairclough (1089) states "not all photographs are equal: any photograph gives one image of a scene or person from among the many possible images. Basically, it means that the choice is important, since different images convey different meanings. And in the case of gender, these meaning are certainly important, as they can contribute in shaping the perspective of the students.
1. What is the activity of the image(s)?
1. What is the activity of the image(s)?
For the purposes of this analysis, we are going to examine a total of 70 images, among these images, there is a total of 27 pictures showing interactions between genders; 23 pictures in which men were represented as having the main role, and 4 in which women had protagonist roles (not considering crowds scenes). The focus of the images shown in this book was mainly teenagers (50%) and science (22%), followed by minor topics such as entertainment, music, media, sports, and fashion. The images portraying sports showed mostly the participation of men; and the one time a woman was present in a sport picture, she was alongside men (See Figure 1).
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| Figure 1 |
The pictures related to fashion showed only women, leaving aside any participation of men. In terms of music, there was a major participation of men, with the exception of one famous female singer (See Figure 2). As for science, there was a tendency of depicting men or boy teaching or explaining scientific topics to women or girls.
2. Who is active (the "protagonists") in the image? |
| Figure 2 |
As seen before, when it comes to images showing people performing activities, men were given an active role in most opportunities, with a 64% of main roles; meanwhile women were shown as active in 36% of the images. In pictures involving strength (lifting boxes, building houses, climbing, etc), there was a strong bias towards men, and women were rather depicted as spectators or coordinators of such activities. In pictures representing humor (telling jokes, making fun of something or someone, acting weird, etc), men were the main protagonists too, whereas girls were represented laughing and enjoying the show. As for pictures connected to fashion, only women were the protagonists; the textbook portrays them walking in runways or conversing about makeup. What was quite interesting about this section was that there was an absolute absence of men.
It can be concluded that the textbook indirectly portrays a reality in which men are the "doers" and female have little to say or to do, with the exception of fashion, which can also tells us that this book depicts females as a more superficial gender (See Figure 3).
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| Figure 3 |
3. Who is passive ("the receiver") in the image(s)?
Considering what has been said before, women are given a passive role in most of the images (64%), in contrast to men, who were given a passive role in very few cases (36%), which reinforces the idea that this book pictures men as the principal gender.
Considering what has been said before, women are given a passive role in most of the images (64%), in contrast to men, who were given a passive role in very few cases (36%), which reinforces the idea that this book pictures men as the principal gender.
4. Who has status in the image(s)?
Taking into consideration the dress code, the camera angles, the positions, professions, and many other aspects related to status, it can be concluded that, in this book, there is a huge tendency to depict men as having higher status (90% of the times). Some of the clearest examples are (1) a very tall boy with sunglasses, standing and looking right to the front with a small girl hugging him (See Figure 4), (2) a young well-dressed men dancing at a discotheque alongside three girls in the background, and (3) a boy rescuing a girl who has fallen and is obviously in pain. In most of the pictures, men were helping out women with difficult chores such as lifting heavy objects or studying complicated topics
5. What does the body language communicate?
In the vast majority of the few pictures in which women have the main role, there is a man from behind observing them. Sometimes they look serious, other times they look surprised at what they are doing, but most of the time they seem attracted to them. There are several pictures of women carrying out activities while a man pays close attention in a suggestive way. On the other hand, women tend to be represented as admiring what men do. In the case of science, sports, or other labors, women are often portrayed as surprised by men's talents. The most noticeable body language in men is a confident posture (standing tall and looking "good"), accompanied with strong movements and relaxed -or focused- faces. Based on this, it can be concluded that the book indirectly representes women as objects of desire, and as really interested in superficial aspects, while men are depicted as powerful and successful. (See Figure 4 again).
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| Figure 4 |
5. What does the body language communicate?
In the vast majority of the few pictures in which women have the main role, there is a man from behind observing them. Sometimes they look serious, other times they look surprised at what they are doing, but most of the time they seem attracted to them. There are several pictures of women carrying out activities while a man pays close attention in a suggestive way. On the other hand, women tend to be represented as admiring what men do. In the case of science, sports, or other labors, women are often portrayed as surprised by men's talents. The most noticeable body language in men is a confident posture (standing tall and looking "good"), accompanied with strong movements and relaxed -or focused- faces. Based on this, it can be concluded that the book indirectly representes women as objects of desire, and as really interested in superficial aspects, while men are depicted as powerful and successful. (See Figure 4 again).
6. What does the clothing communicate?
In terms of dressing, both men and women were mostly shown in casual clothes, with few exceptions in sports and school. Most of the time, people in the images were dressing summer clothes (short-sleeve shirt and short pants or skirts), with no major difference between genders, with the exception of the fashion section, in which only women were shown wearing fancy clothes and makeup. In this case, the clothing does not praise men, but it reinforces the idea of women being linked to superficial factors.
In terms of dressing, both men and women were mostly shown in casual clothes, with few exceptions in sports and school. Most of the time, people in the images were dressing summer clothes (short-sleeve shirt and short pants or skirts), with no major difference between genders, with the exception of the fashion section, in which only women were shown wearing fancy clothes and makeup. In this case, the clothing does not praise men, but it reinforces the idea of women being linked to superficial factors.
7. Where are the eyes directed?
In several images, women were staring to nowhere while men had fixed their glance in them. In some others, there was eye contact between each other, although men, most of the time, seemed to be in control of the situation by laughing, talking, demonstration knowledge, etc. These images depicted a sense of superiority of men in social relations in comparison to women, and also a desire of control or possession from men towards women (see Figure 5).
In several images, women were staring to nowhere while men had fixed their glance in them. In some others, there was eye contact between each other, although men, most of the time, seemed to be in control of the situation by laughing, talking, demonstration knowledge, etc. These images depicted a sense of superiority of men in social relations in comparison to women, and also a desire of control or possession from men towards women (see Figure 5).
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| Figure 5 |
Conclusion:
The results of the image analysis of the book Go for Chile demonstrated that this textbook does not offer an effective -nor inclusive- gender representation. Since most of the times, women were given passive roles in a world apparently "ruled" by men.
As it was said at the beginning, the representation that textbooks give to genders is very important for the repercussion that it can have in students. In this case, this book encourages a series of misleading stereotypes that can affect negatively to the students that work with it. For example, in relation to sports, the book hardly ever used images of women, situation that supports the wrongly-conveyed idea that sports are meant only for men, which can be quite detrimental to women that practice sports, as they are not given the chance to feel identified with the materials.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that it is very important to choose wisely in terms of materials, since they can influence on the perception that students have towards the world that surrounds them, and this perception is something that can eventually spread through social circles and different generations. That is why we recommend making these type of analyses, as they provide a thorough conception of how the information is delivered. A wise decision is key towards changing the mindset of a constantly-changing environment.
In relation to the Feedback: click here to see the changes.
The results of the image analysis of the book Go for Chile demonstrated that this textbook does not offer an effective -nor inclusive- gender representation. Since most of the times, women were given passive roles in a world apparently "ruled" by men.
As it was said at the beginning, the representation that textbooks give to genders is very important for the repercussion that it can have in students. In this case, this book encourages a series of misleading stereotypes that can affect negatively to the students that work with it. For example, in relation to sports, the book hardly ever used images of women, situation that supports the wrongly-conveyed idea that sports are meant only for men, which can be quite detrimental to women that practice sports, as they are not given the chance to feel identified with the materials.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that it is very important to choose wisely in terms of materials, since they can influence on the perception that students have towards the world that surrounds them, and this perception is something that can eventually spread through social circles and different generations. That is why we recommend making these type of analyses, as they provide a thorough conception of how the information is delivered. A wise decision is key towards changing the mindset of a constantly-changing environment.
In my opinion, gender-inclusive materials are a must for the future of education.
Society has changed and so should schools and the materials employed in their classrooms.
In relation to the Feedback: click here to see the changes.
References:
Eisenberg, K. N. (2002). Gender and
ethnicity stereotypes in children's books. Disertation abstract International. Science engineering
Fairclough, N. (1989). Language
and power. London: Longman.
Glas, K. (2013). Teaching
English in Chile: a study of teacher perceptions of their professional
identity, student motivation and pertinent learning contents. Peter Lang
Edition.
Sovič, A., & Hus, V. (2015). Gender stereotype analysis of the
textbooks for young learners. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 186,
495-501.
Taylor, F. (2003): Content analysis
and gender stereotypes in children's books. Teaching Sociology, 31. 1–11.
Weatheral, A. (2002). Towards
understanding gender and talk-in-interaction. Discourse & society, 13(6),
767-781.
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