Term Paper on "Evaluating Textbooks for Gender Bias Inclusion"

Term Paper 4 pages (1392 words) Sources: 4 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Gender Bias & Inclusion

Recently, The Wall Street Journal took the highly respected children's textbook publisher, the Houghton Mifflin Company, to task for its overly inclusive approach to children's textbook design. The Journal accused Houghton Mifflin of taking "able-bodied children selected through modeling agencies" to pose in wheelchairs or with crutches for Houghton Mifflin's elementary school textbooks. (Golden, 2006) A editorial in The Boston Globe agreed that by reducing "diversity to something as shallow and meaningless as appearance," the company reinforced "the most dehumanizing stereotypes of all" that "people [are] first and foremost...members of racial, ethnic, or social groups." (Jacoby, 2006) However, this anger seems perplexing, given that a model is supposed to be a representation of a child, not the 'actual' child -- even the able-bodied children in the pictures are not 'actual' students in classrooms studying the textbooks. The model children might be older, younger, or not live in the states where the textbooks depicted are being used.

The anger that this revelation spawned, however, is instructive for the controversial and emotional nature of the diversity debate in children's textbook design. A more valid issue might be, for example, how a social studies textbook for K-12 graders can accurately depict real life, which may have, for example, a gender imbalance in some occupations, without reinforcing and perpetuating such societal stereotypes. To refer once again to Houghton Mifflin textbooks, a 2004 social studies textbook series entitled My World, designed for children K-6, encouraged children to take an interest in their contemporary communities in an inclusive manner, regardless of gender. Drawing a map of one's home community is not called a male or female occupation. Scientific aspects of understanding how the world works, like figuring different time zones, or mapping the community, are not gendered, rather icons instead of persons of either gender are shown engaged in such tasks. However, somewhat perplexingly, in the handouts available for teachers on the website, when showing how to help students map their community, gas stations, schools, and homes are suggested as common sights, indicating a rather suburban emphasis of in the company's approach. Also, the use of reference points like gas stations might be more of interest to boys than girls. Still, the series should be commended in the fact that, when discussing contemporary occupations, both men and women are shown working at non-stereotypically gendered occupations.

The series also tries to show boys and girls from the past engaging in efforts like chopping wood, hauling water, traveling by train, and doing daily chores to help their families. This is realistic in the sense that it accurately depicts the hard life of persons alive in America many years ago, does not misrepresent the roles of the genders, yet also pays tribute to the labors of women and girls in a way that is meaningful and relatable to all children. All children have to do chores, and all children travel, and this is a way to bring history alive to both girls and boys without suggesting that one gender labored or engaged in exploration more than the other gender. The clothing of the children is historically accurate, but girls are not only seen as objects of admiration. Famous figures of the past of different genders are both given respect and attention. There is a stress upon transportation regarding America's past, though, that might, depending on the viewpoint of the educator, seem to tip the balance of 'typical' interests of boys and girls in favor of male-oriented pursuits.

Not only Houghton Mifflin has demonstrated a commitment to greater inclusiveness and diversity in publishing. Glencoe, a division of the educational publishing company McGraw Hill, puts forth a book entitled The World and its People. This geography book mainly pays attention to scientific facts about the world, and focuses more on natural aspects of the world than individuals of either gender, although it does pay tribute to the diversity and high rates of immigration in the United States. Natural life is the focus of this text. But again, if one considers the stereotypical interests of boys and girls, the stress upon facts and statistics, rather than upon persons might make the approach… READ MORE

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