TO THE PROBLEM OF GENDER ANALYSIS OF SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS

Abstract

The article points out that the existing differences in behaviour and lifestyle of people belonging to different sexes are not stipulated only by their certain biological and sex peculiarities, but also by the factors of social and cultural character. The realization of this fact has become the reason for singling out in scientifi c researches two different terms: «sex» (refl ects biological differences between a man and a woman); «gender» (refl ects a social description of a person as a representative of a certain sex). It has been determined that recently world’s developed countries have been experiencing such objective processes as destruction of the traditional system of gender stratifi cation; considerable transformations in social relationships between representatives of different sexes; denial the traditional sexist orientations towards women etc. Thus, a person’s behaviour and his/her personal qualities are mainly determined by his/her individual rather than sex or gender stereotypes. This stipulates the importance of the realization of the gender approach in school education providing for: denial the educational infl uences differentiated by one’s sex, the realization of the idea of gender parity, creating favourable conditions for the development of every pupil irrespective of his/her sex. It is obvious that the idea of gender equality should apply to all aspects of the educational process: its contents, organization and means. However, as it has been established in the process of the research, the text and visual materials of most textbooks used at school today, contribute to the formation of old-fashioned viewpoints about the social role of men and women among pupils, and as a result – to further spread of gender stereotypes amidst children and youth. This fact stipulated the need for the teacher’s relevant commentary on these materials as well as their supplementing with other methodological learning aids created within the framework of gender equality. In the prospect it is suggested to replace present-day textbooks whose contents cultivate gender inequality for other educational books without this drawback.