A Study Of Gender Representation In Chinese-language Textbooks In Middle Schools In Mainland China

The present study is conducted to find out the linguistic features that reflect gender bias in Chinese-language textbooks,to examine the influence of the linguistic features on female and male students' gender attitudes and to explore the possible reasons for students' attitudes towards different genders.On the basis of the Dominance Theory,content analysis is adopted to analyze the six junior middle school Chinese-language textbooks,which are published by Language and Culture Press and are widely used in mainland China.Seven categories of the linguistic features are investigated in the textbooks:(1)number of female and male authors;(2)number of female and male characters;(3)number of outstanding persons;(4)pictorial representation of females and males;(5)female and male occupations;(6)male firstness;(7)masculine generic pronouns.After the analysis of the textbooks,a questionnaire and a follow-up group discussion are carried out to explore the effects of these linguistic features on female and male students' gender attitudes.Twelve characters with occupations from the textbooks are selected in the questionnaire,and these characters are undefined with sex.Then students are asked to judge the sex of those characters.There are 70 students,including 35 female students and 35 male students,whose questionnaires are selected and analyzed.Then 8 students,including 4 female students and 4 male students,share their viewpoints on different genders during the group discussion.The whole process of the group discussion is tape-recorded,and these students' opinions can help explore the possible reasons for their biased gender attitudes.The major findings of this study are presented in the following:(1)The phenomenon of gender bias is widely found in these six textbooks,which is in the form of invisibility,stereotyping and linguistic bias.The linguistic features that reflect gender bias include the following seven categories: female and male authors,female and male characters,outstanding persons,pictorial representation of females and males,female and male occupations,male firstness and masculine generic pronouns.(2)The linguistic features indeed have some negative effects on female and male students.In the first place,female and male students have similar misconceptions about occupational choices.Most of the students hold the idea that high-status occupations are linked to males while low-status occupations are associated with females.In the next place,both female and male students have a stereotype about different genders.Generally speaking,males are often viewed as being strong,responsible,competent,clever,knowledgeable and persistent,whereas females are often considered to be tender,considerate,amiable,patient and meticulous.(3)The present study discovers the possible reasons for students' biased gender attitudes.The students are found to be affected by the gender representation in daily life,by the mass media and by the books they read.According to the Dominance Theory,gender differences in language reflect power differences in society.Therefore,we can infer that gender bias shown in the textbooks is the reflection of male dominance in society.In China,males still maintain their dominant position and enjoy a high status in society.Females,however,are subordinate,and there is always discrimination against females in society.In order to help students form unbiased attitudes to different genders,some actions need to be taken.