Gender stereotypes in elementary reading textbooks: Dick and Jane revisited

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine whether gender stereotypes are present in elementary reading, textbooks published during the 1980s, and how the extent of stereotyping compares with textbooks published during the last two decades. Both manifest and latent content analyses were performed on a random sample of stories drawn from 4th and 5th grade reading textbooks. Chi-square analyses were performed to determine whether significant changes have occurred with regard to gender stereotypes over the last three decades, controlling for publishing company and sex of author. Five different publishing companies, randomly selected from a list of thirteen publishers approved for use by the Virginia Board of Education in 1988, were represented in the sample. The manifest content, was analyzed by comparing the number of male and female characters, number of female and male main characters, types of occupations held by male and female characters, number of females and males in illustrations, and the race of characters. The latent content was analyzed by comparing the sex of characters most likely to exhibit each of seven different gender,stereotyped traits.. The latent content was further analyzed by looking for gender stereotyped themes and quotes, and non-traditional themes and quotes in stories.