Gendered Word (or World): Sexism in Philippine Preschool EnglishLanguage Textbooks

Veronico N. Tarrayo*
*Department of English, Faculty of Arts and Letters, University of Santo Tomas, Philippines.
Periodicity:April - June'2014
DOI : https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.4.2.2795

Abstract

Adhering to the notion that language learning is necessarily a culture-learning process, this paper explores the issue of sexism in six Philippine preschool English language textbooks. The study adopts the qualitative-quantitative approach in examining the following categories: gender visibility (illustrations), “firstness”, occupational-role representations, character attributes, and interests and lifestyles. Data reveal that the textbooks seem to feature both genders; still, the males appeared more frequently than females in the illustrations of the textbooks. In terms of “firstness”, males appear before females more often; this could imply that the textbooks seem to favor males, thus, appearing to be sexist. Also, females are far less visible than men in occupational roles. The occupational roles for females are less diverse and are restricted to stereotypical types of occupation/profession while male occupations show a wider range, thus, providing them with more options than females. Moreover, about the same number of character attributes that is allocated to both genders. Females are usually attributed with their “good” looks and passivity; by contrast, males show aggression, dominance, and activity. In the textbooks analyzed, the number of interests, and lifestyles of females is higher than those of males. However, the females are more particularly represented in indoor activities, i.e., household chores. This paper likewise discusses the implications of the findings on language teaching, and learning.

Keywords

Sexism in Language, Sociolinguistics, Textbooks.

How to Cite this Article?

Tarrayo, V. N. (2014). Gendered Word (Or World): Sexism in Philippine Preschool English Language Textbooks. i-manager’s Journal on English Language Teaching, 4(2), 25-32. https://doi.org/10.26634/jelt.4.2.2795

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