'Teaching & Learning' is a weekly column on education and related issues.
“Ma, I'm hungry,” says Ramu, entering the kitchen. His mother was chopping greens… read the first few lines of a chapter in the class III State Board textbook for environmental science.
While the lesson goes on to talk about greens, parts of a plant and so on, in the illustration showing the mother chopping vegetables and the child asking her for food, there is another message that is not so loud — that it is the mother who has got to be in the kitchen, preparing food for the family. It is interesting to see how gender biases creep into textbooks, as if to reinforce existing stereotypes. Can textbooks or teachers enable students to question or challenge such notions?
There needs to be a conscious attempt, say teachers.
Recalling one of her classes, S. Chithra, who handles class VI at the Panchayat Union Middle School in Hasthinapuram, near Guduvanchery, says: “We were discussing great scientists and suddenly one child asks me, ‘weren't there female scientists? How come you don't tell us about them'?” It immediately struck the teacher how children were very closely following the content discussed in the class.
“Another day, we had a debate on who should cook at home. It was very refreshing to hear some boys say they would love to. Teachers should create a space for such voices, too,” Ms. Chithra adds.
“Neither educational planners nor teachers may be expected to be free of biases,” says V. Geetha of Tara Publishing. As someone who has also been working in the area of textbook analysis and gender, she says the biases in textbooks have to do with the actual absence of feminists in educational planning and teacher training.
“Textbooks are closed systems of knowledge — unless teachers bring them alive and open them up for discussion. Biases in textbooks may reflect social biases or those of writers or a mixture of the two,” she says. Speaking of gender biases, Ms. Geetha says: “The addressee in textbooks is always male, middle class, urban, upper caste. When teachers use books and give examples, they are more likely than not to use the pronoun ‘he' than ‘she'.” “Importantly, these biases are never simply those of girls being left out. It is important to ask what sorts of boys are featured in our books: not working class, lower caste or Dalit boys…So it is not just that we don't have girls, we also don't have the variety,” she notes.
Ms. Geetha feels that while addressing the issue in a larger sense, it is important to revamp teacher training. “When we talk of gender, we often think of female teachers, but we need to think of how we are going to educate all teachers, including men.”
I feel it's nothing but too much of exaggeration of a very common fact by giving the example of Ramu's mother. Why don't you see it from another perspective? By this example simply mother's position and a child's dependence on his/her mother is glorified. It is only because of the underlying vedic culture of India which gives much more respected position to a mother.
''there is another message that is not so loud — that it is the mother who has got to be in the kitchen, preparing food for the family. It is interesting to see how gender biases creep into textbooks''.
I feel this is creation of bias, rather than existing one, whats wrong in cooking? Why is it being looked down upon? If the child wanted help in lifting a heavy object, he/she would have called upon his father? Can this be considered again as a gender bias?
Text book gives an example, it's left to the tutor to make it more interesting. It's time we stopped looking for snakes everywhere and concentrate on learning .
I like this website very much.but still you have to add some educational details for technical students.
To Atal's point - It is true that literature mirrors society. And the chapter may not be intended to degrade a woman's place.
My view is that responsible and formative literature also has a duty towards society - to awaken it. To point out its set/stagnant ways and find newer ways of thinking.
The question is not whether Ramu's mother cooked or lead a professional life.Its the respect she earns as a woman that must be counted.Why is that woman are still considered secondary to men when she has equal capabilties as a professional and uncomparable devotion as a wife,mother or daughter ?
Hard core equality would have been tough on men and women.
It is a meaningful observation by teachers about the way textbooks are written. This has been addressed by the National Curriculum Framework-2005 brought out after nationwide debates and discussion on various issues and problem on schooling and learning. The national positon paper on Gender Issues in School Education developed under the chairpersonship of Dr. Kavita Panjabi and members from all over the Country discusses the issue and suggest solutions. The textbooks developed as a follow up to the National Curriculum Framework -2005 by the Nationa Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and approved by the National Monitoring Committe address the gender isssue and other biases viz, caste, colour, etc. The position papers and the textbook from classes I to XII can be accessed at www.ncert.nic.in
RAMANUJAM MEGANTHAN
LANCASTER UNIVERSITY
UNITED KINGDOM
In context of this article, I don't feel anything wrong in the chapter. Literature is mirror of society, if literature fails to do so there will be big cost which society has to pay for it. Chapter discussed in article has social truth and cooking food is not something which degrades woman's situation in society.
I believe Indian textbooks are biased. the question isn't just about Ramu asking his mother about food who happens to be in the kitchen... the question is does his mother ever happen to be elsewhere? perhaps going to office? and does his father ever surface in the kitchen/food/home arena?
Not only does this affect the way people think, but also the way people behave... and it extends not just to gender bias but also many other stereotypes ingrained in the Indian mindset.
I think it is very important for children to see a wide variety of examples of things they can do in life-- both boys and girls can become doctors, teachers, nurses, and parents. While it is true that in India many women now currently cook, that does not mean that we cannot show children that they can learn to cook too, whether boy or girl!
Some people here have some comments that by showing both genders doing something, it is discriminatory against men. This is just not true. If in the past, the main character in a children's story is a boy 90% of the time, and this is changed to 50%-50% this is not taking anything away from boys-- in fact it will send a message to boys that girls are just as equally smart, capable, and interesting as boys.
Supporting girls does not mean discriminating against boys.
Textbooks written by pseudo marxists are full of biases, like the Aryan Invasion Theory is presented as fact which is false and has no scientific basis, Current pseudo marxist textbook writers are puppets in the hands of their western masters. Need to remedy this situation bring about an revolution in India studies.
Good question -- were there any Indian women scientists?Check out the book Lilavati's Daughters for stories of contemporary Indian women scientists.
The book was reviewed here in The Hindu.
http://www.hindu.com/lr/2009/04/05/stories/2009040550160400.htm
This is just not true. If you give weight to this argument, that means we cannot teach anything to the kids. So since they say Ramu, does that mean that there is no focus on the girl child?
You can raise issues like these for anything. I don't think the child would get this in his or her mind that only women will cook.
And even if they do, they will grow up and learn for themselves the correct social setup that we have now.
While I agree that teachers should open the creative and questioning spirit in a student, they should also be at ease to relate reality in what they learn. A child gets the message of - "mother is the one who got to be in the kitchen", from their own homes, and then can easily relate it with the textbook stories.
There is so much of gender bias against men in India. I don't understand why we make it an issue only when it is supposedly against women.
Admission to low scoring girls is not gender bias but just saying mother cooks food is gender bias!
I don't think all of the faculty/teachers do maintain that. During my school days, I never been taught, gender differentiation. I have read about Sarojini Naidu, Mother Teresa etc, and few male personalities as well. Just teaching through the books doesn't make sense. The idea of equality for both the genders should be cultivated in the minds of the students, by practicing them in the class as well as outside, by teachers and parents.
Ask yourself how many female mathematicians we talk of today. I am not asking you to Google one and reply. Women prepare good food and hence a child can and should expect his mother prepare it for him. To this date we have writers who are not prejudiced to justify acts and achievements by one sex where they are not competent. This is reason behind the fact that genuine stories are present in Textbooks/Literature
I too am a teacher and I endeavour to incorporate both gender in my teaching learning process. I must say that though private publications are not gender sensitive in their approach but certainly the text books of Social Science in Grades IX and X (CBSE) have made a commendable effort in their endevaour to incorporate gender sensitive learning and give space to the teacher to expand the area of learning.
A volley of biases and distortions continue with Muslim history in India's history and social studies text books.
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