ON THE ROAD TO EQUALITY: In Italy, school book publishers are clearing up gender stereotypes: The Asahi Shimbun

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Mums in the kitchen, dads at work. Messy and very brave little boys, shy and neat little girls. Men who can have what they want: astronomers, lawyers, postmen, cooks … Women who are full-time mothers and housewives or, less often, teachers and hairdressers. Are these just stereotypes that go back to the 1950s? It seems so, but until a few years ago it was not uncommon to find them in almost every elementary school textbook in Italy.

Even today, leafing through these old-fashioned books feels like traveling back in time. It is only in the last few years that school book publishers have decided on a different direction. “Today you can’t create a textbook without taking the gender perspective into account. And it’s good that people are taking this change very seriously, ”says Irene Biemmi, expert on gender teaching and lecturer at the University of Florence.

For the past four years, Ms. Biemmi has also acted as a consultant for Obiettivo Parita (Mission Equality), a project that brings together two Italian publishers, Rizzoli Education and Centro Studi Erickson, and has adopted a number of internal regulations aimed at making one Create, write and illustrate series of books that can represent both sexes equally.

The following are excerpts from the interview:

Question: For your book A Sexist Education: Gender Stereotypes in Primary School Textbooks (Educazione sessista. Stereotipi di genere nei libri delle elementari) (Rosenberg & Sellier) you studied books for elementary schools that were published between 1997 and 2002. Can you find?

Biemmi: Above all, an underrepresentation of women and girls: only 37 percent of the stories in these books have a woman in the lead role. This shows that the latent sexism in these books could have far-reaching effects. In workshops that I hold regularly in schools, I ask the girls why they think there are so few women in these books, and some of the answers are, “They are of course less important.”

Stereotypes are plentiful. Very few working women are found in these stories; all the girls are shy, tidy, good students, while the boys are brave and active, sometimes a bit aggressive. It’s like diving into archetypes from a very ancient time.

Q: Do you think things have improved since then?

Biemmi: If I look at textbooks today, I would say yes. But in 2016 two researchers, Cristiano Corsini and Irene Scierri, used a similar analytical grid for newer textbooks, and their results were rather bleak, it seemed like things had gotten worse.

Q: Why do you think textbooks seem unable to shake off gender stereotypes?

Biemmi: Because publishers target a specific audience, the school audience, it is very difficult to welcome change. Italian schools are a lagging mirror of what is going on in the country and they cannot keep up with all of the changes that have taken place in our society. Let’s not forget that most teachers were trained in the 1970s and 80s and therefore bring this culture to their classrooms.

Second, no specific training on gender issues is offered for either older or younger teachers. It also has an emotional aspect. A mother in an apron who gets the children their snacks, daring little boys and little girls who are busy with their dolls. It’s almost a mythical portrayal and at the same time a very calming one. Throwing that culture in the bin and suggesting something new is easier said than done.

Q: However, “Obiettivo parita” tries to do just that. You are your chief advisor: what exactly is your job?

Biemmi: I led the team that outlined some practical guidelines for our publishers to implement as a basic benchmark. Now my job is to carefully revise each book page by page.

Q: Which does ______________ mean?

Biemmi: I walk through the galleys with a fine tooth comb. I ask myself questions like: How many authors are there? Do the stories have an equal number of men and women in leading roles? Are there any stereotypes? I look at the book as a whole, I don’t focus on a single passage. If I have problems with some materials, perhaps because obvious or uncomfortable stereotypes are quoted, I point this out to the publishers.

But in general I try to get an overall impression of the book. Then I set about proofreading his language. For example, I am removing all occurrences of male gender from homework instructions. Instead of a generic “debate with your classmates” I prefer to use “debate with your male and female classmates” or “with your class”. At the end, I send my suggestions to the sub-editor, whose job it is to correct any imbalances.

A few months later I get a new galley and I do the final proofreading, this time taking pictures and illustrations into account. Only when everything fits, does the book go to the printer.

Q: Is your job mostly removing rather than adding?

Biemmi: No, it is not enough to eliminate stereotypes. Our goal is to offer something new, the so-called “counter-narratives”. But how you use them is crucial. For me, the best book isn’t one where all mothers are astronauts and all dads are busy having dinner in the kitchen where the little boys are shy and all the little girls are like [feminist icon] Pippi Longstocking.

The best book is the one that can offer a multifaceted representation of reality, because cultural diversity is the stepping stone to achieving equality. We don’t need books that show a wrong view of the world – that would be completely made up. In our world there are many mothers who work as scientists, lawyers or post women, just like there are emotional little boys and sporty little girls: why shouldn’t we shed some light on them too?

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This article is published as part of Towards Equality, an international and collaborative initiative that brings together 15 international news agencies to highlight the challenges and solutions to achieve gender equality. The Asahi Shimbun is participating in this Sparknews-led campaign.

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