A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Luxembourg has shed light on the gender representation gap in school textbooks.

During an interview with our colleagues from RTL Radio on Tuesday morning, Claire Schadeck, a researcher at the University of Luxembourg, highlighted the significant disparity between male and female characters, particularly in history textbooks, where male representation outweighs female representation.

Analysing over 60,000 characters in textbooks ranging from years 1 to 5 of secondary school, the study found that only 20% of the characters were female, a stark contrast to the actual gender distribution in society.

According to Schadeck, it is perplexing to imagine that out of 11,000 characters in history textbooks, fewer than 2,000 would be women. "Even if historical figures were predominantly male," she stressed, "it's not as if women didn't exist in the past."

How are men and women portrayed?

The study also examined the portrayal of different genders, revealing that women often tend to be associated with a limited number of occupations, whereas men enjoy a broader range of professional roles.

This discrepancy is less pronounced among young boys and girls, suggesting that societal expectations shape these differences as they transition into adulthood.

The paper published this week is the second part of a study, which previously investigated gender representation in primary school textbooks, with virtually the same results.

The findings highlight a clear stereotypical distortion, with women and girls significantly underrepresented. Interestingly, English textbooks yielded more positive results, attributed in part to the language itself possessing neutral terms, as explained by Schadeck.

Addressing the issue, Schadeck, a co-author of the study, stressed the importance of adopting "a uniform version of inclusive language" to rectify this problem.

'Our goal is not to change all textbooks overnight'

The curriculum committees have already begun incorporating the findings of the first paper into their work, which the University of Luxembourg welcomes.

Schadeck stated that the researchers involved would also be willing to engage with and advise teaching staff.

In the study's conclusion, the researchers call for compulsory training for teachers. At the moment, the voluntary offers tend to attract those who are already interested in the issue, Schadeck explained.

Schadeck said that she is aware that not all school textbooks can be changed overnight, "and that's not the aim at all anyway."

Instead, she argued that fostering awareness and sensitively approaching the subject matter during lessons, even with existing materials, could already be steps in the right direction.