Female representation in Junior primary English textbooks in Namibia

Abstract

This study is aimed at critically examining the representation of females in junior primary English textbooks in Namibia. The study gauged how females are represented in these textbooks, as well as why they are represented in particular ways. This was done by analysing 12 English textbooks used for the teaching of English first language at junior primary level in Namibia. Texts and visual images in these textbooks were the units of analysis. The study adopted a qualitative approach and was guided by a critical paradigm. For the theoretical framework, six feminist theories formed a bricolage: liberal, socialist, radical, Marxist, black and African feminisms. These feminist theories were employed as theoretical lenses for interpreting the data. In addition, critical discourse analysis and thematic analysis were used to interrogate the data. The study concluded that in the sample studied, females were underrepresented, subordinated, stereotyped, oppressed and segregated, as well as being omitted in different ways. Further more, patriarchy was evident in the oppression and subordination of females. The findings reveal that females were involved in stereotypical parental, domestic and occupational roles, as well as in games and activities and were presented almost exclusively as wives and mothers. The responsibility for taking care of the family and children was solely depicted as resting on females. Literature reveals that such responsibilities prevent females from actively participating in careers and the means of production. Although females were slightly overrepresented in the images their presence remained in stereotypical roles. In the texts, on the other hand, there was an underrepresentation of females, who were either silenced or ignored. Females were further depicted as being victims or weaklings without agency. This contribution adds to the vast literature on the portrayal of females in textbooks and in the present circumstances, the knowledge contributed by the study is contextual in nature. Neither textbooks nor female representation seen through a critical lens have been investigated in Namibia thus far and, as a result, this study might have opened a new research chapter in a country where more literature in the field of textbook analysis is imperative. Key words: feminism; critical discourse analysis; thematic analysis; visual images; patriarchy; subordination; oppression; society.