Gender and Queer in Swedish EFL Textbooks

(1)

Course: English for subject teachers, 91-120 Author: Melisa Demir

Supervisor: Jenny Malmqvist Examiner: Anette Svensson Term: Spring 2021

Gender and Queer in

(2)

Abstract

The aim of the study is to investigate how gender and sexualities are represented in a sample of Swedish EFL textbooks in order to explore how EFL textbooks convey and include democratic values according to the curriculum. The analysis is done by a close reading of three selected EFL textbooks: Blueprint, Echo: Main Issues, Viewpoints 1 in order to study how gender and sexuality representation appears in implicit and explicit ways. The theoretical framework of analysis uses gender theory and queer theory with the emphasis on gender norms and heteronormativity. The results of the study show that the textbooks write explicitly on gender equality and awareness for women but lack the perspective on the inclusion of men. Gender norms and stereotypes are evident in the implicit representation where men are

portrayed as aggressive whereas women are presented in mental health contexts. Sexualities other than heterosexuality lacks visibility in the textbooks. The findings show that

heteronormativity is apparent throughout the textbooks in its representation of romantic relationships. In conclusion, the textbooks represent some social issues regarding gender norms and sexuality but continue to maintain attitudes that does not correspond with the fundamental democratic values of the Swedish curriculum.

Key words: EFL textbooks, queer, sexuality, gender, heteronormativity, democratic values

(3)

1. Introduction

Textbooks have been used for decades in the classroom because they satisfy certain skills. In the EFL (English as a foreign language) classroom, textbooks play a vital role in language learning in the form of everyday teaching practices. Scott F. Kiesling (2019) explains how language can be perceived as to reflect the real world. However, language does not limit itself to portraying the world but also creating the world (Kiesling, 2019, p. 17). Kiesling claims that language is defined by social categories that indicate a system of social entities that affect individuals (p. 17). With the help of language and social categorization one can reflect on what is considered to be feminine and masculine according to the social norms of contemporary society (Kiesling, p. 17). According to Alan Cunningsworth (1995, p. 15), school curriculums are influenced by ideological positions which could be due to unconscious adopted biases, that are not explicitly stated in the curriculum (p. 15). He states how ideas can be conveyed in the choice of language in the texts as well as in the images that are present in the coursebooks (p. 16). It becomes relevant to see how gender as well as other sexualities are portrayed and in what context they are represented. It is important to understand how material used in the English classroom communicate ideas that may affect pupils’ understanding of social values as well as the social world. Combined with language learning there is also the learning of social issues that are prevalent in everyday contemporary society. With analysis of textbooks that are commonly used in the EFL classroom, one can discuss and reflect over the democratic values the school is striving to achieve. The purpose of this study is to investigate how EFL textbooks in Upper Secondary Schools in Sweden implement the democratic values of inclusion and equality with a particular focus on gender and sexuality as stated in the curriculum for Swedish schools.

(5)

2

2. Aim

The aim of the study is to investigate how gender and sexualities are represented in a sample of Swedish EFL textbooks in order to explore how EFL textbooks convey and include democratic values according to the curriculum. The research questions that the study will focus on are:

- What ideas on gender and sexualities are communicated in the textbooks?

- How do the textbooks convey ideas on gender and sexualities in explicit and implicit ways?

- In what way do the EFL textbooks’ treatment of gender and sexualities relate to democratic values?

(6)

3

3. Background

3.1 Gender and Heteronormativity

It is vital to define the concept gender in order to understand how it is written into the textbooks. Judith Lorber and Susan Farrell (1991) write that gender is shaped from birth and is continuously maintained throughout peoples’ lives since gender can be perceived to be relying on social structures. By relying on the social structures, gender becomes a way for people to organize their lives accordingly. As a social institution, gender can be described as a process which establishes social statuses (p. 113). Consequently, as a process, Lorber and Farell argue that gender creates different definitions for what is a “woman” and “man” and many times, human beings produce gender through behaving in ways they have learned are appropriate to their gender status. Subsequently, gendered patterns are acquired by parenting, and behaviors from childhood to adulthood (Lorber & Farrell, 1991, p. 114). Similar to Lorber and Farell, Jane Pilcher and Imelda Whelehan (2016) discuss how social interaction as well as culture and representation are in the making of gender. Biological bodies are not fixed and can be altered in socialization (p. 13). Therefore, Pilcher and Whelehan argue for how important it is to view social and cultural practices that give meaning to the body itself (p. 13). They claim that the reoccurring routines of implementing gender performances contribute to the notion that gender is determined and fixed rather than being a bodily enactment. The perspectives of the body are also reinforced by overexaggerating the differences between a man and a woman (Pilcher & Whelehan, 2016, p. 13). The attempt to disparate the bodies can also be identified in cultural practices where there are key ideas on femininity and

masculinity. For example, in some cultural practices men are encouraged more than women to be confident and physically strong (Pilcher & Whelehan, 2016, p.13).

The relation between gender and sex is further problematized by Judith Butler, one of the key figures in the field of gender studies and queer theory, writes in her book Undoing Gender (2004), how it is essential to undo the restrictive norms that are attached to gender and sexuality. Butler argues that gender is a social construct, that is not related to sex, female and male, but is maintained by behaviors and norms. She writes that “gender is the mechanism by which notions of masculine and feminine are produced and naturalized, but gender might very well be the apparatus by which such terms are deconstructed and denaturalized” (p. 42).

(7)

4 Therefore, ideas and terms on gender that are constructed by society can also be deconstructed and changed in contemporary society, which contributes to the idea of gender as not fixed.

Cynthia Nelson (1999) explains queer sexualities to refer to the LGBTQIA+ and consist of sexualities that were viewed as unnatural according to contemporary societies (p. 387). Nelson (1999) claims that the queer concept is not exclusive for people who do not identify themselves as heterosexual. Queer sexualities are not only relevant to people who do not identify themselves within the heterosexual norm but are also relevant to those who identify themselves as non-queer (p. 387). She argues for sexual identities to be cultural readable acts or positionings are inevitable in the sense of day-to-day interactions meaning that the cultural practices of gendered ideas are common in everyday life. With these ideas in textbooks on queer concepts, pupils also learn how to comment as well as discuss sexual identities that are not the norm (p. 387). According to Jane Ward & Beth Schneider (2009), examining how heterosexual identities are produced can mark a vital step towards understanding what heteronormativity is. Ward and Schneider explain heteronormativity as the ideology where the promoted sexuality is heterosexuality as for the natural sexuality. The concept is used to challenge complementary gender roles as well as hierarchical structures that have been created by people. The belief is that other sexual orientations outside the heterosexual

spectrum are unnatural. Additionally, Ward and Schneider explain how social construction of heterosexuality and how it can provide an insight to and challenge conceptions that are perceived as the norm as well as to demonstrate how “the realm of sexuality encompasses far more than marginalized, essential (gay and lesbian) identities” and sexualities such as

bisexual, transgender, intersexual and asexual (Ward & Schneider, 2009, p. 434).

3.2 Curriculum

The Education Act (2010:800) states how education and teaching must be based on aims and should develop and contribute to knowledge through education of new knowledge and fundamental values. It is further stated in the Swedish school curriculum that the school should prepare pupils to become a member of society. Schools are required to follow and base education on democratic values. The teaching should strive for communicating questions related to human rights such as equality between men and women. The Swedish curriculum from Skolverket (The Swedish National Agency for Education) for upper secondary school requires material and education that are characterized by equality (Skolverket, 2013). This

(8)

5 means that the school should promote respect and understanding of other people. It is stated in the curriculum that “no one should be subjected to discrimination on the grounds of gender, ethnic affiliation, religion, or other belief system, transgender identity or its expression, sexual orientation” (Skolverket, 2018, p. 5). It is further indicated that the school must promote equal opportunities for pupils, regardless of gender. In accordance with this, the school should combat restricted ideas on gender in order to inspire pupils’ learning and understanding of their development as well as their choices for their own future (Skolverket, p. 2018).

It is stated in the regulation of compulsory school ordinance that there will be new

adjustments and implementations in Swedish schools with the purpose to educate pupils on questions such as gender equality and sexualities (SKOLFS 2021:3). The curriculum should strive for providing reoccurring discussions on themes regarding sexualities as well as to help promote pupils’ health and wellbeing. The new adjustments of the curriculum will give pupils the opportunity to develop a critical approach to how relationships and sexualities are

portrayed in various contexts. In addition, the changes strive to strengthen gender equality and help to counteract restrictive gender patterns (SKOLFS 2021:3). It is therefore necessary to analyse how the materials used in the classroom promote the ideas which the new curriculum strives for. The adjustments are decided to be implemented beginning from autumn year 2022. It is important to note that the textbooks examined in the present study have not been

produced in relation to the new curriculum however the increased focus on gender equality and sexualities are relevant to the study since educational materials should still strive for gender equality and representation of sexualities, therefore, it can be fruitful to consider how today’s material such as EFL coursebooks implement ideas of gender equality and sexual orientation.

3.3 Previous research

Ann Öhman and Maria Emmelin (2014) claim that Sweden, together with neighboring Nordic countries, rank high in terms of gender equality. In Sweden there is also a political consensus for prioritizing gender equality as a main goal in order to reduce gender patterns (p. 118-119). This implies that the normative structures of gender stereotypes can be different in different countries. However, there has not been much studied on the representation of gender and sexuality in Swedish EFL textbooks.

(9)

6 Two studies focus on the requirements of representation of gender and sexuality in the

Swedish classroom. In Vem presenteras i materialet, Emilia Åkesson (2016, p. 5) writes about the importance of critically investigating the material that is used in Swedish classrooms. The focus of her study is not solely on the English classroom but on school at a general level in Sweden. She states that schools are an arena where norms surround pupils in their relation to other pupils as well as in classroom situations. It is argued by Åkesson for gender norms to be common in media where ideals on how women and men should behave are restricted by these values of social norms. Åkesson notes that representation is linked to how meaning is created, and it could be argued that the creation of meaning is related to the creation and

understanding of one’s identity (Åkesson, p. 5). She argues from a school perspective that representation matters and should be incorporated through critical engagement with

representation since it can aid pupils to recognize themselves in the material they work with. It is also essential to note that representation can contribute to the understanding of what is strived for and valued in society. Another article from Skolverket (2006) concerns with Swedish school’s values studied how ethnicity, gender, religion and sexual orientation are portrayed in textbooks used in schools on a general level in different subjects. The study shows how representations of gender and sexuality in textbooks can sometimes be interpreted as discriminating since the authors of the textbooks do not include some of the democratic values and representations. Despite its case, textbooks include several norm-breaking representations and descriptions of different sexual identities such as homosexuality and bisexuality. However, the study shows, in most of these, the norm-breaking functionality is only apparent in the text to deviate or problematize the norm-breaking character (p. 30).

One key finding from previous studies is the lack of visibility of female characters in the EFL textbooks. Wafa Aljuaythin (2018), investigates EFL textbooks in Saudi Arabia, and notes how representations or lack of representations emphasizes the presence of men whereas women’s presence is absent. In terms of visual representations such as images, the findings are that women are close to invisible and marginalized in the textbooks (p. 155). The lack of visibility is also presented in another study that places the analysis on Iranian high school EFL textbooks. The portrayal and inclusion of more men imply that the accomplishments of

women in the social world are not equal to the ones of men. Similar to the previous study, women suffer from low visibility in the illustrations and texts. The occupational role of women focuses on matters relating to home and taking care of the family (Amini & Birjandi, 2012, p. 137). The findings are comparable to the study from 1977 conducted by Gerald

(10)

7 Coles. It is important to note that the study is from 1970 which is important to consider in connection to the notion of gender as a social construction. Coles studied gender

representation in educational materials and the results show how male appearances outnumbered females as well as depicted females mainly in the form of as stay-at-home housewives. Men were portrayed as partaking in far more activities than women and being part of different types of occupations. Jackie Lee and Peter Collins (2008) studied how gender representation is exhibited in EFL in Hong Kong. Their framework consisted of categories of visibility, gender roles, order of appearance, image representation of the genders as well as activities. The study’s findings show that the comparison of sexism in earlier coursebooks in relation to the newer ones suggests that coursebooks have undergone a transformation. The more recent coursebooks had become more conscious in their representation practices and incorporated more female perspective in the texts (p. 131).

Previous research on gender has also focused on how gender is written in terms of attributes and in what contexts. It could be for example which gender was responsible for giving directions and seeking information (Mustapha, 2012, p. 248). Lee and Collins (2008) claim that stereotyping of gender roles is not limited to one aspect such as occupation, but the findings show that the attributes of female and male are also present. Women are portrayed to be more “emotional, and passive” and men are depicted as “aggressive and competitive” (p. 128). In another study, Brien Datzman (2015), examines conversation of topics and the implication of those interactions. For example, men’s conversations carry a competitive tone where the content shows aggression. Women’s conversation differed in its content and tone. Women’s conversation topics were dominated by emotions, themselves, and family (p. 10).

Sexuality and heteronormativity have not been as widely studied as gender representation in EFL textbooks. One study from 2020 in Finland focused on gender representation and

representations on sexuality in the EFL textbooks (Simell, 2020, p. 50). The results show that representation of men and women are not as stereotypical as older studies before the 2000s have concluded. However, in the study, there has not been an increase in the representation of other gender identities such as transgender as well as sexual orientations apart from

heterosexuality. Most characters are depicted as heterosexual, but a few homosexual characters are present in the textbook (Simell, 2020, p. 50). Another study from 2020 in Finland came to similar conclusions, that sexuality was dominated by heteronormative norms and as consequence sexual orientations are invisible in their representation in the textbooks

(11)

8 (Kumpumäki, 2020, p. 70). One study by Gjis Van Dyck (2019) analyzed the representation of sexuality in coursebooks that were published in between 2003 to 2017 and its findings show that there was not one appearance of one same sex couple in selected samples of EFL textbooks until the year 2015. Most of the time the same sex couple are included in situations revolving around family, meaning, non-heteronormative couples are not featured in content outside family topics (p. 57). The representation of family is however, mostly focused on traditional families with two opposite sex parents. The lack of representation of families outside of the traditional norm could be depicted as the textbooks representing

heteronormative norms (Ruiz et al., 2020, p. 12). Abolaji Mustapha and Sara Mills (2015) conclude in their study that sexuality in EFL textbooks showcases most times a heterosexual reality. Textbooks that are aimed at the global market with only heterosexual identities fail to include pupils that feel alienated by the exclusivity of heteronormativity. The purpose of incorporating inclusion-oriented texts in the learning of a foreign language is because pupils whose voices are not acknowledged in a classroom setting. As a consequence, the pupil can lose their desire to learn the language or show resistance to the demands of the classroom practices (p. 197).

It is important to note that the research on sexualities in EFL textbooks are fairly new and the findings of previous research are from the years 2019-2020. Therefore, it is also necessary to analyze the Swedish EFL textbooks in order to examine how the learning material in the English classroom works in accordance with the democratic values that are key ideals of the Swedish school curriculum.

4. Theoretical framework

In order to analyze gender and sexuality, it is necessary to combine Gender studies and Queer theory. Gender and sexuality share common grounds which are necessary to understand in order to see how identities are depicted in the textbooks. Since the purpose of the study is to examine how social values as well as norms are represented through texts and images it is important to include and combine two theories that cover two different areas. Gender studies combined with queer theory will be the theoretical framework of the analysis.

(12)

9 4.1 Gender studies

Gender studies is a theoretical perspective that makes possible exploration of gender socialization and critically analyses the relationship between inequality and difference. Gender studies can be used to highlight the differences between sex and gender. It is argued for gender to exist in a history beyond one individual who enacts or disregards the roles that are expected (Jule, 2017, p. 73). In The Second Sex (1953), Simone de Beauvoir writes “one is not born, but rather becomes, woman” (p. 330). de Beauvoir argues that gender is a

construction, and oneself could take on another gender identity different from one’s gender. Gender manifests itself through different ways and with these manifestations there are myths that are built surrounding gender which try to reduce gender to norms. Consequently, there are multiple incompatible myths about gender that is inconsistent to one another (p. 316). The aims of gender theory are explained by Allyson Jule (2017) as to challenge hierarchical positioning of attributes that are masculine and feminine gendered. The emphasis is on the hierarchy on these gendered attributes. The theory can be used to reduce coercion in order for the individual to be free in their masculinity and femininity (p. 74). She argues that unlike feminist theory, gender theory conceptualizes both masculinity and femininity traits. The tools are to examine how social expressions of gender stereotypes affect and bring into focus

certain attributes while ignoring others. Thus, it is argued for gender to be a product of

interpretive perceptions that could be conscious and unconscious (p. 75). Butler (2004) argues for gender to be dependent on performativity since it is not necessarily what one is but what one performs. With this she continues to explain how gender performativity is reliant on what is considered “normal” and what is considered as “other” (p. 42). Therefore, for this project the theoretical tools of gender roles expectations and stereotypes will be analyzed in order to see how these expectations are ingrained in the textbooks.

4.2 Queer Theory

Queer could be interpreted as being a new label for already existing categories of ‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’, however, it needs to be understood on a broader spectrum. Deborah Cameron and Don Kulick (2003) explain how the label queer was intended to include a whole discourse on sexuality with goals to include different positions that heteronormative norms had pushed aside and marginalized, consequently queer became a position of rejection towards

(13)

10 also include people who did not identify themselves as either ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian’, such as transgendered people (2003, p. 27). It is important to note, according to Cameron and Kulick, that the term queer was not conceived in a way to represent identity such as ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian’ was, but what it signified was a cultural-political backlash against the heteronormative norms (2003, p. 28). Butler (2004) writes how contemporary queer theory had two overlapping concerns. The first concern for queer theorists was to separate sexuality from gender which could imply that the gender does not contribute to the sexual practices of one’s own. The second point was concerned with the perception of how gender is not solely reduced to a hierarchy of heterosexuality but how it is internally unstable. For Butler, transgender people are a direct evidence of the instability of the relation between gender and sexuality.

(2004, p. 54) Queer theory debunks the notion of fixed sexes as well as genders and

sexualities. The theory examines ideas of gay and lesbian in relation to identity since it does not take into account how some identities are limited in in regard to representation (Jagose, 1996, p. 77).

Queer theory will be applied in the analysis in order to see if there are any representations of other gender or sexualities. It will also examine to what degree the textbooks focus on representing heteronormative practices. The queer perspective is used to analyze how sexualities are described. It could be in regard to the notion of stable sexual orientations that are seen as fixed.

5. Method and Material

The method is a textbook analysis and a close reading of three samples of EFL textbooks. The method of this study is a qualitative data analysis with a focus on content analysis. Louis Cohen et al. (2017) explain qualitative data analysis as making sense of data in order to define situations and noting patterns as well as themes. For this degree project the themes are representations of gender and sexuality (p. 480). In qualitative research the analysis is more dependent on a reflexive interaction between the researcher and contextualised data rather than providing a complete accurate presentation of the data. As for this project, the analysis is dependent on a reflective interaction with the material since it depends on reflection and analysis of what the texts imply in their representations of gender and sexuality. In addition, themes were identified, coded and categorized according to explicit and implicit

(14)

11 representations. Once the coded data was categorized it was appropriate to present and discuss the findings (Cohen et al, 2017, p. 488). The units were categorized into the two main categories explicit and implicit representations with sub-categories that consist of themes such as gender in the social world, gender equality and the heterosexual norm. The division of these categories contributed to the analysis on what is explicitly stated as well as implied in the analysed textbooks.

5.1 Material

The samples that were chosen for this project are three EFL-textbooks for Swedish upper secondary schools. For a comparable result and discussion, it is also important to state that the textbooks are all aimed to be used in the course of English 5. The analysis of the three textbooks focuses on how ideas on sexuality and gender are communicated in explicit as well implicit manners. The selected textbooks are a sample of EFL textbooks in Sweden. The reason for choosing these particular textbooks is because of the common themes and structure of the textbooks. The selection of texts and images from the textbooks have been done by mainly focusing on what could be found that is outside the norm. For representations on sexualities, they have been selected with regards to what is represented on the ideas of love, relationships and family.

The textbooks are: Echo: Main Issues (Frato, 2014), Blueprint A 3.0 (Lundfall & Nyström, 2017) and Viewpoints 1 (Gustafsson & Wivast, 2017). All three textbooks have been published after GY11 and are the newest editions of the published books. The textbooks have different authors, and the textbooks are also published in different years. Two of them were published in the year 2017 and one was published in 2014. Nonetheless, all three textbooks share similar structures of content and exercises. All three textbooks consist of chapters that are related to a specific topic or theme that is apparent throughout the chapter. Similarly, there is also a grammar section at the end of each textbook, however the study will not be focusing on that. Echo: Main issues is concerned with social issues of different forms that are prevalent in society. Blueprint includes topics on social issues as well and news from around the world. Viewpoints states that the textbook is created with today’s pupils in mind as well as issues that occur in society and by using this textbook, teachers can discuss interesting and serious topics. All three textbooks consist of chapters that are based on different themes.

(15)

12

6. Results

The result section is divided into two parts: one focuses on explicit representation whereas the other focuses on implicit representation. The former is important to analyze since it shows the textbooks’ positions in society and in relation to ideas, norms and values and what is chosen to be included as well as what is left out from the explicit representation. The latter analyzes how textbooks communicate ideas and values through the material with the main point focused on topics related to this project. Implicit representation focuses on what is implied through the texts as well as images in regard to topics such as gender norms, gender equality and sexuality. Implicit representation is analyzed in order to reveal what ideas that are

transmitted while not necessarily being the the main topic of the text. The similarities are that both forms of representation convey ideas through their texts and images, but the difference is that while explicit representation portrays gender or sexualities in a conscious way, implicit representation is read between the lines.

6.1 Explicit Representation

6.1.1 Women’s Representation

The following section is concerned with the way the textbooks explicitly represent ideas of gender awareness. The focus is particularly on what the textbooks aim to emphasize in order to show support and inclusivity of gender.

Throughout the three chosen textbooks, two textbooks show that there is an explicit representation of women in differentcontexts. Firstly, Viewpoints contains chapters that include non-fictional texts that represent women in different forms. One chapter focuses on the story of Malala Yousafzai and her struggle for receiving education like boys in her age group and another chapter is dedicated to the suffragette movement in England. The chapter about Malala gives the biography of her life and includes an extract from her book I am Malala (p. 19). The discussion questions related to the text ask the pupil to reflect on why the Taliban rejected the notion of girls receiving education. One of the discussion questions also refers to Malala to be “without doubt a strong and talented girl who has overcome her fears to fight for her right to education” (p. 24). Another chapter with the title “Freedom Fighter or Terrorist?” (Gustafsson & Wivast, 2017, p. 33), is dedicated to the women’s rights movement

(16)

13 of the 1900s. The text is supported by an image of a woman dressed in the clothes of the time period for the suffragette movement. Viewpoints challenges the idea of who is a terrorist and who is a freedom fighter by including a factual text about the British suffragettes and their demands on the British government to gain equal rights in voting (2017, p. 33). In the text, the focus is not necessarily on specific women that were involved in the movement other than Emily Davison and her disruption of the Derby when she threw herself under the King’s horse. It follows the history of the WSPU (Women’s Social and Political Union) as well as the reaction from the government towards this organization. For the exercise questions of the text, the questions are centered around gender equality. The exercise is to create arguments for the following statement: “today’s society needs to get much better when it comes to equality between men and women” (p. 42). The statement shows that there is some representation of questions related to gender equality.

Similar to Viewpoints’ inclusion of Malala’s story, Blueprint has included a non-fiction text of Memory Banda and UN’s international Day of the Girl (Lundfall & Nyström, 2017, p. 103). The date refers to celebrating and recognizing girls’ needs for health and education around the globe. Memory Banda is given as an example to show how she has built better opportunities for herself according to the text. Likewise, Memory Banda did also strive for education and to break the norms of woman’s role in contemporary society (p. 104). The text is focused on gender equality from a woman’s perspective mostly and it could be seen in the pre-reading questions that relate to girls’ struggles. Two questions activate the reading direction of the text. One question asks that “fighting for gender equality is a continuing struggle around the world. In some cultures, girls face more serious obstacles than in other. What examples can you think of?” (p. 103). The second question refers to what problems young women can encounter in Sweden. After reading the text, it is required of the pupil to reflect and share their reading experience by changing their perspective from the experience of a girl in Malawi to Sweden. The question refers to what social changes Sweden should undergo in order for men and women to live the life they want (p. 106).

6.1.2 Textbook Consciousness of Gender as a Social Construction

This section examines how textbooks perceive the concept of gender and how these ideas are included in the texts and images. On that account, the findings present how ideas on gender and gender equality are conveyed.

(17)

14 Blueprint has a theme related to gender awareness and how it can affect pupils thinking. In the chapter “Exposure” (Lundfall & Nyström, 2017, p. 167), the focus is on different social issues that pupils can recognize in the real social world. It deals with the notion of gender

identification and how it is in a constant change. In one text, the textbook asks the pupil to reflect on the question “have you ever wished to be another gender? Being able to do things which are not expected of you?” (p. 183). The analysis shows that the text is aware of what is constituted as gender in terms of what is considered feminine and masculine. The notion of gender as a social construction is apparent in the text where it states that “these are

conventions, the rules exist because we agree to play by them” (p. 182) referring to the norms men and women are expected to follow in the given society. The entire text and discussion questions suggest that there are norms of sex and gender and consequences for those who do not identify by any gender. The consciousness of gender roles in Blueprint is also evident in the presentation of a comic strip in the same chapter. The comic strip shows an awareness of what manhood is and the expectations from it (p. 173). It follows the story of a male pupil who is no longer welcome to join the popular boy group in school because he did not meet the qualifications for manliness since he is not as tough and aggressive as the popular boy group in school. The comic strip brings up topics as how masculinity is defined by sports. The story is narrated from a male character’s perspective. He is not accepted by the football players, but the skaters in school accept him into their group. Before he joins the skater group, he is invited to join the nerds of the school. The activities that nerds enjoy participating in are reading comic books, playing “Dungeons and Dragons” and working on extra school projects in order to receive more credits (p. 173). The main character longs to be like the popular boys and the image represents the boy fantasizing of another boy who is not as skinny as him with a football in his hand. The popular boys have a different body type from the nerds with prominent biceps and different clothing such as t-shirts with scull symbols while the nerds have neutral patterns of clothing with no visible logos (p. 174). The narrator describes how he feels the most comfortable and secure with his masculinity in juxtaposition to a girl’s

femininity (p. 178). This indicates that he feels the most masculine when he is in the presence of a girl since the difference between the two of them shows him as more manly.

The awareness of how gender can set out rules that are maintained in everyday society. In Blueprint, after the comic strip there are exercise questions under the section of “Reflect and Share”. One of the exercises is to “make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of being a

(18)

15 woman or a man” (p. 179). The instructions provoke a discussion on what is defined as

female and male issues regarding their struggles and advantages in life. The issue regarding what defines one’s sexuality does also appear in the comic strip when another character who is a skater boy says: “you are victims of your own insecurities. We can grow our hair long” (p. 174). This was in response to a homophobic slur one of the popular boy’s use. Another skater boy adds “we can even wear skirts, because we’re confident in our sexuality”. The comic is aware of how some gender norms can create assumptions regarding one’s sexuality. The skater boys do also point out what is considered to be not masculine according to the general norm meaning that the popular boys would understand what is meant by having long hair and wear skirts. Further into the textbook of Blueprint in chapter “Exposure” there is a text with the title “Making Sex” (Lundfall & Nyström, 2017, p. 182). The pre-reading asks the pupils to reflect over the changes that would come together with change of gender. The text challenges the notion of gender to be a definite order of biology and separates it from sex. With this claim, there is also the explanation of gender to be a social construction (p. 183). The text follows the narrative of Norah Vincent, an American author who wrote a book about her experience as to have lived as a man for 18 months in order to understand men’s

perspective. The meaning of the book was to understand the opposite sex. Vincent concludes that women should attempt to understand men more in order to reduce the gender gap. However, Vincent argues for how the patriarchal prejudices can influence both men and women. After reading the text there are five questions that are related to the text (p. 184). The theme is explicitly seeking to raise ideas surrounding the notion of gender norms as well as reflecting on one’s own assumptions and encounters with the opposite sex. One reflection aims to raise awareness of how Vincent would perceive Sweden and how gender norms are portrayed in Sweden in everyday life but also how Sweden is portrayed as a society from a gender perspective (p. 185).

6.1.3 Sexuality in the Textbooks

This section aims to present the results of how sexual orientations are represented in the textbooks. The focus will be placed on texts and images that communicate ideas of love, family and romantic relationships, but it also concerns how sexualities are represented in

(19)

16 In Echo, the chapter “What is Love?” is aimed at discussing topics on love. The chapter includes texts with different love poems that express romantic feelings. The love poems are introduced by a general question which implies that the gender and sexuality of the speaker are unknown. It asks the pupil to consider who might be speaker of the poems as well as the recipient. Further into the chapter there are several discussion topics that contain inclusivity of sexuality. In one of the discussions, it is stated that “sexual preference is a personal choice, as long as it’s kept private” (p. 106). This indicates that the poems were not included in order to understand who the speaker is but leave it to the reader’s interpretation to decide whom the relationship concerns as well as the sexuality of the speaker.

After the poems, Echo provides a brief discussion forum in the exercise section. The questions leave it to the reader’s interpretation to decide the gender of the recipient. The discussion concerns stories from LGBT relationships. The exercise asks the pupil to explore how LGBT relationships are represented in English speaking countries (p. 107). The

discussion concerns questions that are related to the legality of displaying a non-heterosexual relationship as well as questions that target issues that a non-heterosexual couple can

encounter such as the adoption of a child (p. 106). Combined with exercises, there is an image of two girls holding the flag for the LGBT community. Below the image there is a description of the definition of LGBT (p. 107). Another chapter of Echo with the title “Family at any cost?” (p. 53) presents the ideas of creating a family through a surrogate mother. Combined with the text, there are questions that target the traditional norm of a family of a mother and a father. The discussion task is for pupils to reflect on whether modern fertility techniques could be viewed as destructive to the nuclear family since they do not require a heterosexual

relationship. Aligned with this, the question is “Is it everyone’s right to have a child,

regardless of sexuality or marital status?” (p. 61). Furthermore, the task also includes a debate section that challenges the idea of a nuclear family meaning a father, mother, and a child and whether it is necessary to solely imagine a family with these roles.

To summarize, explicit representations of gender show that the textbook writers have dedicated texts for awareness of women’s appreciation day, but there are no texts which concern the appreciation for men. The results also show that the authors of the textbooks are aware of gender norms and stereotypes. For the representation of sexualities, the results show that only Echo contains questions on sexuality and sexual rights as well as questioning the structure of sexual norms to a certain degree.

(20)

17

6.2 Implicit Representation

6.2.1 Gender in the Social World

This section presents the results of how gender is portrayed in the textbooks relating to the norms of the social world as communicated in the texts and how these are communicated through writings and images of gender in the textbooks.

In the study of the textbooks, there has been a common finding in how one gender is more represented in the context and topic of violence such as risk taking as well as in criminal behavior. In one chapter of Blueprint, the focus is on how experiences and accidents can create a new outlook in life. One fictional text tells the story of a man who was arrested and in prison for years. This indicates that the man’s criminal background has contributed to his new perspective on life and for his new appreciation of freedom. The finding of how crime is closely related to gender can also be found in another chapter that tells the story of two young boys. Both are caught for shoplifting and are eventually punished. Similarly, the textbook Viewpoints contains texts that touch on the subject of violence and rule-breaking experiences by men. One chapter that is named “Crossing Boundaries” (p. 8) includes a text where a high school male pupil is arrested and handcuffed on school property because he was a suspect of a serious crime. The crime was that someone threatened to blow up the school. Moreover, in another chapter that is named “Danger Zone” (p. 123) the chapter includes several texts that are related to the theme of danger. One text follows the story of a young boy who is out at nighttime and comes across a dangerous criminal gang with members that are men and must make quick decisions to save himself and others from human trafficking. In this case, the boy helps the victim from being a target of human trafficking (Gustafsson & Wivast, 2017, p.124) Within the same chapter of “Danger Zone”, there is another text named “Boy Kills Man” (p. 145) which also follows the narrative of a character with a criminal background. In this text there is also the use of deadly weapons such as a gun (p. 147), similar to the high school pupil who was suspected of threating the school with a bomb.

Moreover, the inclusion of men as characters andthetopic of violence is also present in the Echo textbook. In Echo, within the chapter named “How Far is too Far?” (p. 17), the text concerns itself with sports and hooligans. Beside the text about football there is an image with both women and men presented as football supporters as well as loyal fans. However, in the

(21)

18 section that brings up the definition of hooligans and what is considered to be an acceptable behavior the image is of men illustrated in masks portrayed as hooligans (Frato, 2014, p. 18). An image of a man being arrested by the police and a poster of football in the background imply that the man is a hooligan. The representation of crime and violent tendencies is only included in the representation of male characters. Women are not depicted as risk-takers or to have aggressive tendencies.

One common finding that is more apparent in Blueprint than the other two textbooks is the implicit representation of emotions and mental health. In one text the concern is related to social media and its effects on teenagers. The title is “Social media is harming the mental health of teenagers. The state has to act” (p. 191). The image supporting the text is of a young girl who is a columnist for The Guardian. The girl shares her experience of using multiple social media platforms and how the pressure resulted in her suffering from anxiety. The text continues to describe how teenagers are affected by social media in terms of their mental health. It also affects their physical condition since there is lack of sleep due to staying up late to be updated on social media news (Lundfall & Nyström, 2017, p. 191). The next image supporting the text is of four young teenage girls. In the last paragraph of the text, it is also stated that there is a higher chance of teenage girls to be a victim of mental health issues relating to social media (Lundfall & Nyström, 2017, p. 192). The theme of mental health related to teenagers also appears in Viewpoints. The text does not refer to any gender in particular but writes about the issue from a general standpoint and does not include pronouns but refers to them as teenagers (p. 190).

Another finding is related to how girls are portrayed as sensitive and emotional more in their counterparts to boys. In Blueprint, there is one image of a male character speaking to a girl. The speech bubble shows that the male character speaks about feelings in general. Other images show her hugging the boy in a nurturing way. Echo contains a fictional story of a young teenage girl who confides in her grandmother by exchanging letters to explain her feelings and her experience of being bullied in school (p. 11). One of the discussion questions writes “research suggests that bullying usually occurs among people of the same sex, and that females and males have different ways of bullying each other, what do you think?” (Frato, 2014, p. 13). The quote shows that the authors choose to include gendered norms on how

(22)

19 gender acts in bullying instances. However, the context of the text does not concern gender in general but follows the experience of a teenage girl who is bullied.

6.2.2 The Heterosexual Norm

The analyses of the textbooks show a lack of representation of a non-heterosexual relationship in the texts and there are other indicators that could imply heteronormative values as well. The textbook Echo includes a text about a young couple that are travelling the world and are in a heterosexual relationship where the man confesses his love for a woman and asks her to marry him (Frato, 2014, p. 67). In Viewpoints, there is a text describing how teenagers can find breakups to be hard since it might be their first encounter of love. It also suggests that the teenagers are in a heterosexual relationship due to a comic drawing that depicts two characters that are meant to be puzzle pieces and both characters strive to suit each other in a relationship (p. 66). The two characters have different colors, one is blue, and the other is pink with a bow in the hair as well as prominent eyelashes. It could be understood as the characters are female and male (Gustafsson & Wivast, 2017, p. 66). Viewpoints also has a text that relate to love and explore the possibilities of relationships. In the section “In the Name of Love”

(Gustafsson & Wivast, 2017, p. 44) there are several chapters dedicated to the theme of love.

In Viewpoints, one love poem is written by a female speaker and the implied narratee is a man. The love poem is “How Do I Love Thee” from 1800s by Elizabeth Barret Browning and it is understood as she wrote the poem for her husband before marrying him (p. 44). All three texts that were mentioned focus on a heterosexual couple since the characters that are

included and in romantic relationship is a man and woman.

Throughout the textbooks there is content that presents ideas of relationship issues that concern and are relatable to young adults. There is one fictional text in Blueprint that follows the story of one pupil’s love for another pupil. It is evident that the recipient of the love is a girl named Stella but the narrator’s gender is unknown thus leaving the sexuality for

interpretation. However, the textbooks mostly explain romantic relationships from a

heteronormative standpoint. Most couples that appear are female and male and attracted to the opposite sex. Viewpoints also includes another text where two people are in a heterosexual relationship where a young boy named Dino wants to take it a step further with his girlfriend Jackie and does not know how to communicate with her (Gustafsson & Wivast, 2017, p. 55). The image supporting the text includes two people from the waist down. The image implies

(23)

20 that one of them is Dino and the other is Jackie. Jackie is wearing pink clothes whereas Dino wears blue colored clothes (Gustafsson & Wivast, 2017, p. 55). In conclusion, the findings do not imply or show any sign of a relationship that falls within the non-heteronormative

spectrum since characters in the textbooks are described as to have fallen for the opposite sex.

To summarize, gender is sometimes suggested as a discussion in multiple texts hence

portraying gender in a certain way in different contexts. The results of the text analysis show that there are some preconceptions about gender norms that are prevalent in their

representation. As for sexualities, there is a lack of presence of sexualities beyond heterosexuality in the representation of relationships and families. Therefore, a non-heterosexual relationship or a queer character has not been found in any of the three textbooks.

7. Analysis and Discussion

The analysis elucidates that there is a lack of implicit representation of other sexualities besides heterosexuality. However, there are still discussion questions that are provided to some texts that could problematize the concept of the norm of heterosexuality such as questioning the text’s speaker as well as the narratee of one poem. The ambiguity leaves space for interpretation and what makes the reader assume a certain sexuality or gender. Mostly, when analyzing the textbooks there are several indicators that show how the romantic relationships are described from a heteronormative perspective. Echo included some exercise questions to create a conversation on topics related to other sexualities as well as

problematizing heteronormative norms that are apparent in society. Contrary to the study of Ruiz et al (2020) the traditional family of parents with opposite sex is problematized in Echo. Echo includes questions that target the traditional norm of a family with a mother and father. The question asks pupils to reflect on what is meant by a nuclear family and if gender roles of mother and father can be changed. Butler (2004) writes how queer theory differentiates sexuality from gender, meaning that gender could be different from one’s sexual practices, which could reject the nuclear family as is written in Echo. The notion of rejecting the belief that gender and sexuality are related can also be seen in Blueprint in the comic strip about gender norms. The characters argue for how they can keep their hair long since they are not insecure as well as how they can wear skirt since they are comfortable in their sexuality. The

(24)

21 text implies that there are norms and practices that determine one’s sexuality based on the choice of appearance. If one wears a skirt, the gender can be perceived to be a woman, but the text does also contribute to the idea that sexuality is connected to one’s gender. It could be connected to Butler’s (2004) concept on performativity and how nonverbal communication as well as language is connected to one’s gender from a social perspective (p. 42). This could be perceived to be an implicit representation since the main topic is about accepting one’s gender and disregard gender norms, yet there are some ideas that prove the expectations on different genders.

In relation to previous studies on sexualities, there were no texts that solely focused on another sexuality beyond heterosexuality in the chosen Swedish EFL textbooks. One study conducted in Finland by Suvi Simell (2020) found that the majority of the characters were heterosexual although there were some homosexual characters included in the texts as well. In Van Dyck’s (2019) research, there were same sex relationships, but their appearances were only featured in the context of family topics. For the present project, it should be concluded that there is a general agreement on what is considered to be the general norm of sexuality. Characters are mostly written from a female and male perspective, and it concerns mostly a heterosexual relationship. Echo and Blueprint are the two textbooks that have a text where some characters’ gender is left to interpretation thus leaving gender and sexuality ambiguous. In relation to Van Dyck’s study, it could be noted that the explicit representation regarding sexuality only occurs when there is a section that is specifically aimed at including another sexuality beyond heterosexuality. Therefore, it can be understood that other sexualities are not mentioned or incorporated casually but only in the context of problematizing issues such as equal rights surrounding a non-heterosexual sexuality. The implicit representation of the inclusion of other sexualities are therefore not present in the textbooks. The lack of representation does not correlate with the Swedish curriculum where it is stated that one should not be discriminated on the grounds of gender, transgender identity or sexual orientation. As Mustapha and Mills (2015) argue for, textbooks should aim to include texts where the characters have another sexuality besides heterosexuality in order to include more pupils in their reading of these texts as well as exercises.

The results from the three textbooks concerning gender shows that Blueprint and Viewpoints included texts and discussion questions that were aimed to highlight women’s representation. Both textbooks had explicit representations of two young girls that strived for equal rights in

(25)

22 accordance with other younger boys that received education. The young girls are described as brave for their commitments of this cause. In both books it is also included an important date for women and young girls’ rights. In Viewpoints, the topic of the suffragette movement is included in a text and in Blueprint it refers to the international day for young girls around the world. These explicit representations are included for raising awareness and questions on gender equality however in this context young boys’ voices are absent. In contrast to the studies conducted in Saudi Arabia (Aljuaaythin, 2018) and Iran (Amini & Birjandi, 2012), there is not a lack of women’s appearances in the selected textbooks. Instead, women have more explicit representation regarding women’s rights than the inclusion of a male

perspective from the social world. Although there is an awareness for gender equality and a gender perspective in the texts, there are still some implicit representations related to gender that can be problematized. As De Beauvoir (1953) argues for, gender can manifest itself in different ways and therefore contribute to myths which reduce gender to norms. The

consequence of this is that there are then multiple myths that are inconsistent to one another. The representation of gender can thus create unachievable expectations and myths of one’s gender which can be connected to Butler’s (2004) ideas on how gender should not be seen as fixed. In all three textbooks there are texts with a topic related to violence and danger as well as risk-taking behavior. Datzman’s (2015) findings of how men’s conversations are filled with a competitive tone and with attitudes of aggression can also be analyzed in the textbooks. The content of sports or aggression are common in the representation of men throughout the textbooks as well. All characters that are involved in the context of danger, are predominately men. Mostly the texts have an undertone of a criminal act taking place or is about to. The implicit representation of men in context of violence can be connected to how gender is viewed in the social world or how it is expected to be portrayed. Despite an image representing men and women in a text regarding football, the topic of hooligans included images of men being taken away from the police. The lack of women who are portrayed with risk-taking behaviors as well as violent tendencies is also common in Datzman’s (2015) study. In his study, women have a different content and tone, and topics related to women are dominated by feelings and themselves. The women who are included in the textbooks are more open to discuss their emotions and be included in the topic of mental health than men. It could be related to the gender norms of what is considered to be masculine as well as

feminine traits. Lee and Collins (2008) argue for how stereotypes are also based on attributes of women and men. The gender stereotype of how women are seen as more passive and emotional is also equal to how men are perceived as aggressive and competitive. The Swedish

(26)

23 curriculum states that schools should combat restricted gender norms in order to promote pupils’ understanding and their development (Skolverket, 2018). However, by using gender in representations that could be stereotypes in the textbooks it could do the opposite for the learning process.

The implicit representation of gender can be problematized since it can reinforce gender norms with lack of awareness of how some questions and sentences can maintain gender stereotypes. On one hand it can be beneficial to discuss topics that Blueprint, one question asks the pupil if the pupil has ever wished to be another gender and doing things that are not expected of them. The question challenges ideas on what is considered to be masculine as well as feminine however the question restricts the pupil’s expectations of one’s gender. It could be perceived as if the textbook has expectations on the pupil’s behavior according to their gender and not necessarily of the social world. The same textbook’s comic strip also explains how one character is not bothered to keep their hair down or to wear a skirt since they are comfortable in their sexuality. In Viewpoints, one question that targets the shopaholic text refers to a question related to gender. It could be understood as the representation shows assumptions on the spending habits of the genders. Thus, it can be problematized why the main character in the text is a woman.

As stated earlier, the EFL textbooks in Sweden strive to include the attitudes and values of the society of Sweden. Most discussion questions ask the pupils to connect social issues that appear around the world into a Swedish context. Therefore, the notion of gender as a social construction can be understood as reliant on time and location. It can be understood as incorporating democratic values of contemporary society. In regard to the incorporation of gender and sexuality in the EFL textbooks from a perspective of democratic values. It needs to be reconsidered how some EFL textbooks do not represent and include sexualities other than the norm. As stated by Skolverket (2018), no pupil should feel discriminated on the accounts of gender and sexualities, and this could be connected to the lack of representation of gender as well as sexuality. The heteronormative representation could restrict pupils’ experience of feeling included in their education. Likewise, Skolverket (2018) writes that schools need to combat restricted ideas on gender for pupils to be able to develop their learning.However, the analysis shows that explicit and implicit representation of gender can fall into restricted stereotypes and false expectations of gender. Therefore, combined with the statement from the compulsory school ordinance (SKOLFS 2021:3) and the new adjustments

(27)

24 of implementing gender equality and sexualities to a higher degree, teachers need to critically evaluate how texts and images can signal certain ideas that can restrict the pupils’ inclusion and education.

8. Conclusion

The aim of the study is to investigate how gender and sexualities are represented in a sample of Swedish EFL textbooks in order to explore how EFL textbooks convey and include democratic values according to the curriculum. The analysis was done by a close reading of three EFL textbooks used in Swedish schools in order to understand how ideas on gender and sexuality are communicated through their texts, questions and images. Based on the results of this study, there is a lack of representation and visibility of sexualities that are not

heterosexual. Other sexualities were not included in the texts unless the texts incorporated it for explicit representation. Therefore, heteronormative attitudes are present in the textbooks also. The results on gender representation show some awareness of representing women in ways such as including and highlighting days that are aimed at celebrating women however the same cannot be found in the representation of men. It implies that the authors of the

textbooks portray men to be norm of the social world which motivates them to include women more. However, the findings do also show gender stereotypes in implicit representation where ideas of gender are communicated in subtle ways. Men are portrayed according to the

stereotype of violence and aggression whereas women are not included in such contexts. Thus, the results from the analysis show that there is a certain inclusion of gender dynamics, and it is still relevant to continue finding ways to highlight different representations. In

relation to the democratic values of the Swedish curriculum, there are still aspects that need to be improved in the EFL textbooks in order to represent all pupils in their education regardless of gender and sexuality.

(28)

25

9. References

Aljuaythin, W. (2018). Gender representation in EFL textbooks in Saudi Arabia: A critical discourse analysis approach. International Journal of Applied Linguistics & English Literature. 7(5), 151-157. http://dx.doi.org/10.7575/aiac.ijalel.v.7n.5p.151

Amini, M., & Birjandi, P. (2012). Gender bias in the Iranian high school EFL

textbooks. English Language Teaching. Canadian Center of Science and Education. 5(2), 134-147. https://doi.org/10.5539/elt.v5n2p134

Beauvoir, S. (1953). The second sex. Knopf.

Butler, J. (2004). Undoing gender. Psychology Press.

Cameron, D., & Kulick, D. (2003). Language and sexuality. Cambridge University Press. Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2017). Research methods in education. Routledge. Coles, G. S. (1977). Dick and Jane grow up: Ideology in adult basic education readers. Urban education, 12(1), 37-54.

Cunningsworth, A. (1995). Choosing your textbook. Macmillan

Datzman, B. (2015). Gender representation in a modern EFL textbook. Nagasaki University, Between JALT. 8-15.

Frato, K. (2013). Echo. 5, Main issues (1st ed.). Natur & Kultur. Gustafsson, L., & Wivast, U. (2017). Viewpoints. 1 (2 ed.). Gleerups. Jagose, A. (1996). Queer theory: An introduction. NYU Press.

Jule, A. (2017). A beginner's guide to language and gender. Multilingual Matters.

Kiesling, S. (2019). Language, Gender, and Sexuality: An Introduction (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351042420

Kumpumäki, I. (2020). Queer matters: the construction of the heteronormative discourse within EFL textbooks for secondary school learners in Finland. Journal of Teacher Education, 36-77. Lee, J. F., & Collins, P. (2008). Gender voices in Hong Kong English textbooks—Some past and current practices. Sex Roles, 59(1), 127-137.

Lorber, J., & Farrell, S. A. (Eds.). (1991). The social construction of gender (pp. 309-321). Sage.

Lundfall, C., & Nyström, R. (2017). Blueprint A: engelska 5 (3rd ed.). Liber.

Mustapha, A. S. (2012). Dynamics of gender representations in learning materials and gender equality. Multidisciplinary Journal of Gender Studies, 1(3), 243-270.

Mustapha, A. S., & Mills, S. (Eds.). (2015). Gender representation in learning materials: International perspectives. Routledge.

(29)

26 Nelson, C. (1999). Sexual Identities in ESL: Queer Theory and Classroom Inquiry. TESOL Quarterly, 33(3), 371-391. doi:10.2307/3587670

Pilcher, J., & Whelehan, I. (2016). Key concepts in gender studies. Sage.

Raúl Ruiz-Cecilia, Juan Ramón Guijarro-Ojeda, & Carmen Marín-Macías. (2021). Analysis of Heteronormativity and Gender Roles in EFL Textbooks. Sustainability (Basel, Switzerland), 13(220), 220–. https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010220

SFS 2010:800.0 The Education Act [Skollag]. Utbildningsdepartementet.

Simell, S. (2020). Representation of gender and sexual orientation in the Finnish EFL textbooks (Doctoral dissertation). Helsingfors University. Finland.

Skolverket (2006). I enlighet med skolans värdegrund? e n granskning av hur etnisk tillhörighet, funktionshinder, kön, religion och sexuell läggning framställs i ett urval av läroböcker. Skolverket.

SKOLFS 2021:9 Förordning om läroplan för gymnasieskola. Utbildningsdepartmentet. Skolverket. (2013). Curriculum for the upper secondary school. Skolverket

Skolverket. (2018). Curriculum for the compulsory school, preschool class and school-age educare. Skolverket

Van Dyck, G. (2019). The Evolution of Heteronormativity in EFL textbooks (Doctoral dissertation). Ghent University. Belgium.

Ward, J., & Schneider, B. (2009). The reaches of heteronormativity: An introduction. Gender & Society, 23(4), 433–439.

Åkesson, E. (2016). Vem representeras i materialet. Skolverket.

Öhman, A., & Emmelin, M. (2014). Development policies, intimate partner violence, Swedish gender equality and global health. Women’s Studies International Forum, 46, 115–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2013.12.001

Gender and Queer in Swedish EFL Textbooks