The Image of Women in Primary School Curricula and Textbooks (1923-2023)
You can access the presentations about our project in this section.
IX. International History Symposium
At the IX International History Symposium, held on 6–8 September 2023 by Sakarya University of Applied Sciences, our project coordinator Mustafa Şahin was invited as a keynote speaker and, in his presentation titled “Republic and Women’s Education in the 100th Year of the Republic,” introduced our project and shared several initial findings based on the first data sources obtained. In the presentation, the scope, purpose, and methodological framework of the TÜBİTAK 1001 project titled “The Image of Women in Primary School Curricula and Textbooks (1923–2023)” were explained in detail. Şahin illustrated, through selected sample findings, how primary school textbooks have presented a perspective on women’s education throughout the century-long period from the foundation of the Republic to the present, which ideological discourses they have conveyed, and how they have shaped gender roles. Şahin emphasized that this study, conducted on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Republic, not only offers the possibility of a historical comparison but also provides significant data that will contribute to the development of contemporary educational policies in terms of gender equality. The presentation was followed with great interest by the participants, who evaluated the research carried out within the scope of the project as valuable both academically and socially.
International Women, Discourse, Action Colloquium
Within the scope of the International Women, Discourse, Action Colloquium held in İzmir on 10–12 June 2024, two separate papers related to our project were presented:
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Developing Criteria for the Analysis of the Image of Women in Curricula and Textbooks: A Delphi Study.
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The Image of Women in Social Studies Textbooks: The Place of Women in the Family (1923–2023).
The first paper, titled “Developing Criteria for the Analysis of the Image of Women in Curricula and Textbooks: A Delphi Study,” was prepared by our project coordinator Mustafa Şahin, one of our project researchers Tuba Acar Erdol, and one of our project fellows Özge Karakuş Özdemirci. The presentation elaborated in detail on the stages of the Delphi study that formed the basis of the project’s criterion development process. It explained how the multi-phase Delphi process—structured through expert opinions—was designed, under which thematic categories the criteria were developed, and why the resulting criteria hold critical importance for analyses concerning the image of women. The study drew attention for strengthening the methodological design of the project and for providing a shared evaluative framework for subsequent stages of analysis.
The second paper, titled “The Image of Women in Social Studies Textbooks: The Place of Women in the Family (1923–2023),” was prepared by our project coordinator Mustafa Şahin, one of our project researchers Hülya Gölgesiz, and our project fellows—the graduate students Arzum Taşdelen, Sedanur Giley, and Ayşe Ece Şahin. The study examines how the position of women within the family has been represented in social studies textbooks from the foundation of the Republic to the present. In the presentation, various examples were used to illustrate how the role of women within the family was constructed in the texts and visuals of social studies textbooks from different periods, and which themes—such as motherhood, care labor, authority relations, and societal expectations—were foregrounded. The findings show that although certain periods exhibit modernist and egalitarian approaches, traditional gender stereotypes continue to be strongly present in many textbooks.
V. International Congress on Turkish Civilization
At the congress held on 17–19 April 2025 at Kyrgyzstan–Turkey Manas University in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, our project coordinator Mustafa Şahin presented a paper titled “The Image of Women in Primary School Textbooks Throughout a Century.” In this presentation, Şahin examined in a comprehensive manner how the image of women in primary school textbooks in Turkey evolved during the 1923–2023 period. The study employed the discourse-historical approach of critical discourse analysis, and the visuals in textbooks from the hundred-year period were coded and evaluated in line with predetermined criteria. The findings shared in the presentation show that the representations of women and men in textbooks have, for many years, reproduced traditional gender roles in explicit or implicit ways. Women were predominantly represented in professions such as teacher, housewife, nurse, service staff, student, secretary, or doctor, whereas men were depicted in occupations requiring greater power, authority, and expertise—such as administrator, school principal, repairman, doctor, football player, actor, writer, and driver. In addition, a striking distinction was observed in character traits: women were associated with more passive, fragile, or domestic roles, while men were portrayed as strong, rational individuals active in the public sphere. Representations that attributed household chores and childcare to women and economic responsibility and authority to men reveal that primary school textbooks have carried gender stereotypes over many decades.
International Congress on Social Sciences and Management Studies
At the congress held on 19–21 June 2025 in the city of Kokand, Uzbekistan, organized by Kokand/Andijon University, our project coordinator Mustafa Şahin presented a paper titled “Representations of Women and Men in Primary School Textbooks,” in which he examined the transformation of gender representations in primary school textbooks in Turkey over the course of a century. The study analyzed textbooks in science, life studies, mathematics, social studies, and Turkish, thereby investigating how the texts and visuals that children encounter at an early age shape gender representations. The research was conducted within the framework of the discourse-historical approach, the criteria were developed through the Delphi method based on expert opinions, and a systematic coding process was carried out using NVivo 15 software. The findings show that traditional gender roles are reproduced in both explicit and implicit ways in primary school textbooks. Male figures are predominantly represented in professions associated with power, authority, and expertise, while female figures appear in occupations linked to care, service, and domestic roles. Similarly, male characters are depicted with strong, rational, and leadership-oriented qualities, whereas female characters are presented as more passive, emotional, and confined to the private sphere. These findings offer important insights into how primary school textbooks in Turkey have carried gender stereotypes throughout the century, which representations have displayed continuity, and how educational policies have been reflected in gender-related contexts.
III. International Congress on Women in Interdisciplinary Science
At the congress held on 3–5 October 2025 by Sivas Cumhuriyet University, our project coordinator Mustafa Şahin and our project assistants Sedanur Giley and Arzum Taşdelen presented two separate papers produced from their master's theses prepared within the scope of the project.
The first paper, titled “The Image of Women in Primary School Social Studies Textbooks (1980–2000),” was prepared by Sedanur Giley under the supervision of our project coordinator, Mustafa Şahin. This study examined how the image of women was constructed in comparison with male representations in primary school social studies textbooks published between 1980 and 2000. In the research conducted within the framework of the discourse-historical approach, six textbooks were coded using NVivo 15 software, and the criteria were developed through the Delphi method. The findings show that gender roles in textbooks during this period were largely constructed according to traditional patterns. Women were predominantly associated with domestic roles, care work, and subordinate positions, whereas men were linked to the public sphere, professional roles, and authority figures. Nevertheless, some limited examples of modern and egalitarian approaches were also observed in certain textbooks. Overall, social studies textbooks of this period were found to reproduce gendered discourse.
The second paper, titled “Gender in Primary School Social Studies Textbooks (2000–2023),” was prepared by Arzum Taşdelen under the supervision of Mustafa Şahin. This study examined gender representations in social studies textbooks published between 2000 and 2023. In the qualitative-design research, five textbooks were analyzed using NVivo 15. The findings indicate that gender representations continued to display a marked imbalance during this period as well. Male images appeared more frequently than female images in the texts, and women remained in the background across many categories. Women were typically associated with childcare, handicrafts, and domestic tasks, whereas men were presented through actions requiring public presence and physical strength, such as driving vehicles, agriculture–animal husbandry, and sports activities. A similar pattern emerged in the visuals: male figures were more visible and predominantly depicted in public spaces, while female figures were represented through home and domestic roles. Occupations, clothing, color use, and spatial placements also reinforced gender stereotypes.
These two papers provide significant data on the historical transformation of gender representations in primary school social studies textbooks and shed light on how educational materials construct a representational regime that either supports or undermines gender equality.
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International Congress on Global Practice of Multidisciplinary Scientific Studies
At the congress held on 13–17 October 2025 in Munich, Germany, our project coordinator, Mustafa Şahin, presented a paper titled “Visibility of Women and Men in the Illustrations of Life Studies Textbooks.” In this presentation, he examined how visual representations of women and men in primary school Life Studies textbooks have evolved throughout the century-long period extending from the foundation of the Republic to the present day. In the study, 18 Life Studies textbooks were analyzed at both textual and visual levels. The visuals were coded using NVivo 15 software, and representations of women and men were evaluated through indicators such as clothing, accessories, hairstyle, and color use. The findings show that from the early years of the Republic until the 1980s, male figures were significantly dominant in these textbooks. Although the visibility of women in the public sphere increased from the 2000s onwards, the normative continuity of male representations has largely persisted. Symbolic elements such as color, hairstyle, and clothing have continued to reproduce an ideological language tied to traditional gender roles. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that Life Studies textbooks not only serve as materials for imparting knowledge but also function as a powerful mechanism for reproducing social norms and gender roles. For this reason, it is strongly recommended that a gender equality perspective should be adopted in the preparation of textbooks and that more balanced and inclusive representations should be incorporated into the visual content.
