Dynamics of gender representations in learning materials and gender equality

Abstract

The concept of representation has been taken up in many disciplines, largely, in visual arts, music, media studies, feminism, gender studies among others.The particular interest that researchers in gender and education studies have taken in gender representation has yielded many studies that have in turn reported interesting findings that are instrumentals to revision of learning materials and education process/programmes in some countries.This paper explicates on the concept of representation and its dynamics through learning materials in order to stress a need for studies in under-researched sites and to shedlight on the importance of gender representation in text studies with the anticipation that those who do not share this orientation, and whose take on the concern with gender representation in learning materials studies is that it is a nonessential issue in education mightbe able to appreciate both the undertakings and the findings of studies on gender representations in textbooks.Keywords: representation, gender equality, socialisation, learning materials, education