The objective of this study was to determine whether gender stereotypes
are present in elementary reading, textbooks published during the 1980s,
and how the extent of stereotyping compares with textbooks published
during the last two decades. Both manifest and latent content analyses
were performed on a random sample of stories drawn from 4th and 5th grade
reading textbooks. Chi-square analyses were performed to determine
whether significant changes have occurred with regard to gender
stereotypes over the last three decades, controlling for publishing
company and sex of author. Five different publishing companies, randomly
selected from a list of thirteen publishers approved for use by the
Virginia Board of Education in 1988, were represented in the sample.
The manifest content, was analyzed by comparing the number of male
and female characters, number of female and male main characters, types
of occupations held by male and female characters, number of females and
males in illustrations, and the race of characters. The latent content
was analyzed by comparing the sex of characters most likely to exhibit
each of seven different gender,stereotyped traits.. The latent content
was further analyzed by looking for gender stereotyped themes and quotes, and non-traditional themes and quotes in stories.
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