Beyond the Pages: Investigating Gender Stereotype in EFL Textbooks Used in Seventh Grade of Junior High School

Abstract

This study investigates gender stereotypes in the Indonesian EFL textbook English for Nusantara for Grade VII, published under the Merdeka Curriculum. Although textbooks are central learning media, they may subtly reproduce gendered norms that shape learners’ perceptions. This research aims to examine how male and female characters are visually and linguistically represented through Sunderland’s six dimensions of gender stereotypes: invisibility, occupational roles, relationship stereotypes, personal characteristic stereotypes, disempowering discourse roles, and degradation. Using qualitative content analysis with a deductive coding approach, the study analyzed illustrations, or pictures from selected units containing speech bubbles or passages. The findings show that while the textbook achieves relatively balanced visibility between genders, several traditional stereotypes remain. Female characters are predominantly portrayed as nurturing, polite, passive, and imaginative, while male characters are associated with competitiveness, adventurousness, dominance, and physical strength. Occupational representations remain limited, with women mostly depicted as teachers and men engaging in outdoor and technical activities. Some indicators of progress appear, such as female involvement in sports and male participation in household tasks. The study concludes that English for Nusantara presents a transitional depiction of gender partially reinforcing traditional norms but also displaying emerging signs of equality highlighting the
need for more gender-responsive textbook development.