Gender discourse and representation in educational curricula in Afghanistan (2001–2021)
Promises in policy, pitfalls in practice
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21345684 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Rajab Taieb (0000-0001-7446-0948, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 58 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 70-98 |
| Publication date | 2026-01-02 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Curriculum Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-0272 • E-ISSN: 1366-5839 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/00220272.2025.2506429 |
| OpenAlex | W4410719126 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 34 |
Statistics indicate that when the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (IRA) was overthrown in 2021, the country ranked among those with the highest gender inequality, despite two decades of efforts to promote gender parity through education. This article investigates the failure of these educational initiatives in Afghanistan, in contrast to their relative success globally. Drawing on curriculum theory and employing a software-assisted multimodal quantitative and qualitative content analysis, it examines gender representation and discourse in 120 school textbooks and three national education policy documents. The study aims to assess the degree of gender inclusivity in school textbooks and to examine the extent to which educational policy curricula are aligned-or misaligned- with the implemented programmatic curriculum. The analysis reveals a disconnect between policy and practice: while policies advocate for gender inclusive-content, the textbooks remain deeply gender-biased, limiting their capacity to challenge entrenched disparities. The findings offer insights for policymakers and textbook writers aiming to develop more gender inclusive educational materials
Critical discourse analysis · Curriculum · Curriculum studies · Discourse analysis · Linguistics · Mathematics education · Pedagogy · Political science · Politics · Representation (politics) · Sociology · Educator Training and Historical Pedagogy · Global Educational Policies and Reforms · Law · Peace and Human Rights Education · Psychology
The Effects of Gender Stereotypic and Counter-Stereotypic Textbook Images on Science Performance
Gender representation in EFL textbooks used in state schools in Northern Iraq and teachers’ perceptions of gender role stereotypes
The Palgrave Handbook of Textbook Studies
Ideology and Curriculum
Excitable Speech
Trends in Global Gender Inequality
Gender Trouble
Women in Saudi secondary school EFL textbooks
A comparative study of gender representation in EFL coursebooks in the Middle East
The rise, removal, and return of women
It was just as political as it was pragmatic’
Class, Culture and the Curriculum
Mapping the Margins
Understanding curriculum as normalizing text
Curriculum theory
Critical discourse analysis
World Society and the Nation-State
| Highly cited | No |
|---|