Is there a symbiosis between gender equality and teaching materials? If yes, are we talking about representation, a percentual divide of pages or of anti-oppressive pedagogy? This study has its origins in the social science subject within the Swedish school system and focuses on analyzing the gender equality in textbooks. It is of importance as gender equality is a central topic in the Swedish curriculum on which the education is built on. The purpose of the study is to gain knowledge about how gender equality is portraited in textbooks addressed for the Swedish upper secondary school. The basis for this study sets in the anti-oppressive theory combined with a performative approach and the discourse of sencemaking. The anti-oppressive pedagogy addresses social values in relation to gender roles and the upholding of hierarchies. The performative approach works together with sencemaking to describe the textbook’s co-creation upon perceptions of reality. It states that if something is repeated enough times, patterns and values are made that outlines the gender roles in society. The method used in this study is a qualitative text analysis by means of evaluating the concept of gender equality as well as to investigate how it is presented, pictured and mediated through the texts.

The study shows that gender equality is limited within the textbook to a political goal with emphasis on labor legislation, and foremost about wages. Gender equality is also portraited mainly by means of statutory formal change, which neglects the operative gender equality. It also shows that women somewhat are excluded from representation even within the content of their own historiography. Men are given more content in total which could lead to difficulties for female pupils to find the text meaningful by means of representation. Sweden is viewed upon as a pioneering country when it comes to gender equality and is compared to other countries less influent work on the subject. This could influence the correlation of power between westerners, Swedes included, and the others in relation to the performative approach. Finally, the study argues for the balance between managing gender equality as a separate text episode as well as it being integrated in other sections of the textbook.