Free from Gender Bias?

Abstract This article assesses the depiction of gender in texts and pictures contained in civics and mathematics textbooks currently in use from year one to year five in primary schools in Albania. I carry out quantitative analysis in order to examine whether males and females are equally represented in terms of sex, age, designations, activities, and attributes ascribed to the characters, applying a method advanced by Carole Brugeilles and Sylvie Cromer, as well as qualitative analysis in order to investigate potential gender stereotypes in textbooks. The findings reveal that textbooks are not gender-responsive and that pupils are encountering more males than females in them. Both genders are described with stereotyped attributes, which reinforce traditional perceptions of their roles. Moreover, they convey a gendered division between males’ and females’ participation in the public and private spheres.