Ethnic and Gender Representation in German, Italian and Dutch School Textbooks

Female and/or ethnically minoritized textbook characters are often underrepresented and portrayed in ways that align with negative stereotypes. Previous studies have linked such stereotypes to educational underperformance and to educational choices that diverge from individual skills and preferences. In this study we aim to gain insights into the so-called hidden curriculum; whether students observe a variety of ethnicity and gender among characters in their textbooks. In this cross-national study, one mathematics and one language textbook from Germany, Italy and the Netherlands were analyzed. Ethnically minoritized characters, and specifically female ethnically minoritized characters were proportionally underrepresented. However, such characters were not underrepresented among main characters or those with an occupation. Ethnic and gender underrepresentation was more pronounced in the Italian textbooks than the Dutch and German textbooks. These preliminary results indicate a limited variety of female and/or ethnically minoritized textbook characters, which may reflect and strengthen educational inequalities.