Discrimination and biases in textbooks used in South African public schools

This policy brief draws on an assessment conducted on textbooks currently in use in South African public schools. The results reveal that various forms of discrimination are insidiously present in school textbooks. While discrimination was evidenced predominantly through imagery/pictorial presentations, there were also instances in which discrimination was expressed through language embedded in the text. This brief sets out policy recommendations for eliminating stereotypes and discriminatory practices that are manifested in these materials.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Human Science Research Council SA
Published
2026-05-23
DOI
https://doi.org/10.14749/32385651
Primary Topic
Gender Studies in Language
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Discrimination and biases in textbooks used in South African public schools

Human Sciences Research Council
Human Science Research Council SA
Gender Studies in Language
article

Discrimination and biases in textbooks used in South African public schools

Human Sciences Research Council
article en

Abstract

This policy brief draws on an assessment conducted on textbooks currently in use in South African public schools. The results reveal that various forms of discrimination are insidiously present in school textbooks. While discrimination was evidenced predominantly through imagery/pictorial presentations, there were also instances in which discrimination was expressed through language embedded in the text. This brief sets out policy recommendations for eliminating stereotypes and discriminatory practices that are manifested in these materials.

Human Science Research Council SA
Reduced inequalities
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
Gender Studies in Language
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