1933 Zhonghua "Elementary Mandarin Reading" Study Gender Roles

With the development of society, the problem of gender equality has attracted more andmore attention, and the establishment of gender equality education culture is an important way toachieve this goal. As the carrier of knowledge, the textbook is the media for teachers andstudents to carry out educational activities, and It is also an effective way for students to acquireknowledge in school education. Furthermore, the textbook is the choice of the ruling classideology, and It reflects mainstream gender culture of society.Women were confined to the home, and gradually became the hanger-on in the societyowing to the lifestyle which men go off to work and women stay at home in ancient. Thetraditional gender concept which men are superior to women spread in the society. Genderequality thought launched a challenge to the traditional feudal ideology for the introduction ofwestern learning to the east at the end of the Qing Dynasty. Advocating of democracy andscience, social public, and gender equality, pushed the thought and practice of gender equality toa climax in the period of the May4th Movement. After the May4th Movement, in the goldendecade when the NanJing national government was running the country, could the concept ofgender equality really win support among the people? What gender concept does the textbookreflect? I will study on the gender roles in “Primary School Chinese Textbook”which waspublished by Zhonghua book company in1933, so as to show the gender concept which thetextbook reflects in the Republic of China, and do some thoughts on the basis.By analyzing the frequency of gender roles, the image of gender roles, and the character ofgender roles in “Primary School Chinese Textbook”which was published by Zhonghua bookcompany in1933, as well as by reference of related research achievements at home, I find thatgender inequality generally exists in the textbook.Gender inequality in the textbook is mainly composed of gender imbalance, conveying thetraditional thought which men go off to work and women stay at home, infiltrating the traditionalgender concept which men are superior to women. It has an important impact on children. Thecauses of gender inequality in the textbook are complex, consist of the traditional gender culture,the national policy and system, gender stereotypes, and the collective unconscious.