Teaching Gender, Teaching Power: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Chinese Primary Textbooks

This article critically examines how masculinity and femininity are constructed in Chinese primary school textbooks and explores the power relations embedded in these gender representations. Drawing on Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), specifically Fairclough's three-dimensional model, the study analyzes textual and visual content from all 12 volumes of the nationally distributed Chinese language textbooks used in primary education. The analysis reveals that masculinity is predominantly associated with leadership, military strength, intelligence, and social responsibility, while femininity is characterized by obedience, emotional labor, beauty, and maternal devotion. These gendered traits reinforce patriarchal ideology, drawing from both Confucian traditions and the contemporary political agenda of the ruling class. Male characters, especially political and military figures, are portrayed as role models, while female characters are largely confined to domestic and supportive roles. While global education frameworks emphasize gender equity and inclusion, these textbooks continue to normalize and perpetuate inequality from an early age. By linking gender representations in schooling to broader ideological structures, this study contributes to the growing body of critical research on curriculum and discourse and calls for reforms that promote more equitable educational practices in China.