In a patriarchal society, the sight of a father grating coconut in the kitchen and preparing snacks for his daughter might seem unusual. However, this scenario is now appearing in school textbooks in Kerala as the state government introduces innovative content promoting gender neutrality.

The aim is to instill the concept of gender equality in children’s minds from a young age, according to authorities. As schools reopened after a two-month summer break, the new textbooks featuring illustrations of family members, regardless of gender, engaged in cooking and other kitchen tasks have sparked widespread interest.

The attention-grabbing textbooks gained prominence after State General Education Minister V Sivankutty shared a page from one of them on his Facebook profile recently. In a Class 3 Malayalam textbook, for instance, there’s an image of a father grating coconut while the mother cooks, while in the English textbook, the father is depicted cooking snacks for his daughter.

Teachers and students have warmly embraced the inclusion of gender equality concepts in the textbooks, considering it a progressive step. Pavithra Krishna, a primary school student, expressed her surprise at seeing her new Malayalam textbook containing such images and even questioned her father about their household roles.

Sindhu, a teacher in a government school, praised the initiative, believing it will positively influence students of all genders. She highlighted the prevailing societal belief that household chores are solely the responsibility of women, which children often internalize. However, she noted that the new textbooks convey the message that both parents share these responsibilities, challenging traditional gender roles.

Moreover, Sindhu emphasized the disproportionate burden borne by women in household duties, making this shift towards gender neutrality in textbooks especially significant.

Source: PTI

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