Gender Representation in Educational Materials in the Period of Transition in Hungary (Abstract)

RC04 - Special Conference on Education, Knowledge, and Culture
June 16-18, 1997, Joensuu, Finland


Eva Thun:
Gender Representation in Educational Materials in the Period of Transition in Hungary
(Abstract)



In the current Hungarian socio-political climate, gender issues are little known and discussed, they are considered to be the indulgence of the wealthy Western world. Instead the peculiarly twisted neutral conceptions of equality, the politically declared sameness of treatment that had been imposed on the Eastern societies prevail, denying the many crucial different needs and interests of women, for example in healthcare and education.

Schools reflect the society in which they are embedded. This statement holds true for the Hungarian school system as well as any other educational system. In the Hungarian educational arena we can identify a diverse collection of elements of inconsistency and elements of accidental and experimental nature that mirror the turbulently changing Hungarian society.

The democratization of the Hungarian socio-political environment has filtered down into the school system to some extent. The shift from community to the individual has taken place, yet the mixture of conservative political views and opportunistic, "happy-go-lucky" business-oriented attitudes that prevail in the political life assigns little value to (has no high expectations for) demands of schools and education.

However, the 'hidden agenda' of the traditional sex-role socialization remains almost unchallenged.

In my paper, I propose to examine newly published and revised/republished teaching materials and analyse their representation of gender, and in doing so, examine way in which they reflect the facets of the political and social transition taking place in Hungary.