Blog

Blog Cover. Design by Sümeyye Temirov, IWNE
Maria

Conditioning Through Education: Gender Bias and the Hidden Curriculum in Textbooks

Education is often recognized as a tool for creating equal opportunities for everyone to succeed despite their background. However, gender bias within the educational system, frequently perpetuated through textbooks and curricula, significantly shapes the experiences of students, particularly women, by creating gender stereotypes. This article explores the many ways gender bias finds itself a place in the curricula and the vulnerabilities it creates for students, particularly women. In this article, I argue that it is essential to recognise that gender bias is not a single, static problem. Instead, it can manifest in multiple ways, including the representation of gender roles, language used, segregation of occupations along gender lines, and reinforcement of stereotypes. It makes gender bias a complex assortment of problems, requiring attention to each of the facets of gender bias, whereby textbooks and curriculum being one. Why Textbooks? Textbooks play an essential role in shaping not only the classroom discourses but also the upbringing of the students. Sadker and Zittleman (2007) cite that ‘‘students spend as much as 80 to 95% of classroom time using textbooks, and teachers make a majority of their instructional decisions based on these texts’’ (p. 144). The considerable amount of time that students spend

Sümeyye Temirov​

Amplifying Palestinian Voices: An Interview with Loor from the GENARRATION Project

As part of the GENARRATION project, we had the privilege of conducting a face-to-face interview in Tallinn with Loor, a young Palestinian from Jerusalem. In this conversation, Loor shares her personal story, the challenges faced by Palestinian youth, and the importance of reshaping narratives surrounding Palestinian identity. The interview was conducted by our member Fatya, with questions prepared and editorial work by our member Sümeyye.

International Women’s Network in Estonia (IWNE)

The Woman Who Inspires Me Most…

The members of IWNE have shared stories of the women who inspire them—women whose courage, kindness, and determination have shaped their lives. From teachers and activists to sisters and pioneers, these women remind us that inspiration is found not only in history books but in everyday acts of strength and resilience.

Maria-Katarina Johannesson

The Perfectionist’s Guide to Starting and Growing a Business

“Just do it” Just start the business. Be that cool, tech-savvy entrepreneur who just quit their job and then starts their entrepreneurial journey. I don’t know about you ladies, but I never thought that was very realistic. More importantly, I could never relate to it. Oh, I’m Maria-Katarina Johannesson by the way, or you can just call me “Maria” or Linksandmaria. I am not one of those cool entrepreneur people. I am a female business owner who is still trying to find her place. And honestly, it’s quite a lonely place to be, which is why I believe communities like IWNE play such an important role. I am still on my journey, it’s a bumpy one (especially since I have this not always very charming trait of being a perfectionist, which sometimes means focusing on the wrong things).

IWNE
Lilly O'Toole, MPH

The First Female Prisoner of Conscience in Georgia

It has been more than one month since Mzia Amaglobeli — founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, two of Georgia’s most well-regarded independent media platforms – was arrested. She has been on hunger strike ever since. Due to the critical risk of organ failure, Amaglobeli was relocated to a hospital outside of Tbilisi. The refusal by Batumi court to lift her pre-trial detention period, the strictest measure possible, means that she must remain in detainment until her trial on March 4th. The Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner says her pre-trial detention for assaulting a police officer is unjustified.

IWNE
Palina Yaroshyk

Is the Highest Form of Love According to Plato Only Available to Homosexuals? 

This work analyses the concept of love in Plato’s Phaedrus and Symposium. Many scholars while referring to the apparent emphasis on same-sex male relations conclude that the highest stage of eros—reaching the Form of Beauty—is only possible for males and only through homosexual love. By considering Plato’s texts as complementary, this essay argues that it is possible to understand Plato’s conception of love as transcending gender demonstrating that women, like men, are capable of experiencing and inspiring love in its highest, most ideal forms. Moreover, it argues that homosexual love, even though explicitly discussed by Plato, is not the only suitable interpretation, but it is also can be stretched to accommodate heterosexual relations.

Blog Cover. Design by Sümeyye Temirov, IWNE
Maria

Conditioning Through Education: Gender Bias and the Hidden Curriculum in Textbooks

Education is often recognized as a tool for creating equal opportunities for everyone to succeed despite their background. However, gender bias within the educational system, frequently perpetuated through textbooks and curricula, significantly shapes the experiences of students, particularly women, by creating gender stereotypes. This article explores the many ways gender bias finds itself a place in the curricula and the vulnerabilities it creates for students, particularly women. In this article, I argue that it is essential to recognise that gender bias is not a single, static problem. Instead, it can manifest in multiple ways, including the representation of gender roles, language used, segregation of occupations along gender lines, and reinforcement of stereotypes. It makes gender bias a complex assortment of problems, requiring attention to each of the facets of gender bias, whereby textbooks and curriculum being one. Why Textbooks? Textbooks play an essential role in shaping not only the classroom discourses but also the upbringing of the students. Sadker and Zittleman (2007) cite that ‘‘students spend as much as 80 to 95% of classroom time using textbooks, and teachers make a majority of their instructional decisions based on these texts’’ (p. 144). The considerable amount of time that students spend

Sümeyye Temirov​

Amplifying Palestinian Voices: An Interview with Loor from the GENARRATION Project

As part of the GENARRATION project, we had the privilege of conducting a face-to-face interview in Tallinn with Loor, a young Palestinian from Jerusalem. In this conversation, Loor shares her personal story, the challenges faced by Palestinian youth, and the importance of reshaping narratives surrounding Palestinian identity. The interview was conducted by our member Fatya, with questions prepared and editorial work by our member Sümeyye.

IWNE
Lilly O'Toole, MPH

The First Female Prisoner of Conscience in Georgia

It has been more than one month since Mzia Amaglobeli — founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, two of Georgia’s most well-regarded independent media platforms – was arrested. She has been on hunger strike ever since. Due to the critical risk of organ failure, Amaglobeli was relocated to a hospital outside of Tbilisi. The refusal by Batumi court to lift her pre-trial detention period, the strictest measure possible, means that she must remain in detainment until her trial on March 4th. The Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner says her pre-trial detention for assaulting a police officer is unjustified.

Blog Cover. Design by Sümeyye Temirov, IWNE
Maria

Conditioning Through Education: Gender Bias and the Hidden Curriculum in Textbooks

Education is often recognized as a tool for creating equal opportunities for everyone to succeed despite their background. However, gender bias within the educational system, frequently perpetuated through textbooks and curricula, significantly shapes the experiences of students, particularly women, by creating gender stereotypes. This article explores the many ways gender bias finds itself a place in the curricula and the vulnerabilities it creates for students, particularly women. In this article, I argue that it is essential to recognise that gender bias is not a single, static problem. Instead, it can manifest in multiple ways, including the representation of gender roles, language used, segregation of occupations along gender lines, and reinforcement of stereotypes. It makes gender bias a complex assortment of problems, requiring attention to each of the facets of gender bias, whereby textbooks and curriculum being one. Why Textbooks? Textbooks play an essential role in shaping not only the classroom discourses but also the upbringing of the students. Sadker and Zittleman (2007) cite that ‘‘students spend as much as 80 to 95% of classroom time using textbooks, and teachers make a majority of their instructional decisions based on these texts’’ (p. 144). The considerable amount of time that students spend

IWNE
Lilly O'Toole, MPH

The First Female Prisoner of Conscience in Georgia

It has been more than one month since Mzia Amaglobeli — founder of Batumelebi and Netgazeti, two of Georgia’s most well-regarded independent media platforms – was arrested. She has been on hunger strike ever since. Due to the critical risk of organ failure, Amaglobeli was relocated to a hospital outside of Tbilisi. The refusal by Batumi court to lift her pre-trial detention period, the strictest measure possible, means that she must remain in detainment until her trial on March 4th. The Council of Europe’s human rights commissioner says her pre-trial detention for assaulting a police officer is unjustified.

IWNE
Palina Yaroshyk

Is the Highest Form of Love According to Plato Only Available to Homosexuals? 

This work analyses the concept of love in Plato’s Phaedrus and Symposium. Many scholars while referring to the apparent emphasis on same-sex male relations conclude that the highest stage of eros—reaching the Form of Beauty—is only possible for males and only through homosexual love. By considering Plato’s texts as complementary, this essay argues that it is possible to understand Plato’s conception of love as transcending gender demonstrating that women, like men, are capable of experiencing and inspiring love in its highest, most ideal forms. Moreover, it argues that homosexual love, even though explicitly discussed by Plato, is not the only suitable interpretation, but it is also can be stretched to accommodate heterosexual relations. 

Blog Cover. Design by Sümeyye Temirov, IWNE
Maria

Conditioning Through Education: Gender Bias and the Hidden Curriculum in Textbooks

Education is often recognized as a tool for creating equal opportunities for everyone to succeed despite their background. However, gender bias within the educational system, frequently perpetuated through textbooks and curricula, significantly shapes the experiences of students, particularly women, by creating gender stereotypes. This article explores the many ways gender bias finds itself a place in the curricula and the vulnerabilities it creates for students, particularly women. In this article, I argue that it is essential to recognise that gender bias is not a single, static problem. Instead, it can manifest in multiple ways, including the representation of gender roles, language used, segregation of occupations along gender lines, and reinforcement of stereotypes. It makes gender bias a complex assortment of problems, requiring attention to each of the facets of gender bias, whereby textbooks and curriculum being one. Why Textbooks? Textbooks play an essential role in shaping not only the classroom discourses but also the upbringing of the students. Sadker and Zittleman (2007) cite that ‘‘students spend as much as 80 to 95% of classroom time using textbooks, and teachers make a majority of their instructional decisions based on these texts’’ (p. 144). The considerable amount of time that students spend

International Women’s Network in Estonia (IWNE)

The Woman Who Inspires Me Most…

The members of IWNE have shared stories of the women who inspire them—women whose courage, kindness, and determination have shaped their lives. From teachers and activists to sisters and pioneers, these women remind us that inspiration is found not only in history books but in everyday acts of strength and resilience.

Maria-Katarina Johannesson

The Perfectionist’s Guide to Starting and Growing a Business

“Just do it” Just start the business. Be that cool, tech-savvy entrepreneur who just quit their job and then starts their entrepreneurial journey. I don’t know about you ladies, but I never thought that was very realistic. More importantly, I could never relate to it. Oh, I’m Maria-Katarina Johannesson by the way, or you can just call me “Maria” or Linksandmaria. I am not one of those cool entrepreneur people. I am a female business owner who is still trying to find her place. And honestly, it’s quite a lonely place to be, which is why I believe communities like IWNE play such an important role. I am still on my journey, it’s a bumpy one (especially since I have this not always very charming trait of being a perfectionist, which sometimes means focusing on the wrong things).

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