[Analysis of Sex Stereotypes in Textbooks Used in South Bend, Indiana Schools]; Report of the Education Committee of the South Bend Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women.

Textbooks currently in use in South Bend School Corporation were examined in order to determine the extent to which traditional role stereotypes were being portrayed. This report contains evaluations of curriculum materials in reading, spelling, mathematics, art, writing, social studies, and literature. The "Holt Basic Reading Systems," the most widely used series in the corporation, show males predominant approximately three times more often than females. Holt's secondary math texts show roughly 75 percent of problems being handled by males. Silver Burdett's spelling texts have twice as many masculine pronouns as feminine pronouns, and their social studies series show males in adult roles and occupations three times as often as females. Recommendations is made to raise public awareness of the existence of sexism and to bring pressure on publishers to provide more realistic representation of females. (Author/JM)