ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: English textbooks play an important role not only in learning the English language but also in conveying the image of English usage in this global society. This study comprises a comparative corpus analysis of contemporary EFL high school textbooks in China, Korea, and Japan, with the aim of exploring gender representations therein. The objects of analysis included male-to-female ratios, attributions of gender-marked nouns, and common types of activity associated with men and women. The results demonstrated a great disparity between the number of male and female characters depicted in Chinese and Japanese textbooks. Furthermore, while female characters predominate in Korean textbooks, male-oriented stories and stereotypical descriptions are widely found. Despite international awareness and efforts for gender equality, male supremacy, female invisibility, and stereotypical descriptions continue to predominate in the EFL textbooks examined.
