As schools in Kerala reopened on June 3 after a month-long summer vacation, the state's new textbooks have become a focal point for promoting gender equality.
These textbooks, featuring illustrations of both men and women engaged in household chores, have captured widespread attention. This initiative came into the spotlight when V Sivankutty, the state General Education Minister, shared a page from a Class III Malayalam textbook on Facebook on June 1.
The page depicted a father grating coconut while the mother cooked, challenging traditional gender roles. Similarly, the English textbook showed a father preparing snacks for his daughter. This progressive representation has been well-received by teachers and students alike.
Pavithra Krishna, a young student from a government school in Vithura, expressed her surprise at seeing a father participating in kitchen work and even questioned her own father about it. Sindhu, a teacher from a state-run school in the capital, lauded the move as a significant step toward changing societal perceptions that typically assign domestic duties solely to women. She emphasized that women often bear the bulk of household responsibilities and hoped these textbook illustrations would spread a positive message among the younger generation.
