Why some jobs just ‘sound’ male: the Arabic language effect
This study examines how language systems and school textbooks influence L1 Arabic students’ perceptions of professional and political job roles. A custom-designed survey was used to assess how students associate jobs with gender when explicit grammatical markers are removed. Job titles were extracte...
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| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Cogent Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/2331186X.2025.2530160 |
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| Summary: | This study examines how language systems and school textbooks influence L1 Arabic students’ perceptions of professional and political job roles. A custom-designed survey was used to assess how students associate jobs with gender when explicit grammatical markers are removed. Job titles were extracted from widely used Arabic language textbooks and reformulated into passive-structured sentences that avoided direct morphological gender cues. Sixty-two students from a public elementary school in Riyadh participated, selecting either the masculine or feminine form of job titles presented in the questionnaire. The findings indicate that while masculine job terms in educational materials contribute to gender associations, the broader Arabic language system has a stronger influence. However, exposure to gendered terms in textbooks reinforces these associations. This is the first study to investigate the effect of gendered suffixes on job-related linguistic cues among L1 Arabic students. The findings highlight the importance of gender-inclusive language in educational content to promote a more balanced perception of professional roles. |
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| ISSN: | 2331-186X |