This paper examines gender biases in school textbooks after a decade long effort by the ministry of education (MoE) Pakistan and international organisation (IOs) to eliminate all forms of gender inequality in education. The intention underpinning these initiatives was to nurture a view of gender equality based consciousness through the introduction of more positive gendered images into school textbooks in Pakistan. However, the study discussed in this paper discovered that schools textbooks are still embedded with gender-biased messages and stereotypical representations of male and females. Gender biases in 24 textbooks (Urdu, English and Social Studies) from class 1 to 8 were analysed with the help of a qualitative content analysis approach. The paper draws attention to the insouciant approach taken by the MoE and IOs towards the goal of gender equality. The study found that, despite the prevailing claims of achievements, the new textbooks are ideologically invested -and contribute to the perpetuation of gender inequality. In this context, the gender blindness of the curriculum designers and textbook authors is a matter of serious concern.

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Young girls have been dominating boys in terms of educational performance across the globe. This is a very interesting and remarkable shift observed in the global north as well as in the global south. This review paper seeks to give a succinct picture of gender differences in educational performance in the sociocultural context of various societies across the globe. Thus, the paper is based on the key findings of different studies, both from global north and global south. The study findings highlight the gender reverse change in education across the world. It also highlights the reasons of boys' underperformance and girls' outperformance in different societies. Skimming a number studies, attests that boys are being dominated by girls in educational performance, both in the developed as well as developing countries.

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The key objective of this study was to examine the representations of men and women in print media in Pakistan. Gender role stereotyping and sexism in print media is not a low-profile gender issue as printed communication and contents still hold an important place in contemporary digital world. Keeping in view the importance of newspapers as the leading source of credible content/messages, this paper examined gender stereotyping and sexism in print media in Pakistan and attempted to highlight whether print media reproduces or challenges gender stereotypes and sexism? Keeping in view the complexity of sexism in print media, content and discourse analyses were performed on four widely read national news papers. The findings have been placed within the socio-cultural context of Pakistani society and feminists theories. The study’s findings indicated that print media in Pakistan reinforces gender stereotypes and provide little challenge to gender stereotyped imagery of males and females.