Since the passage of Taiwan's Indigenous Languages Development Act in 2017, endangered indigenous languages have been officially recognized as national languages and integrated into the formal school curriculum. The government has developed standardized textbooks spanning from grade 1 to grade 12 for various ethnic groups. As language is not only a medium of communication but also a carrier of culture, this study adopts the perspective of intersectionality of gender and ethnicity to explore the representation of gender in Eastern Paiwan language textbooks using textual analysis. The findings are as follows: 1. Gender bias induced by Chinese translation: Many Eastern Paiwan terms are inherently gender-neutral; however, gender distinctions were artificially imposed when these terms were translated into Mandarin Chinese. 2. Binary descriptions of gender traits and division of labor: The textbooks predominantly portray traditional gender traits—masculinity for males and femininity for females. This binary framework extends to the descriptions of traditional rituals and contemporary daily gender roles, thereby overlooking the Eastern Paiwan tradition of embracing gender diversity and transgender identities. 3. Disconnection in egalitarian discourse: Although the textbooks introduce the egalitarian culture of "primogeniture inheritance" (succession by the eldest child regardless of gender), this core cultural spirit is not consistently applied to the descriptions of gender roles and the division of labor.

Authors:
Ju-Hui Chang, National Taitung University, Taiwan
Chien-Lung Wang, National Taitung University, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Chang is currently a Professor of National Taitung University, Taiwan. Her research interests include multicultural education, gender education, Indigenous education, and curriculum and instruction.

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