How Well Does Botswana’s Social Studies Curriculum Articulate Gender Issues? A Preliminary Overview

Abstract

In this paper I discuss the extent to Botswana’s social studies curriculum is gendered thus more likely to reproducegender inequalities. The paper locates gender issues within the broader context of male-dominated patriarchal society.It applies content analysis to establish whether or not the Social Studies syllabuses articulate gender issues. I arguethat past curriculum reforms implemented in the backdrop of the recommendations of the 1977 first NationalCommission on Education and the 1994 Revised National Commission of Education have not led to thetransformation of the social studies curriculum in terms of gender equality. It finds that past attempts aimed atintegrating gender issues have been superficial hence unlikely to yield expected outcomes of benefitting women andmen equally. It concludes by calling for the further review of the gendered social studies curriculum so as to enable itto provide equal opportunities for women and men.