Manuels de FLE sur le genre et la sexualité

Université de Vilnius, Lituanie

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Abstract

This study examines the representation of gender and sexuality in three widely used French as a Foreign Language (FLE) textbooks in Lithuanian lower secondary education: Latitudes 1 (2008), Décibel 3 (2016), and Édito A2 (2022). Combining quantitative and qualitative content analysis, the research investigates visual and textual representations of gender, focusing on distribution patterns, social roles, stereotypical imagery, and linguistic structures such as generic masculinity, feminisation of professions, inclusive writing, and non-binary forms. The findings reveal persistent gender asymmetries across all three textbooks. Female characters are predominantly associated with domestic roles and appearance-related attributes, while male characters occupy a broader range of roles in the public sphere and are more frequently linked to agency, mobility, and technological contexts. Although some progress toward balanced representation is observed, particularly in more recent materials, heteronormative patterns and stereotypical associations remain structurally embedded. From a linguistic perspective, inclusive strategies are inconsistently applied, with a continued dominance of masculine generic forms and a complete absence of non-binary expressions. The study highlights a gap between evolving sociolinguistic practices and their didactic transposition, emphasizing the need for critical awareness and pedagogical mediation in FLE teaching.