Mellan marginal och huvudfåra : Kvinnors representation i historieläroböcker för gymnasiet från GY11 till GY25

This study examines how women and women’s history are represented in Swedish upper secondary history textbooks, focusing on how the transition from GY11 to GY25 has influenced inclusion and narrative positioning. The study builds on critiques that history education has long privileged male perspectives, and investigates whether newer textbooks move toward a more inclusive historiography or continue to marginalise women. The empirical material consists of four textbooks for the course of Historia 1b - two published under GY11 and two revised for GY25. A qualitative content analysis is conducted, supported by historiographical perspectives and an intersectional framework inspired by Yvonne Hirdman’s gender system and research on power, class and ethnicity. The focus is on the twentieth century, a period where women often become less visible despite rich historical sources. The results show partial change but strong continuity. Women appear more frequently in GY25 textbooks and are sometimes better integrated into the main narrative. However, men still dominate the overarching storyline, and women are often framed through domestic or social roles rather than political agency. Intersectional perspectives remain limited and rarely shape the overall interpretation. The study concludes that GY25’s emphasis on plurality and equality is only partly realised in practice.