Are Gender-Responsive Textbook Effective in Identifying Gender Inequality of Javanese Patriarchal Culture in Students' Short Stories?

This study investigates the effectiveness of gender-responsive digital textbooks in enabling students to identify forms of gender inequality embedded within Javanese patriarchal culture through short story writing. The persistence of Javanese patriarchy in everyday social practices continues to shape educational discourse and literary production, particularly through restrictions on women’s roles in the domestic sphere and the enduring stereotype of kanca wingking, which positions women as subordinate. As primary learning resources, curricula and textbooks have been shown to perpetuate gender bias and provide limited space for equality-based perspectives. Employing a mixed-methods design, this study analyzes student learning outcomes following the use of a gender-responsive digital textbook. The Kruskal–Wallis test demonstrates a significant difference across groups (p < 0.001), with the experimental group achieving the highest scores, indicating that the observed improvement can be attributed to the digital material intervention. Qualitative analysis of the students’ short stories further reveals their ability to articulate critiques of Javanese patriarchal norms, construct narratives reflecting gender-based injustices, and portray more empowered female characters. These findings support the argument that equality-oriented learning materials significantly influence students’ gender awareness and sensitivity. Consequently, gender-responsive digital textbooks prove effective not only in enhancing students’ literary writing abilities but also in strengthening their critical literacy and social consciousness. Such materials therefore hold substantial relevance for higher education institutions committed to promoting gender equity and social transformation.