This present discourse study investigates the portrait of gender stereotypes in government-endorsed English language textbooks used in Indonesian middle schools. The four English language textbooks entitled “When English Rings a Bell” for SMP grade VII, VIII and Bahasa Inggris untuk SMA Kelas X, XI [English for Senior High Schools X, XI] published by the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture (MONEC) were chosen. Kress and van Leeuwen's (2006) social semiotic theory was adopted to scrutinize gender ideology discursively encapsulated in English language textbooks. To enrich the visual analysis, the present study adopted a mixed-methods analysis that invites English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers to elicit their perceptions of gender stereotypes in the selected textbooks through stimulated semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed the authors' gender awareness, including the common use of gender-neutral visuals concerning household tasks division and interests or hobbies choices. One of the ELT textbooks also displayed a balanced distribution of males and females in making sports choices as their hobby. However, the underrepresentation of women's occupations and achievements is still prevalent in these ELT textbooks. Other observations include the portrayal of men in a broader range of social roles than women, and the depiction of men in diverse occupations, suggesting that men are more physically and cognitively active than women. Further, interviews with EFL teachers revealed a strong need for textbook changes to seek gender equality in education to provide equal roles for both genders. It is advised that language teachers programs or others EFL educators should promote professional training in gender-sensitive EFL materials design. This is because textbooks do not only offer information on specific topics and delineate competence development but provide insights into a society's socio-cultural norms and values through representations.