This is a lesson for advanced students seeking to challenge the way they thing about gender. It’s by PC Romania’s Gender and Development Committee (GAD) and part of a series of lessons from the “16 Days Against Gender Violence” campaign.
Lecția aceasta este valabila în română aici (.doc).
Objective: To introduce students to the idea of gender stereotypes and promote a less rigid view of gender.
Resources: Copies of this story for the students to read (see preview below), or another story with the genders of the characters switched, flipchart paper, magazine ads depicting men and women together.
This story is sourced from here.
Time: One 50-minute class period.
Warm Up
Read a familiar story (in full or in part) with the gender of the characters switched.
Ask students if there was something unusual about it.
Presentation
Define stereotype.
Elicit common examples of any stereotypes from class and record them on your blackboard or flipchart paper.
In small groups ask students to write “man” and draw a box around it. Groups should brainstorm stereotypical characteristics and activities for men in today’s society and jot these ideas down on their paper around the outside of the box (students can be prompted by asking questions like what it means to “act like a man” on a date, in sports, in school, etc.)
The groups should also generate stereotypical characteristics of women and record their answers in the same way.
Each group shares their answers with the whole class as the teacher records them. Have students compare the lists to the story that was read at the beginning.
Explain that men and women are expected to conform to many of these stereotypes in order to be seen as “real” men or women in society. Women and men and girls and boys are not born this way; these ideas and behaviors are learned.
Explain the difference between sex and gender—that gender is a social construction and that sex is our biology (sex primary and secondary organs, hormones, etc.). This will make it easier for the students to see how their own gender is shaped, and how they can be free to express it in whatever way they want.
Since gender is a social construction, ask students:
- “Where do we learn these gender roles?” What people teach us these stereotypes? Entertainment? Sports? Media? (When the students respond “TV” or “movies,” ask for specific examples to list.)
- “What other people influence our learning of gender roles?” Where else in society do we find these messages? (Ask for specific examples if general comments are made like “TV” or “magazines.”)
Application
Using magazine ads that depict men and women together have groups answer the following questions about their ad (Question 7 may be difficult for students to answer. It may be necessary to point out that, by association, advertisers depict people who look like they have it together [or rather fit the stereotypes] so that their products will look desirable to the consumer):
- Describe what is going on in the ad.
- Who is in control and how is that shown?
- What might the person in control be saying?
- What is the attitude of the man?
- What is the attitude of the woman?
- What words or ideas from your stereotype box are represented in this ad?
- Who is the target market audience they are trying to reach?
- How do advertisers play upon our need to be accepted – to fit in – to get us to buy their products?
Hand out flip chart paper to each group. Have students draw two body outlines (label one male and one female) and fill in the outlines with the expectations or stereotypes projected by the ad. Present and display their results for the class to see.
Extra time
If time permits, discuss the following:
- How does limiting what boys and girls can do affect them individually? How could it affect a family? A society?
- Do you think gender roles/stereotypes are changing and if so, how?
- Have you ever tried to challenge gender roles/ stereotypes? What happened?
- Why do gender stereotypes/roles limit a person’s human rights?
- What can you do to challenge gender stereotypes?
- What can we do in the future, so people can have more freedom to act in the ways that they want?
Homework
Students write about three ways in which they personally don’t fit into gender stereotypes.
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