Gender Respect Project Published by: The Development Education Centre South Yorkshire For further information see: http://www.decsy.org.uk OR http://genderrespect2013.wordpress.com Gender Stereotypes in Careers Age group: KS3 Format: activity as part of a lesson Main curriculum / subject area: PSHE, Careers Objective: To explore attitudes towards gender in different careers Teaching activities: 1. Students work in pairs or small groups and have sheet of paper with a Venn diagram1 on with space for ‘men’s jobs’, ‘women’s jobs’ and ‘both’ in the areas of overlap. This activity assumes a gender binary because it is exploring male/female gender stereotypes. It may be worth pointing out that some people identify as intersex or gender queer. 2. In the small groups the students sort out a list of jobs into what they feel is the appropriate part of the Venn diagram and discuss reasons why some jobs are seen as men’s or women’s jobs. 3. Feedback to the whole class: Ask each group to come and stick one job that they have chosen into the section of the Venn diagram on the board and to share their reasons with the class. Ask for comments from the class (note - ground rules are very important here to ensure a safe space for discussion). Some suggested questions for the teacher to ask are on the next page. 1 Available in Teaching Ideas, all ages ‘ Thinking about Gender Roles’ Image: en.wikipedia.org Some possible question starters: • • • • • • • • • What makes a job only suitable for a man/woman? What are the key aspects of this job? What skills/qualities would a person need in order to do this job well or enjoy it? Can both men and women possess those skills/qualities? Why? Why not? Can you think of examples of when you have seen someone doing a job that is not common for their gender to do? (e.g. have you ever seen a male nurse etc? This is really valuable for breaking down stereotypes) What is meant by a ‘stereotype’? Are they specific to this country? (e.g. female farmers in African countries, female computer scientists in China) Were do these ideas come from? How were jobs divided between genders in the past? (Could link to history with women involved in the war effort) Learning outcomes and assessment: Resources: • To identify gender stereotypes in careers • To describe their views on whether careers are more suitable for one gender than others • To explain their views with reasons • To make links with historical/ cultural contexts to suggest where gender stereotypes come from List of jobs to sort out (see below) Large paper / whiteboard with Venn diagram on Jobs for sorting: Plumber Mechanic Dentist Cook Nurse Head teacher Nursery teacher Carer Midwife Soldier Manager of a company Secretary Cleaner Travel agent Shop assistant Footballer Childminder Scientist Writer Actor Builder Lawyer Politician Artist
