SDG 5: Quality Education
WHAT:
SDG 5 is one of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals, approved in 2015 as
part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The 5th Sustainable Development Goal
aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls.
It is important that we recognize and support gender equality in the classroom and beyond.
Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right, but also an essential element for a
peaceful, effective and sustainable environment.
Objectives:
1. Ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls everywhere.
2. Eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls, including trafficking, sexual
exploitation, and other types of violence.
3. Recognizing and valuing unpaid care and domestic work, which often falls
disproportionately on women.
4. Ensuring women's full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership
at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life.
5. Ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights.
6. Undertaking reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as
access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial
services, inheritance, and natural resources.
CONNECTION TO PRONOUNS AND LANGUAGE TEACHING:
Objective 1: Ending discrimination against women and girls
1. - Analyze examples of discriminatory language involving pronouns (e.g., always using
"he" as the default pronoun) and provide alternative, inclusive ways of expression using
gender-neutral pronouns like "they/them/their."
2. - Encourage students to use gender-neutral pronouns when referring to individuals of
unknown or non-binary gender identity, promoting inclusivity and challenging traditional
gender norms.
3. - Discuss how the consistent use of gendered pronouns can reinforce biases and
discrimination against women and girls, and promote the use of inclusive language.
Objective 2: Eliminating violence against women and girls
1. - Highlight how the misuse or disrespect of an individual's preferred pronouns can
contribute to marginalization, verbal harm, and perpetuate violence against women and
gender minorities.
2. - Teach students the importance of respecting and using an individual's correct pronouns
as a form of basic human dignity and respect, and how failing to do so can enable a
culture of violence and discrimination.
3. - Explore literary works or case studies that address the impact of disrespectful language
involving pronouns and the significance of using respectful pronouns.
Objective 3: Valuing unpaid care and domestic work
1. - Analyze how the use of gendered pronouns like "she" often reinforces traditional
gender roles and assumptions about domestic and care work being primarily performed
by women.
2. - Encourage the use of gender-neutral pronouns when discussing care work to challenge
traditional associations and biases, and to acknowledge the contributions of all genders
in unpaid labor.
3. - Provide opportunities for students to share experiences and perspectives related to
unpaid care work, using inclusive language and pronouns.
Objective 4: Ensuring women's participation and leadership
1. - Highlight female authors, writers, and public figures who have advocated for the use of
inclusive language and gender-neutral pronouns as a means of empowerment and equal
representation.
2. - Engage students in activities that promote the use of inclusive pronouns and language
in leadership contexts, empowering diverse voices and perspectives in decision-making
processes.
3. - Analyze how the consistent use of gendered pronouns can create an unwelcoming
environment for women and gender minorities in various domains, and how inclusive
pronoun usage can foster a more equitable environment.
Objective 5: Ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health and rights
1. - Teach accurate and inclusive terminology related to gender identity, expression, and
pronouns in the context of sexual and reproductive health education.
2. - Discuss the impact of stigmatizing language involving pronouns and the importance of
using respectful pronouns to promote access to essential health services and
information without discrimination.
Objective 6: Undertaking reforms for women's economic empowerment
1. - Examine how the use of inclusive pronouns and language in professional settings can
contribute to creating a more welcoming and equitable environment for all genders,
including women's economic empowerment and leadership.
2. - Incorporate lessons on effective communication, negotiation, and assertiveness in the
workplace, emphasizing the use of inclusive pronouns and language to promote respect
and equal opportunity.
3. - Analyze how the consistent use of gendered pronouns in specific industries or
professions can promote or hinder women's economic empowerment and leadership,
and how inclusive language can challenge these biases.
By integrating these strategies focused on inclusive pronoun usage and language practices into
my teaching, I can raise awareness, challenge gender biases and discrimination, and equip
students with the knowledge and skills to promote gender equality through respectful and
empowering communication.