Aims
- To compare the roles of women in the past and now in Scotland
- To consider what expectations we have of the role of men and women today
What you need
- Gender equality: historic perspectives worksheet and a copy of the table per group
What to do
- Arrange the pupils in to groups and provide each group with a worksheet. They should discuss each expectation and write it on the correct section of the Venn diagram – ‘historic’ expectation, ‘modern’ expectation’ or both. They should colour code it so it is clear which refers to women and which to men. They can also add more expectations of their own.
- Pupils can share their ideas on what are the expectations for women and men now in the past and see if they agree. What are the most significant changes? Are pupils happy with the expectations for today? Why / why not? Where do they think these expectations comes from?
- Now look at the table and complete the missing percentages. What picture does it provide of the roles of women and men today? Are pupils surprised? How do they feel about this division in gender roles?
Reflection and evaluation
Discuss with the pupils how they feel about gender equality in Scotland today and what gender roles are presented to them through their families, school and the media. Do they think anything needs to change? What are their ideas on what should change and why? How might this come about?
