Goals
Brief description of the issue
A strong endorsement of gender stereotypes is associated with higher school dropout rates, for boys as well as for girls. They can also have a negative impact on teenagers’ identity construction and on gender equality. Gender stereotypes are widely shared through the media and contribute to teenagers’ understanding of the roles expected from men and women in society. They are particularly used in advertising. In this context, it important to foster critical thought among students about gender roles presented in advertising, in line with the broad areas of learning “Media Literacy” and “Environmental Awareness and Consumer Rights and Responsibilities”.
This lesson plan named Gender Messages in Alcohol Advertising is promoted by MediaSmarts, “a Canadian not-for-profit charitable organization for digital and media literacy. Our vision is that children and youth have the critical thinking skills to engage with media as active and informed digital citizens.”
According to the website’s description, this lesson plan aims at making “students think critically about culturally inherited gender stereotypes, and explore how stereotypes about men and women are promoted and reinforced through the images and messages in alcohol ads.”
Teachers can also find here how this activity helps developing cross-curricular competencies as well as subject-specific competencies.
You can download the activity directly on MediaSmarts’ website or in the “Documents” section below.