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. We learn those stereotypes from a very young age, especially through marketing strategies and advertisement used for selling toys. Therefore gender stereotypes have to be broken down even at the elementary level if we want to give students all the chances they need to succeed in school. To do this, concrete activities aiming at deconstructing gender stereotypes can be very helpful and spark interesting discussion with your group.
The Institute for Humane Education put together an activity (around 45-60 minutes) to explore gender stereotypes and non-traditional gender roles in the context of toys marketing and advertising.
To download the lesson plan, click on the link below.
With older children (2nd cycle), you can conclude the activity by showing this comic from Élise Gravel, called The History of Baby Clothing.