Videos explaining gender equality and stereotypes

Goals

Encourage gender equality at school ;
Raise students’ awareness about gender stereotypes in the media, at school, at home, etc.
Videos explaining gender equality and stereotypes

Brief description of the issue

Even though there has been some great progress over the past decades, gender equality has not yet been achieved in Canada. Gender inequalities are rooted in gender stereotypes, which are still very prevalent in our society and limit children’s future possibilities. Also, a strong endorsement of gender stereotypes is associated with higher school dropout rates, for boys as well as for girls. In order to encourage school retention of all students, it is crucial to reduce their endorsement of gender stereotypes that confine them in pre-defined roles associated to their gender. Videos are an efficient and captivating way of bringing up this theme with children and spark up a discussion!

Gender equality can sometimes be an abstract concept for children. At the elementary level already, students have sometimes strict and stereotyped visions of what boys and girls can or cannot do according to their gender. It can be useful to show them some of the following videos to reflect on the question of gender equality and then organize a discussion around this subject.

Boys and Girls on Gender Stereotypes

In this video from the New York Magazine, children talk about gender stereotypes and how they see they reflect reality or not.

Here are a few reflection questions to start a discussion with the group:

  1. Do you agree with all the kids that were interviewed? Why? On what do you agree or disagree?
  2. Are some gender stereotypes more positive than others? Which ones? Why?
  3. What are some gender stereotypes you know? Do you believe them to be true? Why?

Gender pay gap

This short animated movie portrays how gender equality (or inequality!) can look like in the job market. It illustrates well the gender pay gap.

This experiment also shows the same concept with children:

On the same idea (original version in English):

Here are a few questions you can ask your group:

  1. Do you think that men and women in our province are paid the same? (In the Gaspé area, the gender pay gap varies from 79.4% to 91.1%.)
  2. Do you think this situation is fair? Why?
  3. What could we do to change this situation in the future?

Stereo: a film about reversed gender stereotypes

The following movie, directed by a 13-year-old girl, explores a world where boys and girls stereotypes are reversed and how children who don’t embrace those stereotypes get bullied. It can serve as a great conversation starter with your group.

After watching this video, try to answer the following questions with your students:

    1. Have you ever heard the following things: running/playing/hitting like a girl, faggot, this is gay, etc. Why is being a girl or being homosexual considered as an insult?
    2. Are there activities that only boys or girls can do? Give examples.
      1. Try to break down prejudices that children could hold (for example, that girls can’t play hockey) by asking them if they know boys or girls that practise activities that some students say they are only for a gender or another. You can also give them examples.
    3. Have you ever been told, like the girl in the video, that you can’t do or like something because of your gender?