Title: Balance for better: Women who changed the world

Duration: 45 minutes Key Stage: 2

Lesson Aim: To explore gender stereotypes and identify the role women played in shaping our world today

Learning objectives:

Identify gender stereotypes

Develop an understanding of the

impact and limitations stereotypes

have upon us

Explore women through history

and their achievements

Resources:

Flip chart paper and pens

Resource 1 – Stereotype Cards

Resource 2 – Profession/invention

images

Introduction: 5 minutes

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic,

cultural and political achievements of women.

Ask pupils if they think it is important that we have a day to celebrate the

achievements of women

Ask pupils to consider a woman they may know, this can be in real life or a

celebrity/idol. What is it about these women that are inspirational?

Activity 1: Stereotypes: 15 minutes

Choose 1 of the activities below to complete with the class

Activity A: Common

Display the word stereotype on the board. Ask the class what it means.

Give examples of stereotypes (but not female or male stereotypes), for

example: ‘I am frail, I don’t have much money and I am afraid to go out after

dark’ – I am elderly.

Split pupils into small groups. Divide each group into looking at either

stereotypes for girls or stereotypes for boys. Each group should come up with

a list of stereotypes they believe relate to either boys or girls, for example: all

girls like the pink and all boys are into sports.

International Women’s Day

Primary Resource Pack

Come back together as a class and discuss their responses.

Explore:

‘Where do these stereotypes come from?’

‘Are they accurate?’

‘What is wrong with being stereotyped?’

Alternative: activity B

Give each group a copy of the stereotype cards, Resource 1. Ask them to

identify which stereotypes relate to girls/women.

Ask pupils where we might see gender stereotypes being played out, for

example, on TV shows, magazines, advertisements, jobs.

Can they identify role models/TV shows that challenge gender stereotypes?

Activity 2: Challenging stereotypes: 10 minutes

Display images of different professions/inventions on the board or around the

room, see resource 2 for examples). Ask pupils to decide if they think it is a

profession for a man or woman (or invented by a man or woman). Ask them

to explain their answers

When you reveal the answer ask pupils if it surprises them and why?

Do you think it would be difficult for women/men to be in these roles?

Explore why it might be difficult for them and what barriers they may come

across.

Activity 3: Promoting Equity: 15 minutes

Ask pupils to work in pairs and choose one of the professions and design a

campaign to recruit more women (or men if they have chosen a more

predominant female role) to the profession.

Conclusion:

Have pupils experienced gender stereotyping in school or in their community?

How does this make them feel and how can they break this type of

stereotyping?

Create a feelings board:

Ask the children to write their feelings down and draw how this feels in their

body.

Extension Activity

Create an aspirational slogan or phrase for an International Women’s Day

campaign.

Ask pupils:

‘What does ‘aspiration’ mean?’

‘Why is it important to have aspirations?’

‘What do you think we need to aspire to on International Women’s Day?’

Choose one of the activities to promote aspiration:

Either:

Make posters to promote your slogans/phrases to be displayed around

the school.

Or: Roll out: Roll out a length of plain paper: choose one of the following:

o Mind-storm all the things you need to do to help students achieve

their aspirations

o Mind-storm all the things that prevent us achieving our

aspirations

o Mind-storm ways of overcoming those barriers

Decorate your Rollout – create a border, highlight of colour in the

different ideas on each one

Agree a list of the ideas that could be addressed or changed in your

school

Gender stereotype Cards

Plays with insects

Likes to play dressing up

Plays with dolls

Loves football

Likes to climb

trees

Has pink as their favourite colour

Is scared of

spiders

Likes to play

pretend games

Likes to play fight

Talks a lot

Shows their

emotions

Cries when hurt

Likes to run

around and play sport

Likes to play with

Lego

Wants to work in the police force or

fire service

Likes to look after

little babies

Invention Images

A. Computer Software

B. Windscreen Wipers

C. CCTV

D. Kevlor (the material that makes

bulletproof vests)

E. Hair Straighteners

F. Handbags

G. Dishwasher

Invention images answers A. Computer Software was invented by a female.

Grace Hooper invented compiler which could translate instructions into code that computers

can read, making programming quicker and ultimately revolutionising how computers work.

B. Windscreen wipers was invented by a female

Mary Anderson visited New York City in 1903 and noticed her driver was forced to open the

window to clear the snow from the windscreen. She started drawing her solution of a rubber

blade that could be moved from inside the car. Car companies did not like Anderson’s design

believing it would distract the driver. However, today they are an essential part of every

motor vehicle.

C. CCTV was invented by a female

Marie Van Britton Brown patented a closed-circuit television security system in 1969 to ensure

her own safety as police response times were slow and crime rates were rising.

D. Kevlor was invented by a female

Stephanie Kwolek invented Kevlor which is five times stronger than steel and is used to

manufacture skies, brake pads, suspension bridge cables and helmets

E. Hair Straighteners were invented by a male

Marcel Grateau used heated rods in 1872 to straighten and style hair. In 1906 Simon Monroe

patented a hair straightener that looked like a metal comb. In 1909 Issac K. Shero patented a

hair straightener made of two irons that are heated together around the hair.

F. Handbags were invented by a male

Samuel Parkinson requested a leather goods company produce a moderate sized travel bag

for his wife’s personal effects. This was used as a prototype for the first ever line of modern

designer handbags.

G. Dishwasher was invented by a female

Josephine Cochrane wanted a machine that would wash dishes faster than her servants and

be less likely to break them. Her machine involved a motor wheel inside a copper boiler and

was the first automatic machine to use water pressure. She patented her invention in 1886

and opened her own production factory.