Activity #1: Class discussion

Tell your class you’re going to be discussing gender roles, then read this explanation of the term aloud (from the story, “Women Around the World”):

Gender means whether you are a boy or a girl, a man or a woman. A “gender role,” then, is what society expects from you because you are male or female. Some easy examples are: Boys wear pants; girls wear skirts. Boys play with toy cars; girls play with dolls.

Gender roles are different depending on your culture, religion, and even social status. They also change over time. For example, a teenage girl from a wealthy family living in the U.S. in the 1850s might have been expected to spend much of her time sewing, learning to sing and play piano, and learning how to take care of a household. This girl’s teenage brother might have been expected to spend his time hunting, learning the family business, and talking about politics. These expectations were based on gender, but were also part of a certain time, place, and culture.

Ask the class to read “Uzbekistan: Men in the Driver's Seat” to themselves. Then, make two columns on the board, one labeled “female” and one labeled “male.” Ask, “Based on the reading, what adjectives would describe how girls and boys are supposed to behave in Uzbekistan? And what adjectives describe how boys and girls are NOT supposed to behave?” Write students’ answers on the board until you have at least five or six in each column.

Ask students:

• What do you think of these gender roles? Do they seem familiar to you, or very different than the gender roles are in your community or family?

• The author says that, “clearly defined roles help society to remain stable.” What do you think of that? Do you believe that people need to fit into clear roles for society to be stable? Why or why not?

• What are the main objections she has to the gender roles in her culture? Do you think she will be able to do the things she wants to do, like have a career and drive, without upsetting her parents or community? If so, how? If not, do you think it's worth it for her to challenge these gender roles?

• What objections to these gender roles might men have? Are there expectations for men that seem hard to fulfill or unfair?

Activity #2: Writing assignment

After the class discussion, ask students to continue reflecting on how gender shapes their lives. Ask them to write a response to one or two of the following prompts:

• What are the gender roles in your culture or family? Do you agree with them or not? Do you follow those roles? Why or why not?

• Are there any expectations of you based on your gender that you dislike? If so, what is it? Why do you dislike it? Is there anything you can do to change the expectation?

• Do you think gender roles are good? Why or why not? Do you like having clear expectations for how you’re supposed to be or act? Do you feel like you get social rewards for fitting into those gender roles? What happens if someone doesn’t quite fit into his/her gender role?

• Gender roles change over time. How would you like things to be in 50 years, in terms of gender roles? The same? Different?