The goals of this module are
- to understand how people perceive differences between men and women,
- to understand how traditional gender roles are played out between men and women and
- to show how some differences are stereotypes.
Ideal Group size:
Up to 30
Duration:
25 minutes
Preparation:
Material:
- Chalkboard and chalk or flip chart and marker pens
Materials for download:
External resources:
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How it’s done
- The Life skills facilitator draws two columns on the chalkboard/paper. In the first column, write ‘woman’ and in the second column write ‘man’.
- Ask the children to make a list of things that come into their mind when they hear or see the word ‘woman’. Write these in the first column while they are being said.
- During this exercise, they may mention positive or negative attributes and these should be listed out as stated. Also, they may mention both social and biological characteristics. List out all that is being mentioned without any discussion.
- Repeat the same activity for the column ‘man’ and list the characteristics mentioned.
- Ask the children if any of the characteristics mentioned for women could be attributed to men and vice versa.
- Ask them to identify characteristics that they consider to be given ‘by nature’ and those given ‘by society’. Mark these using two different colours (for nature and society) or write N and S.
- Have a discussion about which characteristics can be attributed to both men and women, and why. Explain that those characteristics that cannot be attributed to both men and women are considered sex characteristics and those that can be attributed to both men and women are gender characteristics.“
