Curriculum

The second theme is Curriculum, as gender equality needs to be a part of daily teaching and learning, cover all subject areas and pervade all learning experiences in the school. All curriculum areas need to be proactive about challenging assumptions and stereotypes and ensuring that all genders are able to make free choices about subjects and careers.

Is Gender Equality (GE) specifically addressed and explored in subject areas and across the curriculum?

Would you like it to be?

Initial Steps

  • You could begin with informal discussions amongst some staff about gender stereotypes in resources. Why not try to develop and carry out a simple questionnaire?
  • Involve staff in collecting information about where GE is explicitly being taught and where the gaps are. You could also gather students’ opinions.
  • Map extra-curricular provision, including Work Experience (where appropriate). Gather data to identify what clubs there are and if there is a gender imbalance in clubs/extra-curricular activities. Involve colleagues and students in reviewing how these extra-curricular activities are run and promoted.

Call to action

Are there ways your school address issues of GE in subject provision and how they relate to careers?

Are teachers, extra-curricular activity providers and students aware of the perceptions and/or assumptions of gender-stereotyped choices when choosing subjects/schools/further education or extra-curricular activities?

Are there any good examples that you could share?

Curriculum Links

My gender is my business

Curriculum

Target age group13-18

Piece of Cake

Curriculum

Target age group8+ yrs / group size 10-25

Gender equality concepts

equality of opportunity, process and outcome

Guess the job

Curriculum

Target age group8-12 yrs / group size 6-20

Gender equality concepts

Gender and occupations, stereotypes

My gender is my business

Curriculum, Textbooks/resources

Target age group13-18

Making Subject Choices

Curriculum

Gender equality concepts

Gender stereotyping – gender equity - cultural norms – unconscious bias

Where have all the women inventors gone?

Curriculum, Textbooks/resources

Target age group10-13

Gender equality concepts

Discrimination based on gender in science, the absence of female figures in textbooks, gender, gender stereotypes and prejudices, ‘herstories’, “feminative”.

Women’s Rights

Career guidance, Curriculum

Target age group11-18

Gender equality concepts

Rights, Equality

This Lesson Plan looks at how men and women are treated differently in many countries and cultures and at how far women’s rights and equality legislation are actually leading to greater equality between men and women.

Ideas into Action

Digital platform “500 Queer Scientists”

Attitudes & Relationships, Communities, Curriculum, Leadership, Physical Environment

Target age groupPrimary/Secondary Education

Type of materialWebsite

Gender in school textbooks

Curriculum

Target age groupTeachers, school management, education system supervisors

Type of materialText (study report)

Girls Soccer Interschool Tournament

Curriculum

Target age groupStudents and teachers

Type of materialEvent

Literary Equality – femininity and masculinity in school in school reading

Curriculum

Target age groupClass, teacher

Type of materialText (report, scenarios)

A multimedia digital platform “This is not a feminist project”

Attitudes & Relationships, Communities, Curriculum, Leadership

Target age groupPrimary/Secondary Education

Type of materialWebsite

Pupil Voice and Gender Equality

Curriculum, Explicit Teaching, Leadership, Students & Learning

Target age groupPrimary 3-11

Type of materialText - narrative

Youth in Action for Equality (Vocational School for Commerce and Trade Bjelovar)

Attitudes & Relationships, CM Development, Content, Curriculum, Extra-curricular, Gender-based violence, Hidden curriculum, Language & communication, Leadership, Peer socialisation, Physical Environment

Type of materialText, video, photo story