EMOTIONS AND GENDER EQUITY
By: Dr. Betty J. Rauhe

STANDARD:

• All students will be able to explain the effects of gender bias, stereotyping, and discrimination on access, learning, self-esteem, relationships and behavior.
• All students will be able to list strategies to overcome gender bias, stereotyping, and discrimination.

GRADE LEVEL: 10-16, Health Education

OBJECTIVE(S):

• Students will be able to evaluate the role socialization and culture play on "acceptable" emotional display.
• Students will be able to formulate strategies to overcome gender bias, stereotyping, and discrimination.

TIME: One class period

MATERIALS: List of emotions worksheet.

PROCEDURES:

1. Distribute the list of emotions. Instruct each student to go through the list and mark whether it is "OK" for males, "OK" for females, or under what specific situations or circumstances would make the emotion "OK" for males/females.
2. After each student has marked his/her own sheet, have the students get into small groups to share their responses.
3. Tally the individual and group responses on the blackboard so that students can see the results. Discuss the results in terms of bias from role socialization and culture.
4. Have each group create some strategies for overcoming the bias assigned to the acceptance of displaying the emotion for either gender.
5. Explore the cohort and/or cultural influences that may play an important role in acceptance of emotional displays.
6. Have student share strategies (orally) and evaluate the findings and suggestions presented by the students.
7. Students are assigned a reflective essay about what they learned from this activity.
8. In upper level classes, assign students to do multi-generation interviews. Each student should conduct three (3) interviews with people at varying ages in the life span selected from these categories:

1. child 9-12 years old (*With permission of parent or guardian.)
2. adolescent 13-18 years old (*With permission of parent or guardian.)
3. young adult 19-29 years old
4. adult 30-54 years of age
5. young-older adult 55-69 years of age
6. older adult 70+ years of age
9. Assign a reaction paper comparing their "personal" view responses with those from the interviews. For the report, when the interviews are completed:
1. Introduce the individuals interviewed (no real names needed, just give some background for each).
2. Create a summary analysis of the respondents’ answers. Look at such things as similarities, differences, reactions to the "emotions", etc.
3. Examine your own thoughts on the questions.
4. Describe your reaction to conducting the interviews and the results you obtained.

10. Alternative or additional assessment: Upper level grades can investigate current curriculum, community programs, and other forms of strategies with the purpose of overcoming gender bias, stereotyping and discrimination. (This paper may be shared for a grade in English and/or social studies classes in grades 7 to 12.)
11. The paper must be word processed, using 10 or 12 font, numbered pages, double spaced with 1 inch margins and between 8 to 10 pages.
    
    Students should have a minimum of 6-8 resources/references. As this is a research paper, any ideas not commonly known by society must be referenced. This paper must be written in American Psychological Association (APA) format. (Style of referencing may vary according to the instructor.) Evaluation should be based on the criteria explained in #8 and #9.