Activity from Human Rights & Inequality and Development

Tracking Gender Equality: Realities and Solutions

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Learning Objectives

Students will identify the widespread costs of gender inequality and assess proposed solutions using case studies, CFR indexes, and UN data.

Length
One 60-90 minute class session
Grade Level
College

Instructional Plan

  1. (5 min) - Begin class session with a brief explanation of gender inequality and its widespread costs (Slides 1-8 in Activity Slides, linked above).
  2. (5 min) - Continue setting context by offering students a brief mini-lecture regarding some of the major developments in the history of gender inequality in foreign policy (Slides 9-12).
  3. (5 min) - Begin a conversation about gender inequality today using student reflections from the "What is Gender Inequality?" reading (Slides 13-15).
  4. (15 min) - Split students into three groups and assign each group to one of the gender inequality indexes (linked above). Ask students to contemplate the following questions as they explore their assigned index (Slides 16-19):
    1. What information is your website tracking?
    2. What statistic do you find most surprising, and why?
    3. What statistic do you find least surprising, and why?
    4. Do you think this information is worth tracking? Why or why not?
  5. (10 min) - Have students discuss their answers to these questions within their small group, then open a brief class discussion regarding the information students gleaned from their respective indexes (Slide 20).
  6. (15 min) - Separate students back into small groups. Have them read the "Fifteen Years, Fifteen Facts" article from UN women and ask them to select one challenge and one proposed solution that they believe most urgent or impactful. This activity is intended to encourage student exploration of solutions to the ongoing issue of gender inequality (Slides 21-23).
  7. (5 min) - Conclude class with a discussion of potential steps students can envision at the international, national, and local levels to address gender inequality (Slides 24-25).

Optional Homework

  1. As homework, have students respond to the following prompt: "Imagine it’s 2040. What steps have national governments and international organizations taken to address the issue of gender inequality? What gaps remain? Explain your predictions with examples from today’s class session, as well as evidence from reputable external sources."