Unit 4: Women and Social Justice
Essential Questions to Consider:
1. How many women, minority women, and Aboriginal women have students learned about in their history texts?
2. Is the number of women and number of men represented in history equal? Why not?
3. What does the exclusion of women from history say about the accuracy and equity of history as we know it?
4. What does the exclusion of women from “important” roles and events say about the role of women in the past as well as the priorities of society?
5. Why is it important to study the lives and contributions of women from all classes and ethnic backgrounds?
6. What is feminism? What does it mean to be a feminist? What are some stereotypical notions of what feminism is and what being a feminist means? Do these stereotypes persist today?
7. Assess the meanings of the famous feminist slogans “the personal is political” and “sisterhood is powerful.”
8. To what extent has the women’s movement achieved its goals?
9. How does gender play a role in shaping a person’s identity? What are gender roles? What is gender stereotyping?
10. In what ways did the birth control pill change women’s lives? What were the positive and negative issues raised by the use of the pill in women’s personal and professional lives?
11. How have standards of beauty played a role in women’s lives, both in the past and present?
12. Why has Ms. been used to replace traditional titles referring to women? What are some other examples of sexism embedded in everyday language? How does the common use of sexist language affect people’s thinking and behaviour?
13. What is sexism and how has it affected women’s lives throughout the 20th century? How has sexual discrimination affected women’s working, learning, and personal opportunities in the past and present?
14. To what extent has the Women’s Liberation Movement achieved its goals?
15. What issues of oppression and inequality do girls and women deal with today? What should the present-day feminist movement be focused on achieving/ changing?
16. Do you think men and boys should care about the women’s movement? What is the role of men in the feminist movement?
17. How the did the women’s liberation movement improve the lives of women in the 1970s? How has the women’s movement shaped the lives of women living today?
18. Why does violence against women happen? What can be done to prevent the recurrence of violence? What are the obvious forms of violence against women? What options are available to women who may face violence?
19. What are the issues of violence in the media and its influence on viewers.
20. Why is it important to highlight the struggles of women internationally? What responsibility do Canadians have to oppressed women around the world?
1. How many women, minority women, and Aboriginal women have students learned about in their history texts?
2. Is the number of women and number of men represented in history equal? Why not?
3. What does the exclusion of women from history say about the accuracy and equity of history as we know it?
4. What does the exclusion of women from “important” roles and events say about the role of women in the past as well as the priorities of society?
5. Why is it important to study the lives and contributions of women from all classes and ethnic backgrounds?
6. What is feminism? What does it mean to be a feminist? What are some stereotypical notions of what feminism is and what being a feminist means? Do these stereotypes persist today?
7. Assess the meanings of the famous feminist slogans “the personal is political” and “sisterhood is powerful.”
8. To what extent has the women’s movement achieved its goals?
9. How does gender play a role in shaping a person’s identity? What are gender roles? What is gender stereotyping?
10. In what ways did the birth control pill change women’s lives? What were the positive and negative issues raised by the use of the pill in women’s personal and professional lives?
11. How have standards of beauty played a role in women’s lives, both in the past and present?
12. Why has Ms. been used to replace traditional titles referring to women? What are some other examples of sexism embedded in everyday language? How does the common use of sexist language affect people’s thinking and behaviour?
13. What is sexism and how has it affected women’s lives throughout the 20th century? How has sexual discrimination affected women’s working, learning, and personal opportunities in the past and present?
14. To what extent has the Women’s Liberation Movement achieved its goals?
15. What issues of oppression and inequality do girls and women deal with today? What should the present-day feminist movement be focused on achieving/ changing?
16. Do you think men and boys should care about the women’s movement? What is the role of men in the feminist movement?
17. How the did the women’s liberation movement improve the lives of women in the 1970s? How has the women’s movement shaped the lives of women living today?
18. Why does violence against women happen? What can be done to prevent the recurrence of violence? What are the obvious forms of violence against women? What options are available to women who may face violence?
19. What are the issues of violence in the media and its influence on viewers.
20. Why is it important to highlight the struggles of women internationally? What responsibility do Canadians have to oppressed women around the world?