Gender equality
This topic reveals what gender equality means and how gender roles are projected to our social reality
What is gender and gender equality
Story - Experiment:
A little baby was lying in bed and the adults had to describe it.
To one group, to which it was said it was a girl, she seemed to be cute, tender, beautiful, a little crying and they would like to have cuddled her.
To the second group, for which the same baby was a boy, he was seen to be a small stalwart, who had a strong voice and lovely fists, he was such a small tiger.
To the third group nobody revealed whether it was a baby boy or a baby girl, but they were asked to play with it for a while. For a moment they were baffled, did not know what to do and how to treat it. However, after a while, those who decided that it was a boy, lifted him high, showed him the room and children's toys. Those who had decided that it was a girl, addressed her, caressed her and cuddled her.
Questions for reflection (discussion):
- How do people "know" whether it is baby boy or girl?
- Why could people not handle the baby without knowing his/her gender?
- Was the "masculinity" and "femininity" of the baby judged by his/her biological sex?
- Research has shown that the "masculinity" and "femininity" of an individual affects how his/her surroundings react. Do you think your surroundings - family, friends, employer - would recommend you behaving differently if you were the opposite sex than you are on your birth certificate?