Sexism and Gender Stereotyping

This new unit of study tackles the issue of sexism and gender stereotyping.

Outline the focus of today’s session: “We will be looking at gender stereotypes, and learning why they are damaging to both boys AND girls” (NOTE: it is very important that this lesson is not perceived by the boys to be all about how they have it ‘easy’ and that girls have it ‘hard’, which can come across as sanctimonious and puts them on the defensive).

Discuss: What is the difference between “sex” and “gender”? (Answer: sex is whether you are physically male or female; gender is the personality traits you have that are commonly regarded as ‘masculine’ or ‘feminine’).