1. Gender Disparity: Can barriers be overcome? World Issues 120 Saunders
Unit I: Humanity
Gender Disparity: Can barriers be overcome?
World Issues 120 Saunders

2. Gender Disparity
The UN Human Development Reports states that ‘gender inequality remains a major barrier to human development.’ The GII (Gender Inequality Index 2016) measures inequalities under three aspects of human development: Reproductive Health, Empowerment, Labour Market Reproductive Health: measured by maternal mortality ratio (deaths per 100,000 live births and adolescent birth rates (births per 1,000 women ages 15 – 19) Empowerment: measured by the proportion of parliamentary seats occupied by females, and proportion of adult females and males aged 25 years and older with at least some secondary education Labour Market: measured by labour force participation rate of female and male populations aged 15 years and older. Looking at the position of women in 159 countries, there are gender gaps in major areas of human development. How can we overcome these inequities???

3. 2015 Gender Inequality Index
The higher the GII value, the more disparities

4. “What Are You Carrying? Gender Inequalities in developing countries?
carrying.html
3.34 minutes
How does the “Congo Exercise Plan” provide a glimpse into the lives of Congolese women?
Why do you think the women laughed as Nicholas D. Kristof attempted to do some heavy lifting?
Why do you think the Congolese women featured in “What Are You Carrying?” endure the burden of carrying such heavy loads while the men drink beer?

5. Child Brides: Stolen Lives
56 minutes. India, Africa, Guatemala
What are your initial reactions?
What are the common characteristics of the three girls profiled in Child Brides? How is this indicative of views about women and girls in those countries?

6. Ending Child Marriage
Create a social media campaign or a sign/poster that advocates for the end of child marriage.
You must include factual information and agencies that support ending child marriage.
Value: 20 Facts, Supporting Agencies, Eye-catching and convincing, Works Cited

7. Gender Disparity Closer to Home
The War at Home: Domestic Abuse in North America
Every six days, a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner
“A hidden war.”
“Domestic violence killed more Canadian women in a ten-year period than all of our troops killed in Afghanistan”
Oxfam asserts, “woman are often the most active agents of positive change in their communities, working tirelessly to improve their lives and the situation of their families.”
To what extent do you think this is the reality? What are the barriers faced by women at the ’grassroots’ level?
Canadian Women’s Foundation Fact Sheet “Moving Women out of Violence” questions and facts – choose one of the questions, read the facts and respond in a paragraph.

8. Bill 204
Residential Tenancies (Safer Spaces of Victims of Domestic Violence)
Maria Fitzpatrick (NDP member – Alberta legislature) comes forward with her personal history to support the bill that would allow victims of domestic violence break their leases without fear of financial penalty.
6 minutes
Manitoba and Ontario have laws that offer victims of domestic violence paid and unpaid leave from the jobs in order to flee abusers and seek shelter. THOUGHTS??
Website: abuse-survivors-changing-conversation

9. Love Liberates Dr. Maya Angelou (DOB April 4, 1928)
2.39 minutes
At age 7 (until age 13), Maya Angelou stopped speaking after she was raped by her mother’s boyfriend.
“Love Liberates”

10. Why don’t domestic violence victims just leave?
Thoughts?
Describe the characteristics that a ‘typical’ domestic violence victum would have.
Crazy Love – Leslie Morgan Steiner 16 minutes
Patrick Stewart witnessed it as a child
Mary J Blige was sexually assaulted as a child (Whole Damn Year –song)

11. Gender Disparity and Global Gender Gaps
The Global Gender Gap Report (2015) – 2 minutes
Global Gender Gap Index (1 = highest equality 0=lowest equality)
‘In Canada, if you kill your intimate partner, chances are you’ll serve less time than for any other murder.’
Do you feel there are exclusions when it comes to the researched data on gender disparity?
Indigenous Women
Non-binary

12. Is it possible to overcome global gender disparity?
Define Multiculturalism
“a situation in which all the different cultural or racial groups in a society have equal rights and opportunities, and none is ignored or regarded as unimportant” -Collins English dictionary
The hardest part of multi-culturalism is aligning one’s respect for cultural difference with one’s respect for Universal Human Rights.
Is the UN is basing its presumptions on an ideal of these human rights from a Western perspective? Explain

13. Is it possible to overcome global gender disparity?
Some cultural traditions don’t embrace Western perspectives on Human Rights.
Gender Equality is culture-specific. Who decides what the ‘Universal’ Human Rights are?
How do we overcome gender disparity?
Pragmatism – the truth is what works best, under certain circumstances. But truth can change as circumstances change. The truth is never final – it always has to be debated. We always question truth.

14. Research Assignment Is it possible to overcome gender disparity?
What does this statement suggest about gender disparity in Canada?
What laws are in place to protect victims of domestic abuse?
What support networks are in place to protect victims of domestic abuse?
How can we change gender disparity locally, nationally and globally?
Is it possible to overcome gender disparity?
See Rubric