Who does what?

Year level: Lower secondary Learning outcome Students will analyse how gender contributes to the nature of work performed by women and men Complete this table based on your general knowledge or estimations. Type of work When? (daily / seasonally) How long? Number of hours How far away? Distance from home Who? (Men / women) Clear forest to create a new garden         Build garden fence to protect from animals         Plant vegetables for family's food         Harvest         Market food grown         Cook meals for family         Build and repair home         Care for children         Collect water         Gather firewood         Community decision making         Financial decision making         Paid work         Compare your answers to others in your class. Calculate the number of hours or work performed by women and those performed by men. Make a general statement about the nature of work of men and women, regarding overall number of hours, level of difficulty and status. Use some of the case studies from this website to confirm or challenge your perceptions. Examine the distribution of labour force by status in employment to find any patterns. http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/indwm/indwm2.htm Discuss What patterns do you see in the employment of men and women? Which countries have similar employment patterns? Why might this be so? Do these patterns match your expectations? Why / Why not? How is the work done by women in providing food for their family measured? What extra information might you need to make more sense of these statistics? How are the experiences of women in developing countries and developed countries similar, and different? Review and adjust your initial statement on the nature of work for women and men in the light of the statistics and case studies. Discuss: How has your perception of how gender contributes to the nature of work performed by women and men? Assessment task Chairman Mao Tse Tung of China said "Women hold up half the sky." Debate the meaning of this aphorism in the context of women's work and position in society.