Topic Description
The movement toward gender equality emerged from the activism and work of the second-wave feminist movement in the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s. In the historical record, women were often forgotten, left out, or treated as secondary actors with minimal affect on historical events. The videos in these lessons help highlight the struggles women faced to earn equal rights, show them at work, and highlight their roles as participants in political, social, and cultural life. These videos also raise questions about the “social construction” of gender categories that dictate particular masculine and feminine behaviors based on biology, and not on the social realities of how people live their lives.
Overarching Themes
- The social construction of gender
- The struggle for women’s rights
- Victories and setbacks in achieving gender equality
- Erasures from the historical record