On paper, all European citizens are treated equally. Constitutions do not differentiate between sex or gender, and all citizens above a certain age have voting rights.
The reality, however, is very different.
In the everyday experience of people, gender and sex make a substantial impact. Some consequences involve differences in pay, even for the same job, an increased chance of being a victim of assault, and lower chances of becoming a professor. Some countries have adopted laws that allow for same-sex marriage, while in other countries it is still deemed illegal. Although many countries have had female heads of state, there are still some that have never any. In this project, we look at what it means when people are treated differently and learn about the struggle for women’s equality and LGBTQ+ rights in past and present.
With such a big difference between theory and practice, how should we respond to gender inequality?
We start all projects with a 10-minute starter clip from the In Europe documentary series, in order to introduce the topic in a vivid way. There is room for discussion on different levels. After two lessons with historical context and background information, students will start making their own short documentary (5-15 minutes) in small groups. Seven tutorials will teach students all about research, interviewing, filming and editing. The teacher will upload the videos to the In Europe YouTube playlist where you can find all videos made by students from all over Europe. The upload tutorial will help teachers to do so.
The starter clip tells the story of French journalist Tristane Banon, who was discouraged by the police to report an incident of sexual assault. The person who was accused, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was a man in a position of power. This clip shows one of the many examples of gender inequality in today's Europe. Students are challenged to find their own examples, and make a documentary that highlights the issue.
In the enquiry and the making of the documentary, students will link current affairs to a broader (historical) context. They will experience how they can contribute to public debate.