Printer-friendly versionThis lesson is the third in the series Female Identity and Gender Expectations. In this lesson, students will explore their assumptions about what kind of work they do and will do. They will also explore how these expectations relate to gender by examining the fields in which women are employed and the discrepancies between women’s and men’s pay. They will reflect on how gender-based injustice might affect them, and explore ways to change the situation.
Essential Questions
- What are the stereotypes about female and male roles in the workforce?
- What is discrimination?
- What evidence is there of discrimination today?
- What would a workforce without discrimination look like?
Objectives
Activities will help students:
- describe pay inequities between women and men in various industries;
- read, interpret and analyze data in a graph;
- draw conclusions from data; and
- discuss ways to change pay inequity.
Materials
Central Text
Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Women’s Earnings and Employment by Industry, 2009”
Learning Activities/Procedures
Part 1: Word Work
Vocabulary Related to Graphs and Statistics
The words in this section will help you understand the data you read in graphs and will help you communicate with others about that data. The terms horizontal axis and vertical axis refer to graphs themselves. The terms parity, median and percent help describe the data that graphs show. Each term is defined below.
horizontal axis
The flat line on a graph, also called the x axis. It is
perpendicular to the vertical axis. It is broken into units, and the two axes
together are used to orient data points.
vertical axis
The line that is perpendicular to the horizontal axis, also
called the y axis. Like the horizontal axis, it is broken into units. The two
axes are used to locate data points.
percent/percentage
One one-hundredth; often used interchangeably with
percentage, which means one amount in proportion to another amount, measured in
100ths.
median
The middle point. In a set of data, half the data points are
lower than the median, while the other half are higher than the median. (Note:
Median is not the same as average.)
parity
Equality; in dealing with numerical data, parity refers to
equality of amount.
1. Look at the graph “Employment and median usual weekly earnings of women, by industry, 2009.” With a partner, point to the horizontal axis. Then point to the vertical axis. You will look at this in more depth in the Close Reading section. For now, it’s enough just to know which axis is which.
2. Read what the vertical axis is called. Using the definition of median, write a short explanation of what the vertical axis shows.
3. Read what the horizontal axis is called. Using the definition of percent/percentage, write a short explanation of what the horizontal axis shows.
4. Read the definition of the word parity. When you read the title of the graph and what each axis shows, how do you think the word parity might be relevant to the information in the graph? Write your prediction.
Part 2: Close Reading
Complete this part of the lesson with a partner or a small group.
1. This graph presents a lot of information, but it uses very few words to do so. Complete the following pre-reading exercise. What does the title tell you about the topic of the graph? What does the horizontal axis show? What does the vertical axis show? Write a sentence or two summerizing what your pre-reading suggested you might learn when you read the graph.
2. This graph is somewhat unique in that it shows three variables. On the two axes, as you’ve seen, it shows women’s earnings as a percentage of men’s earnings and the median (or middle) amount of money women earn weekly in different industries. It also shows a third factor: the occupations in which women are employed and, among those, which employ the largest number of women. How does the graph show this third piece of information?
3. Now, try reading the data in the graph by focusing on construction. What does the size of the construction dot tell you about the number of women who work in construction, compared to other industries? What does the graph say is the median weekly income of women who work in construction? What does it mean that construction is at the far right edge of the graph? Compare your answers with another pair or group to see if you’re all reading the graph correctly. If you find your answers don’t match, walk step by step through the information revealed by the size and location of the construction dot.
4. Answer the following questions to help you get a fuller understanding of the graph:
a. Of the industries shown on the graph, which employs the largest number of women? How can you tell? Which employs the second- and third-largest numbers of women?
b. Which industry shown on the graph employs the fewest women?
c. In which industry do women earn more than 90% of what men earn?
d. In which industry do women earn the least compared to what men in that industry earn?
e. Look at the entry for “Mining, quarrying, & oil & gas extraction.” Is the number of women working in that industry relatively large or relatively small? What are the median weekly earnings for women in that industry? How do those earnings compare to women’s earnings in other industries? What does it mean that the dot for this industry is about halfway across the horizontal axis?
Part 3: Shared Inquiry
1. Now that you’ve read the graph, you can analyze the data it presents. Complete the following with a small group. Take turns answering the questions. After the person whose turn it is answers the question, other group members should add their observations and thoughts about the question.
a. Which is the highest-paying industry on the graph? Relatively speaking, how many women are employed in that industry? How would you describe the relationship between this high-paying work and the number of women in the industry? Why do you think this is the situation? What kinds of jobs would be included in this industry?
b. In which industry do the most women work? What kinds of jobs would be included in this industry? How does what they earn compare to what men in that industry earn? Why do you think this is the situation?
c. Which are the highest-paying industries for women? How many women, relatively speaking, work in those industries?
d. Large numbers of women also work in “Financial activities” and “Leisure & hospitality.” What kinds of jobs would be included in these industries? How do women’s earnings in these industries compare to men’s? How do their earnings compare to the earnings of women in other industries?
e. Discuss with your group any patterns you see. For example, what pattern do you see regarding how women’s earnings compare to men’s? What pattern do you notice about women’s participation in the highest-paying industries and the industries with the greatest parity in pay? What do you notice about the industries that employ the largest numbers of women?
2. What surprises you most about what the graph shows? Why is it surprising? What do you find most predictable? Why did you expect it?
3. What factors do you think affect whether a certain industry has more parity in men’s and women’s pay? Less parity?
4. How does what you’re learning from the graph relate to what you think about your future? Are you considering a career in a field that employs a lot of women or one that is dominated by men? Will these findings affect your plan?
5. Why do you think women don’t earn the same as men in any of the industries shown on the graph? Hint: Think about the different kinds of jobs in each industry.
6. How would the graph look different if women earned 100% of what men earn in each industry? In other words, what would the graph look like if men and women were paid equally? Where would the circles be located?
7. In the 1960s and 1970s, women in the United States earned 59 cents for every dollar that men earned. In 2009, women earned 80 cents for every dollar men earned. What do you think accounts for the change over time? Why do you think women don’t yet earn a dollar for every dollar that men earn?
Part 4: Writing for Perspective
The graph you have studied shows that, in all the industries studied, women earn less than men.
1. Answer the following question, using three pieces of data from the graph as evidence to support your answer: How do women’s earnings compare to men’s? Write a paragraph, with one thesis sentence (the answer to the question), three supporting sentences—each of which should provide evidence for your thesis—and a concluding sentence.
2. Now write another paragraph, starting with this sentence: “There are several reasons for the situation described in the paragraph above.” Write two hypotheses you have about why this might be true. Follow each hypothesis with a short statement explaining why you think your hypothesis is true. Conclude your paragraph with a sentence that explains what kind of data you would need to test your hypotheses and how you would go about finding it.
Extension Activities
1. Look at this map of the gender wage gap by state. What does it say about the gender gap in your state? What factors do you think might account for the situation?
2. Look at this graph that breaks down the gender wage gap by age group. Describe what the graph shows. What do you think might account for the differences among age groups?
Additional Resources
Women at Work (photograph collection from the National Archives)
Spotlight on Statistics: Women at Work (from the Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Women Deserve Equal Pay (National Organization for Women)
Standards
Reading
1. Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
2. Determine central ideas or themes of a text and analyze their development; summarize the key supporting details and ideas.
7. Integrate and evaluate content presented in diverse formats and media, including visually and quantitatively, as well as in words.
10. Read and comprehend complex literary and informational texts independently and proficiently.
Writing
1. Write arguments to support claims in an analysis of substantive topics or texts, using valid reasoning and relevant and sufficient evidence.
2. Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.
4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
Speaking and Listening
1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
