"Equal pay for equal work!" may sound logical but it is not the reality. High schoolers begin a study of the gender wage gap with an activity that asks them to position themselves along a line that indicates whether they strongly agree or strongly disagree with a series of statements about gender equity. Pupils then examine census data charts and graphs and discuss reasons why women earn less than men. To end the lesson, scholars craft an essay in which they address the question of what can be done to eliminate the gender wage gap.

Concepts

gender, gender bias, gender equality, primary source analysis, bias

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Instructional Ideas

• Have groups collect data from the most recent census to determine the current gender wage gap (information used in the lesson is from 2014)

Classroom Considerations

• Requires copies for each pupil of two articles and one worksheet

Pros

• The lesson includes information about unconscious, personal, and institutional bias

Cons

• None

Common Core

CCRA.R.1 CCRA.R.7 CCRA.W.1 CCRA.SL.1 CCRA.SL.2