7. Women and Work

* * * * * * * * * * by Selvi Varathappan Dyck, * * * * * * * * * *

Evelyn Battell, Janet Isserlis
and Kate Nonesuch

image
photo: Moon Joyce

THIS CHAPTER is based on an original draft by Selvi Varathappan Dyck; since she was unable to complete the work, the other authors have revised it and added additional material.

Introduction

Women sometimes restrict their range of occupational choices unnecessarily because they may explore only traditionally female occupations. This chapter highlights the possibility of expanding women's occupational vistas rather than narrowing their opportunities by excluding certain work. The question of women and work is also interesting to women who are not seeking employment. The chapter challenges learners to consider some widely held beliefs about women working.

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The point of this exercise is to make learners aware of all the tasks they do in a day, particularly for others.

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The skills and "hidden" skills may not be apparent to learners immediately. Be prepared to take a good amount of time, encouraging learners to work in pairs or small groups to develop their lists of both obvious and hidden skills.


A. Hands and Skills

1. Analyze ordinary tasks

* Ask learners to describe all the things they do in a day, perhaps suggesting "cooking breakfast" and "taking children to school" if they seem to have difficulty getting started.

* After this list has been completed, ask learners to reflect upon (and start to analyze) the skills needed in order to accomplish these tasks.




task skills required "hidden" skills
     
cooking breakfast cooking food shopping, budgeting,
knowledge of nutrition,
operating appliances
     
food shopping list making, reading nutrition, budgeting, math
(labels, pricing)
     
getting kids to school driving or using transport reading, operating a car,
knowledge of traffic rules,
bus routes

2. Collage

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There is no predetermined focus here, other than to see the many ways in which hands will be used in the collages. Some hands, perfectly manicured and posed, will inevitably be placed in juxtaposition to working, weathered hands. As well, learners can add their own drawings to the collages.

* Ask learners to think of all the things they do with their hands - from stirring pots to writing letters, brushing teeth and hair, changing diapers, driving cars, wrapping parcels, finding coins for machines.

* Write a list of everything they suggest on a flip chart.

* Gather as many magazines as you can and invite learners to create collages featuring hands. They can work independently or together.


* When the collages have been finished, ask learners to write something in response to the topic - poems, journal writings, personal recollections. The only requirement here is to think about how hands are used to accomplish many, many things.

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In the event that someone in your group is unable to use her hands, you may want to avoid this exercise. If, however, she is comfortable with the group, she may wish to talk about the ways in which she accomplishes the things she needs to do without having her hands available to her.


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This activity grew out of an exercise suggested by Nina Wallerstein in Language and Culture in Conflict: Problem- Posing in the ESL Classroom.




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