Teaching Tokenism with Occupational Sex Segregation Data

Abstract

Both male and female Americans perceive that gender inequality has declined more significantly, over the last six decades, than the empirical data suggest (e.g., Kehn and Ruthig 2013). Furthermore, college students report holding more gender egalitarian views about careers than they have in the past (e.g., Anderson and Johnson 2003). These perceptions of...

Download this resource to see full details. Download this resource to see full details.

Details

Subject Area(s):

Occupations/Professions

Resource Type(s):

Class Activity

Class Level(s):

Any Level

Class Size(s):

Small

Usage Notes

Time:40 minutes Preparation - Print out one exercise handout for each student in your class, one copy of the occupational sex segregation statistics, and one copy of the twenty occupations. Next, cut out each occupation from the sheet and fold them in half. I use two sandwich sized zipper storage bags to hold the folded occupations. I label these bags...

Learning Goals and Assessments

Learning Goal(s):

1. Outcome #1: Students will learn about the statistical persistence of occupational sex segregation.
2. Outcome #2: Students will be able to explain how traditional gender role expectations inform contemporary occupational sex segregation.
3. Outcome #3: Students will think critically about the experience of tokenism and be able to synthesize their in-class tokenism experiences with Kanter’s (1977) work on the effects of tokenism in employment.

Goal Assessment(s):

1. Outcome #1 Assessment: Students will demonstrate this learning outcome by answering a multiple choice exam question about the exercise.
2. Outcome#2 Assessment: Students will demonstrate learning this goal by writing a short reflection paper (for homework) that asks them to elaborate on the connection between traditional gender role expectations and contemporary occupational sex segregation.
3. Outcome #3 Assessment: Students will demonstrate learning this goal by answering an exam essay question that challenges them to synthesize the exercise and discussion with the empirical literature