3. Macroeconomics
Macroeconomics is a branch of economics that focuses on the overall performance, structure, behavior, and decision-making of a national economy. It examines large-scale economic factors such as national income, unemployment rates, inflation, economic growth, government fiscal and monetary policies, and the overall health of a country's economy.
|
Macroeconomics:
Macroeconomics is a branch of economics that focuses on the overall performance, structure, behavior, and decision-making of a national economy. It examines large-scale economic factors such as national income, unemployment rates, inflation, economic growth, government fiscal and monetary policies, and the overall health of a country's economy.
Macroeconomics is a branch of economics that focuses on the overall performance, structure, behavior, and decision-making of a national economy. It examines large-scale economic factors such as national income, unemployment rates, inflation, economic growth, government fiscal and monetary policies, and the overall health of a country's economy.

Problematic Measures of Macroeconomics: GDP and Unemployment
National income is usually measured by GDP or Gross Domestic Product. GDP measures financial transactions for goods and services– not unpaid or volunteer labor. Unfortunately for women, unpaid and volunteer labor was the dominant way they contributed to the economy since the industrial revolution. When women undertake caregiving responsibilities without financial compensation, GDP as a measure does not include them. While the paid labor of working in the childcare industry is measured, the unpaid labor involved in raising one's own children or grandchildren is not recognized as productive work because there isn’t a monetary transaction involved.
The exclusion of non market activities like childcare, home maintenance, cleaning, laundry, and meal preparation within a household, is significant because policies and budgets are created based on things like GDP. Unpaid labor makes the paid labor of their partners possible, so not measuring it is folly and even dangerous for an economy. Not measuring it speaks volumes to the cultural devaluation of women and their work.
In the 20th century, women began earning PhDs in economics in greater numbers, and those pioneering women began challenging these male-biases in macroeconomics. In 1988, economist Marilyn Waring from New Zealand published If Women Counted: A New Feminist Economics in 1988, a critical examination of the United Nations System of National Accounts, which pointed out the harsh ways economic measurements failed to even count “women’s work.” Their work was categorized with terms such as “nonproductive” and their employment status as “unoccupied” simply because no money was exchanged, and yet the productivity of a household would have ground to a halt without that work. Waring’s critique claimed that women’s exclusion is harmful to economic progress because they directly impact policy and exclude the labor of over half the population. Waring was not alone. Mariarosa Dalla Costa, Selma James, and Margaret Reid were all pioneers in feminist economics who challenged sexist economic measures.
Feminist economists raise awareness of the invisibility to women’s work and their importance in history are now being recognized. In 2023, Claudia Goldin, another pioneer, won the Nobel Prize in Economics. Her research explored the structural barriers to women’s full participation in economies and the types of industries and policies that widen the pay gap. The long history of women’s economic participation in both paid and unpaid labor was detailed in our World and US History chapters.
National income is usually measured by GDP or Gross Domestic Product. GDP measures financial transactions for goods and services– not unpaid or volunteer labor. Unfortunately for women, unpaid and volunteer labor was the dominant way they contributed to the economy since the industrial revolution. When women undertake caregiving responsibilities without financial compensation, GDP as a measure does not include them. While the paid labor of working in the childcare industry is measured, the unpaid labor involved in raising one's own children or grandchildren is not recognized as productive work because there isn’t a monetary transaction involved.
The exclusion of non market activities like childcare, home maintenance, cleaning, laundry, and meal preparation within a household, is significant because policies and budgets are created based on things like GDP. Unpaid labor makes the paid labor of their partners possible, so not measuring it is folly and even dangerous for an economy. Not measuring it speaks volumes to the cultural devaluation of women and their work.
In the 20th century, women began earning PhDs in economics in greater numbers, and those pioneering women began challenging these male-biases in macroeconomics. In 1988, economist Marilyn Waring from New Zealand published If Women Counted: A New Feminist Economics in 1988, a critical examination of the United Nations System of National Accounts, which pointed out the harsh ways economic measurements failed to even count “women’s work.” Their work was categorized with terms such as “nonproductive” and their employment status as “unoccupied” simply because no money was exchanged, and yet the productivity of a household would have ground to a halt without that work. Waring’s critique claimed that women’s exclusion is harmful to economic progress because they directly impact policy and exclude the labor of over half the population. Waring was not alone. Mariarosa Dalla Costa, Selma James, and Margaret Reid were all pioneers in feminist economics who challenged sexist economic measures.
Feminist economists raise awareness of the invisibility to women’s work and their importance in history are now being recognized. In 2023, Claudia Goldin, another pioneer, won the Nobel Prize in Economics. Her research explored the structural barriers to women’s full participation in economies and the types of industries and policies that widen the pay gap. The long history of women’s economic participation in both paid and unpaid labor was detailed in our World and US History chapters.

Fiscal Policies and Unpaid Care Work
One of the most dominated sectors of work done by women is unpaid care work. In fact, women historically have and continue to make up the majority of the population that provides unpaid care work, including, but not limited to, child care, elder care, cooking, and cleaning. In reality, women take on 75% of the total world’s unpaid care work. Usually, this work is said to exist only within the private and familial realm, yet it actually has overwhelming effects within the public sphere.
If this type of work was given a minimum wage value and included in the calculations of GDP, an extra $1.5 trillion would have been added to the U.S. economy in 2019. This number jumps to $10.9 trillion when considering the entire globe. To put this into greater perspective, $10.9 trillion is more money than the world’s 50 largest companies made in 2018 combined. Additionally, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, unpaid care work contributes to 20% of Columbia’s GDP, 22.8% of Mexico's, and 25.3% in Costa Rica.
Moreover, estimates have found that, across the globe, unpaid care work, if given economic value in the same way as other sectors, could add more to the economy than transportation, manufacturing, or commerce. Yet, unpaid care work is notoriously difficult to quantify, since it does not necessarily adhere to standard economic principles. However, this type of work is absolutely essential to the wellbeing and maintenance of the labor force. The care of children allows them to prosper in school and beyond; familial care in general often takes the place of inadequate or nonexistent social services/programs.
Many academics have begun to call this type of work the “Second Shift,” pointing to how women coming home from a day of traditional work will often have to participate in unpaid care work in a way that mirrors having a second shift of work. However, statistics in the United States show that these trends are changing slightly, especially with child care, as more dads throughout the country begin to take on larger amounts of care work than in previous decades. A study conducted by PEW Research shows that although the percentage of moms who are stay-at-home parents still greatly outnumbers fathers, a larger proportion of dads are stay-at-home parents compared to thirty years ago.
One of the most dominated sectors of work done by women is unpaid care work. In fact, women historically have and continue to make up the majority of the population that provides unpaid care work, including, but not limited to, child care, elder care, cooking, and cleaning. In reality, women take on 75% of the total world’s unpaid care work. Usually, this work is said to exist only within the private and familial realm, yet it actually has overwhelming effects within the public sphere.
If this type of work was given a minimum wage value and included in the calculations of GDP, an extra $1.5 trillion would have been added to the U.S. economy in 2019. This number jumps to $10.9 trillion when considering the entire globe. To put this into greater perspective, $10.9 trillion is more money than the world’s 50 largest companies made in 2018 combined. Additionally, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, unpaid care work contributes to 20% of Columbia’s GDP, 22.8% of Mexico's, and 25.3% in Costa Rica.
Moreover, estimates have found that, across the globe, unpaid care work, if given economic value in the same way as other sectors, could add more to the economy than transportation, manufacturing, or commerce. Yet, unpaid care work is notoriously difficult to quantify, since it does not necessarily adhere to standard economic principles. However, this type of work is absolutely essential to the wellbeing and maintenance of the labor force. The care of children allows them to prosper in school and beyond; familial care in general often takes the place of inadequate or nonexistent social services/programs.
Many academics have begun to call this type of work the “Second Shift,” pointing to how women coming home from a day of traditional work will often have to participate in unpaid care work in a way that mirrors having a second shift of work. However, statistics in the United States show that these trends are changing slightly, especially with child care, as more dads throughout the country begin to take on larger amounts of care work than in previous decades. A study conducted by PEW Research shows that although the percentage of moms who are stay-at-home parents still greatly outnumbers fathers, a larger proportion of dads are stay-at-home parents compared to thirty years ago.

Unpaid Care Work and the Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic changed people’s realities throughout the world. However, pre-existing inequities that have existed in the care sector proved themselves even stronger as many parts of life moved to the familial world. This was most clear as schools and childcare centers across the globe began to close.
While only 22.4% of fathers reported taking on all of or the majority of work connected to caring for children under twelve years-old, mothers reported the same at three times the rate (61.5%). Additionally, mothers of children younger than twelve transitioned from being formally employed to unemployed at a much more drastic rate:during 2020, women’s employment saw a 4.2% drop, in contrast to 3% for men. Even though these patterns persist during normal times, social unrest or an emergency can only exacerbate the situation.
The COVID-19 pandemic changed people’s realities throughout the world. However, pre-existing inequities that have existed in the care sector proved themselves even stronger as many parts of life moved to the familial world. This was most clear as schools and childcare centers across the globe began to close.
While only 22.4% of fathers reported taking on all of or the majority of work connected to caring for children under twelve years-old, mothers reported the same at three times the rate (61.5%). Additionally, mothers of children younger than twelve transitioned from being formally employed to unemployed at a much more drastic rate:during 2020, women’s employment saw a 4.2% drop, in contrast to 3% for men. Even though these patterns persist during normal times, social unrest or an emergency can only exacerbate the situation.

Sexism and Fiscal Policy
Fiscal policy refers to the use of government spending and taxation to influence and manage the overall health and performance of an economy. It is one of the key tools available to governments to achieve macroeconomic objectives such as economic growth, employment, and price stability. Fiscal policy is typically implemented by the government and is designed to stabilize the economy during different phases of the business cycle. There are two main components of fiscal policy: Government Spending and Taxation.
Sexist biases in fiscal policy are everywhere but most desperately seen in the way poor moms are treated. Women make up the vast majority of single parents trying to raise their kids on their own without a supporting financial partner. Parental support isn’t required until babies are born so single pregnant women have to foot the bill for their hospital bills alone. Stereotypes like that of the “Welfare Mom” insult and degrade poor women living in impossible circumstances. The pay gap is narrowing among elite women and men, but class barriers and the types of jobs that poor women hold perpetuate the pay gap. Class, race, and gender together paint a much better picture of the problem. In the 1980’s, Ronald Reagan popularized this idea of a “Welfare Mom,” a single mom who mooches off of government programs to care for her children. Instead of applauding these women who have taken responsibility for their children and chosen to be available to them like middle and upper class moms are able to, he instead stigmatizing them. By mocking women most in need of support he perpetuated the false belief consistent throughout women’s economic history: women’s work is supposed to be free.
Reagan’s portrayal of a, usually Black, woman who exploited the welfare system by collecting checks to support numerous children without holding a job suggested that she strategically had multiple children to maximize benefits and manipulate the system for her advantage. This narrative, many argue, covertly played on racial biases, subtly perpetuating conscious or unconscious racism and re-enshrined the idea that homemaking is not work. Though Reagan never explicitly named a specific individual, he utilized this term to advocate for his economic policies, aiming to reduce government spending. The real-life inspiration for this characterization was Linda Taylor, a woman who defrauded the government of substantial sums and engaged in multiple simultaneous marriages. Despite Taylor being white, she became envisioned as a Black woman in the public's perception, adding to existing racial prejudices. She was an exception, not the norm, a falsehood said enough times that it became memorable.
The reality is that more women than men live in poverty. Globally, 70 percent of the poor are women. If sexism didn’t thrive, poverty wouldn’t be so strongly tied to gender. The Center for American Progress found in 2020, that, “Women have higher rates of poverty than men across almost all races and ethnicities” (Center for American Progress). Women of color are disproportionately represented in these data, showing that women’s issues are also issues of race and that if white women like myself are serious about ending sexism, than we must also fight to end racism.This is the system our government has created. Poor mothers must choose between low wages, men, or the government for financial support.
Given that many of these women are in relationships with same class men who too have unreliable jobs and low wages, those men, when out of work, can be seen as yet another mouth to feed. If we care about family values, shifting our cultural reliance on the default parent as mom and helping everyone see the vital role men play as caregivers will give those men purpose in families. More equitable family policies will not only keep qualified women in the workforce, but help close the childcare gaps.
Fiscal policy refers to the use of government spending and taxation to influence and manage the overall health and performance of an economy. It is one of the key tools available to governments to achieve macroeconomic objectives such as economic growth, employment, and price stability. Fiscal policy is typically implemented by the government and is designed to stabilize the economy during different phases of the business cycle. There are two main components of fiscal policy: Government Spending and Taxation.
Sexist biases in fiscal policy are everywhere but most desperately seen in the way poor moms are treated. Women make up the vast majority of single parents trying to raise their kids on their own without a supporting financial partner. Parental support isn’t required until babies are born so single pregnant women have to foot the bill for their hospital bills alone. Stereotypes like that of the “Welfare Mom” insult and degrade poor women living in impossible circumstances. The pay gap is narrowing among elite women and men, but class barriers and the types of jobs that poor women hold perpetuate the pay gap. Class, race, and gender together paint a much better picture of the problem. In the 1980’s, Ronald Reagan popularized this idea of a “Welfare Mom,” a single mom who mooches off of government programs to care for her children. Instead of applauding these women who have taken responsibility for their children and chosen to be available to them like middle and upper class moms are able to, he instead stigmatizing them. By mocking women most in need of support he perpetuated the false belief consistent throughout women’s economic history: women’s work is supposed to be free.
Reagan’s portrayal of a, usually Black, woman who exploited the welfare system by collecting checks to support numerous children without holding a job suggested that she strategically had multiple children to maximize benefits and manipulate the system for her advantage. This narrative, many argue, covertly played on racial biases, subtly perpetuating conscious or unconscious racism and re-enshrined the idea that homemaking is not work. Though Reagan never explicitly named a specific individual, he utilized this term to advocate for his economic policies, aiming to reduce government spending. The real-life inspiration for this characterization was Linda Taylor, a woman who defrauded the government of substantial sums and engaged in multiple simultaneous marriages. Despite Taylor being white, she became envisioned as a Black woman in the public's perception, adding to existing racial prejudices. She was an exception, not the norm, a falsehood said enough times that it became memorable.
The reality is that more women than men live in poverty. Globally, 70 percent of the poor are women. If sexism didn’t thrive, poverty wouldn’t be so strongly tied to gender. The Center for American Progress found in 2020, that, “Women have higher rates of poverty than men across almost all races and ethnicities” (Center for American Progress). Women of color are disproportionately represented in these data, showing that women’s issues are also issues of race and that if white women like myself are serious about ending sexism, than we must also fight to end racism.This is the system our government has created. Poor mothers must choose between low wages, men, or the government for financial support.
Given that many of these women are in relationships with same class men who too have unreliable jobs and low wages, those men, when out of work, can be seen as yet another mouth to feed. If we care about family values, shifting our cultural reliance on the default parent as mom and helping everyone see the vital role men play as caregivers will give those men purpose in families. More equitable family policies will not only keep qualified women in the workforce, but help close the childcare gaps.
Draw your own conclusions
Learn how to teach with inquiry.
Many of these lesson plans were sponsored in part by the Library of Congress Teaching with Primary Sources Eastern Region Program, coordinated by Waynesburg University, the History and Social Studies Education Faculty at Plymouth State University, and the Patrons of the Remedial Herstory Project. |
Lesson Plans from Other Organizations
- The National Women's History Museum has lesson plans on women's history.
- The Guilder Lehrman Institute for American History has lesson plans on women's history.
- The NY Historical Society has articles and classroom activities for teaching women's history.
- Unladylike 2020, in partnership with PBS, has primary sources to explore with students and outstanding videos on women from the Progressive era.
- The Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media has produced recommendations for teaching women's history with primary sources and provided a collection of sources for world history. Check them out!
- The Stanford History Education Group has a number of lesson plans about women in US History.
Period Specific Lesson Plans from Other Organizations
- C3 Teachers: This inquiry leads students through an investigation of the LGBTQ+ movement, primarily driven by the history of the movement through various accounts and perspectives. The compelling question—What makes a movement successful?—does not address whether or not the movement was successful, but instead assesses the components of a movement and whether the movement is in a period of growth or has already peaked. Although the focus of this inquiry is on the LGBTQ+ movement, parallels can be drawn to other social movements in history with respect to organization, activism, and overall execution, including the Civil Rights Movement or the women’s suffrage and rights movements. Specifically, this inquiry looks at four different aspects that can potentially shape a movement in its foundation as well as its rise, namely public reaction, government leaders and policies, Supreme Court cases, and personal experiences. Throughout the inquiry, students will examine each individual aspect independently, evaluating the merits, strengths, and significance of each provided source in the “Movement Analysis Organization Chart,” but the summative task will require a compilation and synthesis of the sources in this investigation in order to form an argument to address the compelling question.
- Voices of Democracy: In the speech Clinton positioned the United States as the moral authority in monitoring and enforcing sanctions for global human trafficking, while at the same time reiterating the importance of international cooperation and partnerships.
- Clio: In 1972, feminists in Washington, D.C. founded the nation’s first rape crisis center. Other centers were soon established across the country. In 1994, Congress passed the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The act was created in response to the nation-wide, grassroots work of activists concerned with domestic violence, sexual assault, date rape, and stalking. This lesson introduces students to the history of efforts to stop violence against women.
- National Women’s History Museum: How has the Supreme Court shaped the lives of American women between 1908-2005? Students will analyze one of four Supreme Court cases that relate to the constitutional rights of women decided between 1908-2005. Students will become mini-experts on one Supreme Court cases and they will be exposed to the content, themes, and questions from the other three cases via peer to peer instruction of their classmates. The goal of this lesson is to introduce students to a broad range of Supreme Court cases that have impacted American women and to have them develop a working knowledge and expertise of at least one case by using primary sources such as the case ruling and secondary sources that will help students to understand the context.
- National History Day: Patsy Takemoto Mink (1927-2002) was born in Hawaii. She studied in Pennsylvania and Nebraska before moving back to Hawaii to earn her undergraduate degree and eventually received her J.D. from the University of Chicago in 1951. She moved back to Hawaii with her husband, John Francis Mink, and founded the Oahu Young Democrats in 1954. In the 1950s, Mink served as both a member of the territorial house of representatives and Hawaii Senate. After Hawaii achieved statehood in 1959, Mink unsuccessfully ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. Mink campaigned for the second representative seat in 1964 and won, making her the first woman of color and first Asian American woman to be elected to Congress. Mink is best known for her support of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society legislation, as well as her advocacy for women’s issues and equal rights. Mink worked tirelessly to earn support for the critical Title IX Amendment from her comprehensive education bill called Women’s Education Equity Act. Mink took a break from Congress after an unsuccessful bid for the Senate, but returned to Congress in 1990 and served until her death in September 2002.
- C3 Teachers: This twelfth grade annotated inquiry leads students through an investigation of a hotly debated issue in the United States: the gender wage gap. The compelling question “What should we do about the gender wage gap?” asks students to grapple not only with how to quantify and interpret the gap but also to consider ways of addressing the problem. Throughout the inquiry, students consider the degree to which economic inequality reflects social, political, or economic injustices or whether it simply reflects individual choices and the role the government should play in decreasing income inequality. Although this inquiry is rooted in a question about economics, no social issue is fully understood without examining a range of economic, historical, geographic, and political concepts in order to craft a full-bodied, evidence-based argument. This inquiry looks at the complexity of the gender wage gap issue through all four social studies disciplines. Students examine the structural factors that influence women’s choices as well as historical (e.g., Equal Pay Act of 1963) and pending (e.g., Paycheck Fairness Act) legislative efforts. Ultimately, students must find a way to measure the gender wage gap, determine if it is an issue worth addressing, and, if so, how to best address it, including private and public sector solutions.
Institute for Women's Policy Research
For accurate, well researched information on how women impact and are impacted by policy, the Institute for Women's Policy Research should be a first stop. Their website states:
"We win economic equity for all women and eliminate barriers to their full participation in society. As a leading national think tank, we build evidence to shape policies that grow women’s power and influence, close inequality gaps, and improve the economic well-being of families... The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that engages in research and dissemination to shape public policy and improve the lives and opportunities of women from diverse backgrounds. As a nonpartisan organization, the independence of our research is essential to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and quality. IWPR seeks to ensure these standards through internal and external peer review processes. In most cases, reports receive one to two external reviews; some shorter products receive external review as well. All publications are reviewed by in-house researchers not involved in their production."
Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers
For women's politics by the numbers and strong data, the Center for American Women and Politics is a go to resource. Their website states:
"The Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is nationally recognized as the leading source of scholarly research and current data about women’s political participation in the United States. Its mission is to promote greater knowledge and understanding about the role of women in American politics, enhance women's influence in public life, and expand the diversity of women in politics and government.
CAWP’s education and outreach programs translate research findings into action, addressing women’s under-representation in political leadership with effective, intersectional, and imaginative programs serving a variety of audiences. As the world has watched Americans considering female candidates for the nation's highest offices, CAWP’s five decades of analyzing and interpreting women’s participation in American politics have provided a foundation and context for the discussion."
Archives of Women's Political Communication at Iowa State University
For a sea of political speeches delivered by women, look no further than the archives at Iowa State. Their website states:
"The Archives of Women's Political Communication was launched in 2007 by the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University. The goal of the archives is to showcase and preserve women’s political discourse and promote lifelong learning of women in political leadership throughout the world.
The archives is designed to serve as a resource for faculty teaching courses and conducting research in political science, speech communication, journalism, women's studies, sociology, history and other fields. It also serves as a resource for students and members of the public interested in women's political communication. An internal review board helps oversee and review the collection of speeches."
For accurate, well researched information on how women impact and are impacted by policy, the Institute for Women's Policy Research should be a first stop. Their website states:
"We win economic equity for all women and eliminate barriers to their full participation in society. As a leading national think tank, we build evidence to shape policies that grow women’s power and influence, close inequality gaps, and improve the economic well-being of families... The Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that engages in research and dissemination to shape public policy and improve the lives and opportunities of women from diverse backgrounds. As a nonpartisan organization, the independence of our research is essential to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and quality. IWPR seeks to ensure these standards through internal and external peer review processes. In most cases, reports receive one to two external reviews; some shorter products receive external review as well. All publications are reviewed by in-house researchers not involved in their production."
Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers
For women's politics by the numbers and strong data, the Center for American Women and Politics is a go to resource. Their website states:
"The Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), a unit of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is nationally recognized as the leading source of scholarly research and current data about women’s political participation in the United States. Its mission is to promote greater knowledge and understanding about the role of women in American politics, enhance women's influence in public life, and expand the diversity of women in politics and government.
CAWP’s education and outreach programs translate research findings into action, addressing women’s under-representation in political leadership with effective, intersectional, and imaginative programs serving a variety of audiences. As the world has watched Americans considering female candidates for the nation's highest offices, CAWP’s five decades of analyzing and interpreting women’s participation in American politics have provided a foundation and context for the discussion."
Archives of Women's Political Communication at Iowa State University
For a sea of political speeches delivered by women, look no further than the archives at Iowa State. Their website states:
"The Archives of Women's Political Communication was launched in 2007 by the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University. The goal of the archives is to showcase and preserve women’s political discourse and promote lifelong learning of women in political leadership throughout the world.
The archives is designed to serve as a resource for faculty teaching courses and conducting research in political science, speech communication, journalism, women's studies, sociology, history and other fields. It also serves as a resource for students and members of the public interested in women's political communication. An internal review board helps oversee and review the collection of speeches."
Remedial Herstory Editors. "3. MACROECONOMICS." The Remedial Herstory Project. January 1, 2024. www.remedialherstory.com.
Nonfiction's on Economics
In Fairy Play, Rodsky interviewed more than five hundred men and women from all walks of life to figure out what the invisible work in a family actually entails and how to get it all done efficiently.
|
In The Double X Economy, Scott argues on the strength of hard data and on-the-ground experience that removing those barriers to women’s success is a win for everyone, regardless of gender.
|
In this short, accessible primer, Bell Hooks explores the nature of feminism and its positive promise to eliminate sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.
|
In Smart Women Love Money, Finn paves the way forward by showing you that the power of investing is the last frontier of feminism. Finn shares five simple and proven strategies for a woman at any stage of her life, whether starting a career, home raising children, or heading up a major corporation.
|
In Financial Feminist, Dunlap distills the principles of her shame- and judgment-free approach to paying off debt, figuring out your value categories to spend mindfully, saving money without monk-like deprivation, and investing in order to spend your retirement tanning in Tulum.
|
Caroline Criado Perez investigates this shocking root cause of gender inequality in Invisible Women. Examining the home, the workplace, the public square, the doctor’s office, and more, Criado Perez unearths a dangerous pattern in data and its consequences on women’s lives.
|
Written in Hooks's characteristic direct style, Feminist Theory embodies the hope that feminists can find a common language to spread the word and create a mass, global feminist movement.
|
How to teach with Films:
Remember, teachers want the student to be the historian. What do historians do when they watch films?
- Before they watch, ask students to research the director and producers. These are the source of the information. How will their background and experience likely bias this film?
- Also, ask students to consider the context the film was created in. The film may be about history, but it was made recently. What was going on the year the film was made that could bias the film? In particular, how do you think the gains of feminism will impact the portrayal of the female characters?
- As they watch, ask students to research the historical accuracy of the film. What do online sources say about what the film gets right or wrong?
- Afterward, ask students to describe how the female characters were portrayed and what lessons they got from the film.
- Then, ask students to evaluate this film as a learning tool. Was it helpful to better understand this topic? Did the historical inaccuracies make it unhelpful? Make it clear any informed opinion is valid.
Fair Play (2022)
Follows three families on their journey to better balance their home life style. They are fighting problems that affect millions of couples and families across the country and even the globe. IMDB |
|
Bibliography
Allegretto, Sylvia. “The teacher pay penalty has hit a new high: Trends in teacher wages and compensation through 2021.” August 16, 2022. https://www.epi.org/publication/teacher-pay-penalty-2022/.
Bowles, Nellie. “Jordan Peterson, Custodian of the Patriarchy: He says there’s a crisis in masculinity. Why won’t women — all these wives and witches — just behave?” The New York Times. May 18, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/style/jordan-peterson-12-rules-for-life.html.
Burclaff, Natalie. “Missing Women and Feminist Economics.” Library of Congress. March 22, 2021. https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2021/03/missing-women-and-feminist-economics/.
Chowdhury, Jennifer. “Woman of Impact: Reshma Saujani.” In Style. November 1, 2023. https://www.instyle.com/reshma-saujani-moms-first-woman-of-impact-8385201.
Das, Andrew. “U.S. Women's Players and U.S. Soccer Settle Equal Pay Lawsuit.” New York Times, May 22, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/22/sports/soccer/us-womens-soccer-equal-pay.html.
Gajanan, Majita. “The USWNT Seeks Nearly $67 Million in Damages In Equal Pay Lawsuit Against U.S. Soccer. Here's What to Know About the Case.” Time Magazine. February 21, 2020. https://time.com/5653250/uswnt-equal-pay-lawsuit/.
Goldin, Claudia. Career and Family: Women's Century-long Journey Toward Equity (Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 2021).
Gurcheik, Kathy.“Availability, Use of Paternity Leave Remains Rare in U.S.” SHRM: Better Workplaces Better World. August 16, 2019. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/pages/availability-use-of-paternity-leave-remains-rare-in-us.aspx.
Hartmann, Hegewisch, Gault, Chirillo, Clark, “Five Ways to Win an Argument about the Gender Wage Gap.” The Institute for Women’s Policy Research. September 2019. https://iwpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/C447_GWG-Talking-Points_2019.pdf.
Hegewisch, Ariane and Adiam Tesfaselassie. “The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation 2018,” The Institute for Women’s Policy Research. April 2, 2019. https://iwpr.org/publications/gender-wage-gap-occupation-2018/.
Livingston, Gretchen. “Stay-at-home moms and dads account for about one-in-five U.S. parents,” PEW Research Center. September 24, 2018. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/24/stay-at-home-moms-and-dads-account-for-about-one-in-five-u-s-parents/.
Long, Brandon. “Is Jordan Peterson Right About Agreeable Women? (No).” Medium. February 14, 2019. https://medium.com/slightly-educated/is-jordan-peterson-right-about-agreeable-women-no-d30eb6f319e.
Phelen, John. “Harvard Study: ‘Gender Wage Gap’ Explained Entirely by Work Choices of Men and Women: The ‘gender wage gap” is as real as unicorns and has been killed more times than Michael Myers.” Foundation for Economic Education. December 10, 2018. https://fee.org/articles/harvard-study-gender-pay-gap-explained-entirely-by-work-choices-of-men-and-women/?gclid=CjwKCAjw26H3BRB2EiwAy32zhZKsF45zDh2P22RHSXgHrfc-hthCcA1Xh1hyUhN3A9XFwvx9XP6u6hoCXokQAvD_BwE.
Schochet, Leila. “The Child Care Crisis Is Keeping Women Out of the Workforce.” Center for American Progress. March 28, 2019. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-childhood/reports/2019/03/28/467488/child-care-crisis-keeping-women-workforce/.
Steinem, Gloria. “The Importance of Work,” Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, 3rd Edition (New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2019).
Reeves, Richard V. Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2022.
Reeves, Richard V. & Isabel V. Sawhill, "Men's Lib." The New York Times. November 14, 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/opinion/sunday/mens-lib.html?_r=0.
White, Gillian B. “Why Daycare Workers Are So Poor, Even Though Daycare Costs So Much: They can’t even afford child care for their own kids.” The Atlantic. November 5, 2015, https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/11/childcare-workers-cant-afford-childcare/414496/.
Bowles, Nellie. “Jordan Peterson, Custodian of the Patriarchy: He says there’s a crisis in masculinity. Why won’t women — all these wives and witches — just behave?” The New York Times. May 18, 2018. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/18/style/jordan-peterson-12-rules-for-life.html.
Burclaff, Natalie. “Missing Women and Feminist Economics.” Library of Congress. March 22, 2021. https://blogs.loc.gov/inside_adams/2021/03/missing-women-and-feminist-economics/.
Chowdhury, Jennifer. “Woman of Impact: Reshma Saujani.” In Style. November 1, 2023. https://www.instyle.com/reshma-saujani-moms-first-woman-of-impact-8385201.
Das, Andrew. “U.S. Women's Players and U.S. Soccer Settle Equal Pay Lawsuit.” New York Times, May 22, 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/22/sports/soccer/us-womens-soccer-equal-pay.html.
Gajanan, Majita. “The USWNT Seeks Nearly $67 Million in Damages In Equal Pay Lawsuit Against U.S. Soccer. Here's What to Know About the Case.” Time Magazine. February 21, 2020. https://time.com/5653250/uswnt-equal-pay-lawsuit/.
Goldin, Claudia. Career and Family: Women's Century-long Journey Toward Equity (Princeton, New Jersey, Princeton University Press, 2021).
Gurcheik, Kathy.“Availability, Use of Paternity Leave Remains Rare in U.S.” SHRM: Better Workplaces Better World. August 16, 2019. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/behavioral-competencies/global-and-cultural-effectiveness/pages/availability-use-of-paternity-leave-remains-rare-in-us.aspx.
Hartmann, Hegewisch, Gault, Chirillo, Clark, “Five Ways to Win an Argument about the Gender Wage Gap.” The Institute for Women’s Policy Research. September 2019. https://iwpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/C447_GWG-Talking-Points_2019.pdf.
Hegewisch, Ariane and Adiam Tesfaselassie. “The Gender Wage Gap by Occupation 2018,” The Institute for Women’s Policy Research. April 2, 2019. https://iwpr.org/publications/gender-wage-gap-occupation-2018/.
Livingston, Gretchen. “Stay-at-home moms and dads account for about one-in-five U.S. parents,” PEW Research Center. September 24, 2018. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/24/stay-at-home-moms-and-dads-account-for-about-one-in-five-u-s-parents/.
Long, Brandon. “Is Jordan Peterson Right About Agreeable Women? (No).” Medium. February 14, 2019. https://medium.com/slightly-educated/is-jordan-peterson-right-about-agreeable-women-no-d30eb6f319e.
Phelen, John. “Harvard Study: ‘Gender Wage Gap’ Explained Entirely by Work Choices of Men and Women: The ‘gender wage gap” is as real as unicorns and has been killed more times than Michael Myers.” Foundation for Economic Education. December 10, 2018. https://fee.org/articles/harvard-study-gender-pay-gap-explained-entirely-by-work-choices-of-men-and-women/?gclid=CjwKCAjw26H3BRB2EiwAy32zhZKsF45zDh2P22RHSXgHrfc-hthCcA1Xh1hyUhN3A9XFwvx9XP6u6hoCXokQAvD_BwE.
Schochet, Leila. “The Child Care Crisis Is Keeping Women Out of the Workforce.” Center for American Progress. March 28, 2019. https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/early-childhood/reports/2019/03/28/467488/child-care-crisis-keeping-women-workforce/.
Steinem, Gloria. “The Importance of Work,” Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, 3rd Edition (New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2019).
Reeves, Richard V. Of Boys and Men: Why the Modern Male Is Struggling, Why It Matters, and What to Do About It. Washington, D.C.: Brookings Institution Press, 2022.
Reeves, Richard V. & Isabel V. Sawhill, "Men's Lib." The New York Times. November 14, 2015. https://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/opinion/sunday/mens-lib.html?_r=0.
White, Gillian B. “Why Daycare Workers Are So Poor, Even Though Daycare Costs So Much: They can’t even afford child care for their own kids.” The Atlantic. November 5, 2015, https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/11/childcare-workers-cant-afford-childcare/414496/.