Who were the suffragettes and what did they stand for? What would the world today be like without the feminist movement that took place over 100 years ago? 

Your Challenge:

Learn about women's suffrage movement and why it is so important to our history in creating a world where there is gender equality.

Follow this Process:

1. Watch these youtube clips as a class:

   Women's Right To Vote: A Kid Explains History

   Women's Suffrage: Crash Course US History #31

2. Create in pairs create a timeline of the history of the feminist movement. Where and when did women first get the right to vote and partake in political discussion?

3. Brainstorm further by noting what the pre-existing environment for women was prior to this change. Why is it said that women were not equal to men? Why is it important for equality for women to have the right to vote.

4. Summarise your ideas using a presentation (video, poster, powerpoint) about what the world would be like if women were never given the right to vote or participate in politics. Why would this create an imbalance in equality?

5. Present to the class one person will describe the history of the feminist movement and refer to the timeline you created. The other will explain the ideas behind your presentation.

6. Take action and decide how will you use your understanding of feminism to encourage gender equality for those around you, as well as for yourself (if you are a female)? What could be a next step in the feminist movement to further the UN’s goal to achieve gender equality?

7. Capture and share these outcomes using photo and/or video to inspire others.

Educator Notes

To provide further challenge:

Require groups to include exact statistics, case studies and examples in their presentation about the history of the feminist movement.

To simplify:

Groups are exempt from studying and presenting the history of the feminist movement and instead to consider the state of society if it had never taken place. This page about SDG5 Gender Equality on the UN site may help. 

Additional Links:

• HEforSHE - UN Women
  
• Education section on HEforSHE website - this has some useful lesson/starter prompts and ideas for taking action.
• UNESCO Guide for Gender Equality - PDF download

Related:

• What is feminism?