Educ

atio

n Ki

t

To view videos in the slideshow, internet connection is needed.

Girls are Girls...

Lesson 2(for senior forms)

Girls

are

Girl

s...

Video Story: Check this out!• Someday

– A video created by some South Asian teenagers in HK

– When viewing the videos, think about:• The video is about a story of a girl of ethnic

minority living in Hong Kong. Do you find it familiar?

• When she strolls along the streets, what does she like most? How does she feel?

(click the image to view videos)

Girls

are

Girl

s...

Video Story: Someday • Do you like wandering in the street too? Do you

think you can go everywhere on your own?• Is there any places that would prohibit a girl but

not a boy to go? Are girls as independent as boys?

• Do parents and teachers have the same expectation of boys and girls? For example, boys are allowed to go out on their own, and girls are not allowed to return home till late.

• Do you think this story would take place in other Asian countries, such as Pakistan? Why?

(click the image to view videos)

Girls

are

Girl

s...

Case Study I: Bend it Like Beckham• What is the person doing in the poster?• What do you think the movie is about?• Why do you think Jess, the main

character in the movie, is not allowed to pursuit her dream?

• Do you have similar experience? Are you allowed/not allowed to do something because of your gender?

• Is this specific to a culture, or an universial problem?

(click the image to view videos)

Girls

are

Girl

s...

Case Study I: Pakistan’s First Female Football Club

• “The football field provides girls with a place to breathe – to get away from their daily tensions, and focus on an activity that will make them confident, healthy and strong,” explained Sadia Sheikh, who founded Diya in 2003. Diya is the only female club started and managed by women.

• In Pakistan, there is a general lack of support for girls who want to do more than get married and become mothers. Girls face many obstacles including poverty, lack of access to education, and cultural barriers which prohibit or restrict their freedom of movement and pursuit of their dreams.

• UNICEF has found that sports programs are an excellent way to reach out to girls – to encourage education, support achievements, enable girls to challenge gender stereotypes and have a voice within their families and society. This is particularly true for adolescent girls across the developing world.

© UNICEF Pakistan/2011/De Sousa

17 year old Hajra used to practice football alone in her room. Now she has her eyes on a spot in the national Pakistani women’s football team.

Girls

are

Girl

s...

Case Study I: Bend it Like BeckhamDiscuss in small groups:• As you know, is there any football club in

Hong Kong, in Asia or in the world?• Why do you think Pakistan has no football

club until 2003? What are the obstacle(s) they will encoutner when setting up and running the football club?

• Why do you think girls should play sports, especially in Pakistan?

• Do you think this gender inequality is specific to (South) Asian culture or Chinese culture, or is very universal problem?

Girls

are

Girl

s...

Case Study II: Ayesha wanna join the camp!

• Ayesha is a 16-year-old girl who was born in Hong Kong. Her parents moved from Pakestan to Hong Kong before she was born, and remains very traditional in cultural sense. Ayesha is the eldest child in her family and she has a younger brother who is now 10 years old. She has to take care of her brother after school and cooked dinner for her family.

• Ayesha is very active in extracurricular activities; she is member of the school’s debate team and vice-chairperson of the Drama Club in school.

• The school has selected 30 outstanding students including Ayesha for a leadership programme. There will a 3-day-2-night leadership training camp during the Easter holiday.

Girls

are

Girl

s...

Case Study II: Ayesha wanna join the camp!

• When she tells her parents about this, her parents do not allow her to join the training camp and even the whole programme because she is a girl.

• Ayesha is very upset and has a quarrel with her parents over this. She finds it unfair that other Pakestani school boys have no such problem.

• After a long debate and with the help of her teacher, her parents agree to let her join the camp but she has to return home before 9pm during the camp.

Girls

are

Girl

s...

Case Study II: Ayesha wanna join the camp!

• Work in pair…– each take the role of

Ayesha or her parent and debate whether she can join the leadership training camp.

– List your arguement and reasons for or against it.

Girls

are

Girl

s...

Case Study II: Ayesha wanna join the camp!

• According to South Asia Region: Gender Reports published by the World Bank :

– There are more boys than girls in school enrollment in Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, and Nepal;

– Dropout rates for girls across the region are higher than those for boys;

– Women have insufficient access to basic health care;– Girls marry at a young age and about 50 percent have

their first child by age 20;– Relative to men, women’s voice in decision making at all

levels – community, provincial and national – is limited;– There is a discriminatory legal system and poor access

to justice for women, and– There is high incidence of violence against women in

both private and public domains.

Girls

are

Girl

s...

Case Study II: Ayesha wanna join the camp!

• Have you ever experienced similar problems of gender inequality? How was the problem solved?

• Think about the cultural roots of Ayesha’s famly, how different it be if Ayesha were a boy, but not a girl?

• How do you think Ayesha is different from her parents in dealing with gender issue? Why?

• If you were Ayesha’s teacher, how would you help to convince her parents to let her join the training camp? How to balance traditions and gender equality?

Girls

are

Girl

s...

Case Study II: Ayesha wanna join the camp!

(optional activity)

• Work in small group of 4-5 persons, do a role-playing to play around...

• Imagine, if the following stories/fairy tales happen in Pakistan or some other South Asian countries where gender equalities are suppressed, will there be any difference(s)?– Cinderella– Hua Mulan ( 花木蘭 )– Bend it Like Beckham– Someday– Ayesha wanna join the camp, etc

Girls

are

Girl

s...

Girls are Girls?• Do you think boys and girls or man and woman

should enjoy equality opportunities? Why? How to achieve a balance between both sexes?

• Any similar situation where gender is the main reason for discrimination? Is it race-specific?

• Do you think gender makes a big cultural clash for EM immigrants in Hong Kong? If so, what can we help relieve the tension?

• What is the implications of gender inequality? Refering to the World Bank’s report, any social problems arised hence?

?!

Girls

are

Girl

s...

References – Further Reading• UNICEF Report Shows Widening Disparities as B

oys and Girls Grow Older in Developing World– http://www.unicef.org.hk/news-media/internatio

nal-news;news/436/boys-and-girls-in-life-cycle

• UNICEF report “Boys and Girls in the Life Cycle”, 2011

– http://www.unicef.org.hk/download/boys-and-girls-in-life-cycle.pdf

• Role of Women – key to South Asia’s Development:

– http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/SOUTHASIAEXT/0,,contentMDK:21513273~pagePK:2865106~piPK:2865128~theSitePK:223547,00.html

Girls

are

Girl

s...

References – Video Footage• Bend it Like Beckam:

• http://youtu.be/XsmbObwStSQ

• Pakistan’s first female football club:• http://www.unicef.org/gender/

pakistan_58302.html