Goals

** Raising awareness of one’s own involvement in gender structures 
** Participants reflect independently on gender roles and gender expectations

Brief description 

According to Gesine Spieß, gender competence is made up of three components: “gender-based awareness, qualification and the transfer to one’s own field of action”. In her article, she describes a few good exercises to sharpen thinking, as well as enable one’s self-awareness. The method “image analysis and self-questioning” is presented here as an example.  

Procedure 

The trainer brings a chosen image (from an advert, print media, catalogue) along to the seminar. The pictures should be used to inquire about gender constructions and relationships. The participants are asked to look at the representation of the people and discuss the following questions:  

• How are femininity and masculinity presented in the image (posture, clothing, facial expressions)? 
• Which images of gender and expectations form the basis of the presentation?  
• How is the gender relationship staged?  
• Are role models resolved or confirmed?  

The questions can also be split up and answered in small groups. This method does not take the approach of a joint evaluation, instead participants should write down their own considerations and ask themselves the following questions: 

• Which of the gender expectations presented here do I want to conform to?  
• Which of the gender expectations presented her do I not want to conform to?  
• Which expectations would I like to actively counter? How?  

Extra Information 

As the method is very much aimed at reflecting on one’s own relationship in relation to gender, terms such as role models and gender expectations should have been introduced already.  

Author: Jonas Weber 
Translation: Fred Taucher

Read original article in German.