Exploring+Gender+Roles

=** "Ladies of the Land": The Gender Perspective **= Farming is one more male-dominated area where women are finally beginning to be recognized for making significant contributions to the industry. Almost 30% of farms today are owned by women. This page begins with a discussion of the documentary "Ladies of the Land" revolving around issues of gender. A number of gender-related discussion questions are presented along with several potential activities for use in the classroom. Numerous informational resources, links and videos are presented under the heading "Other Food for Thought" as possibilities for further discussion and research.

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** Gender Analysis **
The portrayal of women farmers in this video seems to harken back to the Rosie the Riveter images and ideals. The introduction of this video plays some soft, quiet music which is almost somber at times while it describes the current state of farming in America. Around the **1:00** mark we see a very short clip of men working in the farming industry. They are very heavy-set and are portrayed milling around in front of gigantic farming equipment while the phrase "...run by men and machines" is narrated.

At approximately the **1:10** mark, we see our first featured woman farmer lifting a heavy concrete brick up to weigh down a tarp hearing that "...all that is about to change." As soon as we see Lyn Garling's face, the background music dramatically shifts to something much faster and more upbeat. This plays in the background throughout the rest of the introduction which seems designed to give us the idea that the rest of this video will give us a positive alternative to the somber, monolithic images at the beginning of the video: smaller, healthier farms run by women.

The first interview clip shown after the introduction certainly does not glamorize farming as being stylish or perfect and certainly not lean, yet even still it is portrayed in a positive light as being very satisfying for those who love to do it. The section of Lyn Garling's interview from approximately **3:30** to **3:45** are particularly interesting to consider under this 'lens' of analysis. This would be an interesting clip to pose discussion questions around.(Some potential questions relating to this clip are listed within Discussion Question section below)

The women in this video are not glorified or glamorized. They seem to be portrayed exactly as they are on a daily basis. However, we only see them in positive, serene settings. The documentary film makers do not show them getting dirty, doing anything unpleasant, or being unable to do anything they want or need to do. The farm work that is shown is seen as light work such as walking with cows, watering crops, or picking beans. There is very little in this video depicting the challenges of farming. Some of the potential issues like animal unpredictability, feces, droughts, excessive rains and flooding, very small wages, etc, are only mentioned very briefly, and seem to be glossed over, as expressed in the analysis on the home page.

Towards the last few minutes of the film, approximately **26:05-27:21**, there is a brief segment about women farmers and the other concerns they hold as women on the farm. It is expressed that women have more responsibilities on the farm than a male farmer such as financing and caring for their family. In the footage, it also shows the empowerment of women with the presentation of women forming an organization for female farmers. They feel it is important to get together with other women who feel the passion of farming. They express the importance of networking with others in order to become successful and feel a sense belonging in the community.

Discussion Questions: to guide class discussions and/or students' viewing of the film

 * **How are the female farmers portrayed in "Ladies of the Land"?**
 * **How would that image change if the women were juxtaposed with stereotypical images of male farmers?**
 * **Listen to how Lyn Garling says the line "I wasn't going to marry a farmer to get land." What is the tone of this statement? What do you think she means by this?**
 * **How about the line "I didn't want to be a farm wife; I was a farmer. I wanted to do it...?" What is your first reaction to hearing that line? Why is 'farm wife' a negative image? What about 'farm husband'?**
 * **Consider this: The person with the most control over a relationship is the one who is the most valuable. Agree or disagree? Can partners ever really be completely equal partners?**
 * **What does the word 'feminist' mean to you? What images does it bring to mind for you?**
 * **How about the words 'feminine,' 'femininity,' 'female'?**
 * **Compare the terms 'housewife' and 'stay at home mom.' Do they have positive connotations? Why/why not?**
 * **Do housewives have power? What kinds? or Why not?**
 * **How do women gain power?**
 * **Do powerful women have positive or negative images? Why?**
 * **What are the motivations of women farmers?**
 * **The film implies women are interested in farming because of their "care-giving personalities." What do you think of this statement?**

Possible Activities for Students and Additional Discussion Questions:

 * **Given a list of skills - all of which take effort, thought, and talent - ask students to divide into two columns such as: powerful/weak, useful/frivolous, more/less valuable, etc. Discuss results - how do the lists change when ranked based on personal feelings vs. assumptions of where society as a whole might rank them?**
 * **Have students re-envision the documentary using the same information, but adding video and commentary from male farmers - can you twist it to show another viewpoint with some editing choices? How would opinions of the video change by including men (either ones speaking in favor of conventional farming techniques or ones who were supportive of the women farmers as leaders)?**
 * **Compare and contrast the portrayals of women in the videos "Ladies of the Land" and //School for Charm//:**

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 * **How do the portrayals of women in the videos "Ladies of the Land" and //School for Charm// compare to the portrayal of women in Reality TV shows such as VH1's //Charm School?//**
 * **How can the video School for Charm be viewed as positive for the feminist movement?**
 * **If Finishing Schools were still popular, would you want to attend one? Why/why not?**
 * **Consider this: What if finishing schools didn't disappear, but just became co-ed?**
 * **What areas would guys need to work on?**
 * **Have groups of students (3-4) create a plan for a finishing school of the future. What does our society value? Why would someone want to attend? What would students at the school need to work on?**
 * **Name of school, location, likely demographics of student body, sample course titles or content, etc.**
 * **Listen to the song "Just A Girl" by No Doubt, paying attention to the lyrics:**

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 * **Students individually re-read lyrics (need copies of lyrics) and make notes about anything striking -**
 * **What do you find meaningful? interesting? uncomfortable? confusing? etc.**
 * **Divide students into small groups (3-4 max)**
 * **Have them discuss the video and song in groups - perhaps open it up to whole-class discussion.**
 * **In what ways does No Doubt's song 'Just A Girl' connect to the video "Ladies of the Land"?**
 * **Have groups write or draw a plan or storyboard for a new No Doubt music video for "Just A Girl" based on their interpretations of the song and the video "Ladies of the Land."**
 * **Groups to present their plans/storyboards and explain their choices and reasonings to the class.**
 * **Groups to reflect and discuss on others' presentations - re-read the lyrics and make note of any added clarity or new areas of confusion - what they liked/didn't like, why? Any changes of opinion?**
 * **Bring comparison out further and connect it to a more challenging text (possible texts to connect to listed at the bottom of the page).**

= Other Food for Thought: =

**Empower Women**
"The talents of women are like a vast untapped natural resource. Though great strides have been made in the past 100 years, female voices are still significantly underrepresented in government halls and corporate boardrooms, and women around the globe make up a disproportionate percentage of people who are abused, illiterate and living in poverty. Films found **here** explore the daily challenges faced by half of the human race, including transitioning to womanhood, escaping poverty, being subject to abuse, raising a family alone, getting an education and making a place for themselves in male dominated careers. Watch these films and commit to working for gender equality."

**Danger: Personhood 2012**
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**This is What a feminist looks like:**
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**Are you a feminist or a feminine-ist?**
"It seems that America has been fighting against the perception of being feminine for a while now—wanting to appear tough and strong, and afraid of appearing weak by admitting a need for help. If you compare America to countries in the East, you'll see what I mean. If America were to be personified, it would definitely be a real guy's guy—running around, talking loudly, smacking you on the back in greeting, occasionally belching—a lovable, rambunctious guy's guy. Now, imagine a country like India personified. It would embrace more feminine qualities like stillness, meditativeness and spirituality.

My point? All of us—both men and women—need to consciously try to get in better touch with our feminine energies. When we deny the existence and the benefits of either our male or female sides, we exhaust our spirits since each side is the shadow of the other. As the Taoists say, 'When you pick up one end of the stick, the other end comes up with it.'"

**[|In Search of a Feminine Feminism: Why Skirts Are the New Pants]**
= = = Some Possible Literature Connections: = Just about any work of literature can be viewed from the gender perspective, but we have listed a few texts texts from the 'cannon' as well as a few young adult texts which are particularly relevant to the discussions presented on this page.
 * //Jane Eyre// by Charlotte Bronte
 * //Little Women// by Louisa May Alcott
 * //A Doll's House// by Henrik Ibsen
 * //The Awakening// by Kate Chopin
 * //The House of Mirth// by Edith Wharton
 * //Pygmalion// by George Bernard Shaw (musical: //My Fair Lady//)
 * //A Room of One's Own// by Virginia Wolf
 * //The Feminine Mystique// by Betty Friedan
 * //Ain't I a Woman?// by Sojourner Truth
 * //The Color Purple// by Alice Walker
 * //Their Eyes were Watching God// by Zora Neal Hurston
 * //Pride and Prejudice// by Jane Austen
 * //The Scarlett Letter// by Nathanial Hawthorne
 * //The Story of an Hour// by Kate Chopin
 * //I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings// by Maya Angelou
 * //Lysistrata// by Aristophanes
 * Shakespeare - particularly //Romeo & Juliet, Othello//, and //Much Ado About Nothing//
 * //The Hunger Games// - Suzanne Collins
 * //Speak// - Laurie Halse Anderson
 * //The House on Mango Street// - Cisneros
 * //The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks// - E. Lockhart