Globalization and Women

Suggested Activities

Students explore the impact of globalization on women by assessing whether globalization presents greater opportunities or challenges for women in relation to issues of quality of life, labour and entrepreneurship.

Research opportunities and challenges of globalization for women
Ask students to research the opportunities and challenges presented by globalization for women in these areas:

• quality of life; e.g., equality, freedom, access to health care, traditional roles and lifestyles
• labour; e.g., working conditions, rates of pay
• entrepreneurship ; e.g., business opportunities, economic self-reliance.

Assign groups of students to research these issues in countries representing one of three economic systems: more economically developed system, less economically developed system or a transitional economic system. Direct students to investigate the globalizing forces in their designated economic system and to look for implications for women in terms of opportunities and challenges.

You may want to adapt the charts and strategies in Positive and Negative Factors (Support Material) to structure and assess this activity.

Assess credibility of Web sites
This topic is ideally suited to research on the Internet. Assist students in identifying appropriate search terms to use in framing focused Internet searches. Use examples to introduce or reinforce the factors students should consider when judging the credibility of a Web site; e.g., authorship, sponsorship, sources of ideas, indicators of care. You might want to require that each group access 10 Web sites and select the six or seven most reliable sites.

See Assessing Web Site Credibility (Modelling the Tools) for detailed suggestions on how to teach and assess the tools for helping students assess the Web sites.

Identify patterns of effects
After students have completed their research, direct them to note the implications for each aspect on women in the three kinds of economies. Discuss emergent patterns. For example, women in affluent countries may benefit from various aspects of globalization, whereas these same aspects may negatively impact women in developing countries, or vice versa. Women in affluent countries may be impacted negatively from various aspects of globalization, whereas these same aspects may positively affect women in developing countries. Invite students to speculate on possible reasons for these results.