Is Europe a place where the rising number of divorces
caused by the role change of women in the society?
Lesson plan
Is Europe a place where the rising number of divorces is caused by
the role change of women in the society?
Is Europe a place where the rising number of divorces
caused by the role change of women in the society?
Overarching question:
Thematic question:
Rationale:
What kind of place is Europe and what kind of place
do you want it to be?
Is Europe a place where the role of man and women is
changing?
We think that students are aware of the development
of Slovakian society from the past to the present days
with regard to many points of view.
Links to subject content/ curriculum: Divorce is something that happens more and more in
Europe. There are different opinions and reasons for
this. This lesson explores the role-change of man and
women in every society and in Europe overall. Is there
a coherence between more working women and the
rising number of divorce in a country? We will really
focus on what has changed and how/ if that effects
the future.
Lesson focus question:
Is Europe a place where the rising number of divorces
is caused by the role change of women in the society?
Aims:
 The student is able to give arguments for his/ her decisions/ opinions
 The student is able to express the attitude toward the role of women and men within
the family
 The student is able to emphasize with the other gender´s perspectives
 The student is able to name two main developments within the society
Lesson activities:
Introductions ( 10 min) – today we are going to have a couple of discussions related to the
family values in our country and in comparison to the European Union and especially to the
United Kingdom. Presentation of the project EVE
1. strategy: mind map
Worksheets (every student is given one) – they fill in the mind maps
Instruction: as a start we want you to fill in all the words that come up when you see the
term divorce ( 10 min).
After they fill in the mind maps we discuss the words they have chosen
2. Strategy snowball ( 30 min)
a) students are divided into groups of 4. Each group is given 6 statements related to
family.
Firstly they have to choose 3 statement they all agree on. They should be able to give
arguments for their decisions.
Than as a groups of 8, they further agree on 2 statements.
Is Europe a place where the rising number of divorces
caused by the role change of women in the society?
At the end the teacher brings the discussion together. We will try to choose one suitable
statement based on the given arguments.
Statements:
- Marriage is an out-dated institution. Map 184
- Children are important for a successful marriage. Map 199
- Being a housewife is just as fulfilling as doing paid work. Map 209
- In general, fathers are as well suited to look after children as mothers. Map 216
- Having a job is the best way for a woman to be independent. Map 215
- Sharing household chores is important for a successful marriage. Map 198
b) Show the maps to compare their discovering to the opinion of an average Slovak, an
average English person and the European Union.
We go into details, we explain the effects of industrialization and modernization on
the development of the society. We can speculate about the Slovakian future in
comparison to the other European countries.
We have to mention that not only the role of women has changed during the years
but on the other hand, the role of men within a family has changed too. Men
nowadays are not only there to earn money but also take care of children.
The purpose of this activity is to let the students realize that everybody has other values.
Even in their own class people think different about marriage. When we show the maps and
discuss it, we will come to the point that in the old days, people agreed more on what is
important in a marriage and even in life.
3. Strategy role-play ( 10 min)
a) Instruction: The class is divided into pairs, if possible a boy and a girl.
Think of you as a woman and as a man. Do not follow only one view. Realize the situation.
Situation: There is a man and a woman. The third child is on its way. The woman´s salary is
higher than the man´s salary. Because of some circumstances one of the parents has to stop
working to become a houseman/ housewife. In your opinion: Who is it going to be? Explain
your choice and give arguments.
10 min answer the question from the beginning of the lesson:
There is not one true answer to the question. Everybody has another opinion and point of
view. The fact is that the society is and keeps on changing. With that the role of women has
changed as has the role of men. It is the individuals choice how much they participate and
react at the changing environment.
10 min questions about Netherlands – related to the topic – man/ woman in a family
5 min – evaluation – positive and negative about the lesson:
Did you like the lesson? Why?
What have you learned?
Is Europe a place where the rising number of divorces
caused by the role change of women in the society?
End
The second lesson we started with the mind map also. Because we had less time and a
bigger group we decided to do the snowball in combination with the fish bowl. As a group of
5, they had to choose 3 statements. Then they sat together as a group of 15. The teacher
choose one of the chosen statements and asked their opinion.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the
views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made
of the information contained therein.