申論題

2. Please read the following passage, “Iceland’s Road to Gender Equality," and design a four-period lesson plan to guide 11th graders in your English class. In your lesson plan, please specify learning objectives and activities. 

                                            Iceland’s Road to Gender Equality

    Iceland is a small island nation known for its breathtaking landscapes, boiling mud pools, and stunning views of the northern lights. But how many know that this country of only around 360,000 people is also home to the world’s most gender-balanced society? For the last decade, Iceland has ranked number one on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index.

    The path to equality began on October 24, 1975, when 90% of the female population participated in the “Women’s Day Off” to protest against wage inequality and other gender-related social injustices. That day, instead of going to work, cooking meals, looking after children, or doing domestic chores, Icelandic women hoping for change took to the streets in protest. With the majority of women going on strike, the country fell into complete chaos. Banks and factories came to a standstill as many of their employees were women, flights were grounded because there was no one to provide service, and without actresses, theaters had to cancel performances. Additionally, mothers striking all day long simply left children in the care of their husbands. Since the mainly female-run schools and nurseries were closed, fathers were thus forced to take their children with them to work. Some men bought candy and colored pencils in a desperate effort to keep their children entertained, while others offered rewards to their older kids to have them take care of the younger ones.

     This protest paralyzed the entire nation. However, if it had not been for this protest, public opinion would not have changed and support for gender equality would not have grown. One year later, Iceland established the Gender Equality Council and passed the Gender Equality Act, banning gender discrimination in the workplace and in schools. Then, in 1980, an even bigger triumph was achieved when Iceland elected the world’s first female president of a democratic country.

    However, despite all the progress the country had made, the fight for gender equality was not yet over. In 2005, Iceland’s pay gap showed that women were, on average, still being paid only 64.15% of what men earned. So, on the thirtieth anniversary of the Women’s Day Off, women organized another strike. They left work at 2:08 p.m.—the exact time at which they started working for free compared with men. In 2016, women in Iceland again left work early, this time at 2:38 p.m. This was to remind people that the average woman still earned just 70.42% of the salary usually given to men.

    Finally, Iceland decided to get tough on inequality. In 2018, it became the first country to legally demand that men and women be paid equally. The revolutionary new law required that companies with at least twenty-five employees obtain a certificate proving that they were following national equal pay policies; otherwise, they would face heavy fines. Today, this Nordic wonderland has some of the world’s strictest laws on workplace equality. Despite having achieved so much, the country continues to take bold steps to eliminate gender discrimination and become a fairer society where every person is treated equally. But for Iceland’s marvelous efforts in this regard, the rest of the world would not have such a wonderful role model to follow.