Are you promoting gender fairness in your school?

This illustrated booklet for youth depicts what gender fairness actually looks like in a school, classroom or at home through everyday scenes, from sharing chores to equal opportunities for girls and boys in participation and leadership electing a class leader.

The booklet is part of Raising Voices' Good School Toolkit. It is designed to be read and discussed by teachers, students and parents. It opens with a simple conversation between characters exploring what 'gender' means, and builds from there into a series of short scenes depicting everyday gender discrimination: a girl kept home from school to do chores while her brother is not, a woman silenced in a community meeting, and a boy mocked by a teacher for reporting being bullied rather than fighting back.

Each scenario is followed by discussion on gender discrimination. The booklet then introduces the idea of gender equity, and works through further scenarios covering menstrual health facilities, leadership positions, career aspirations and support for pregnant students.

The booklet closes with concrete lists of actions for schools to promote gender fairness and a list of actions parents can take at home. 

This resource is from Raising Voices, an organisation working to prevent violence against women and children in Uganda, including through the SASA! approach and the Good School Toolkit for schools.

Key messages

• The booklet uses illustrated everyday scenarios to teach youth about gender-based discrimination, the difference between biological sex and socially constructed gender roles, and gender equity.
• Concrete scenarios help youth understand these concepts in practice. The booklet encourages readers to consider how gender norms are set — and can be changed — at individual and societal levels.
• The booklet concludes with specific school level actions, including flexible social roles, sanitary facilities for menstrual management, and career guidance beyond gender stereotypes. A parallel set of recommendations is offered directly to parents, covering valuing girls' education and building trusting relationships with children.