Chapter 17: Going Beyond the Single Story of Suffrage: Teaching Gender Rights and Protests through Film

Researchers have continually shown that gender-related topics are grossly underrepresented in social studies curriculum, textbooks, standards and instruction, (Hahn, Bernard-Powers, Crocco, & Woyshner, 2007; Schmeichel, 2011; Winslow, 2013; Woyshner, 2002; Woyshner & Schocker, 2015). Woyshner (2012) noted that women and gender issues are absent from instruction in social studies classrooms and that women in history are mostly addressed during Women’s History Month (March). Bohan (2017) notes that there have been recent trends in print and online resources for teaching about women, but explains “there is a dearth of research studies that evaluate the impact of these resources” (p. 237).

Even when represented, these portrayals are often problematic. Researchers have noted that when women are included they are still portraying traditional gender roles (Bickford & Rich, 2014; Woyshner & Schocker, 2015). Engrebretson (2014) argued that the revised National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) standards also holds a hidden discourse that undermines the value of women as historical actors.