Grace for President (Gender Issues in Government)

               2016 has become a very influential year when discussing women’s issues, particularly due to the upcoming election.  I know this is a touchy subject for this reason, so I want to first make the disclaimer that these statements are generalizations about women’s issues in general, and do not reflect my opinion about our 2016 election.

               Gender equality has been an issue for a very long time, but we are slowly making progress due to Women’s Rights organizations such as Women for Women International, as well as educational initiatives.  In particular, I believe that a very integral way to help us understand and cope with these issues is by teaching young children how these inequalities affect our everyday lives.

               A children’s book that addresses gender issues, specifically in our US government, is Grace for President by Kelly Dipucchio.  This realistic fiction story is about a girl named Grace who realizes that there have been no female presidents in the in our country so far.  She is appalled, so she requests to have a classroom election where she can show others how great a female president can be.  However, she faces some issues when a popular boy named Thomas becomes her opponent. 

               This story clearly illuminates the inequality women face in attaining positions of authority.  Thomas as publicized as “the man for the job” and doesn’t try to win votes from his peers, but rather continues his normal day-to-day life.  Conversely, Grace constantly campaigns and makes herself a positive public figure within her school.  Even then, she only wins the election by a hair.  One online article suggests, in summation, that many women don’t run for office primarily because they feel bullied and intimidated by men due to stereotyping throughout the years (Kurtzleben, 2016).  This is a very real situation Grace herself stands against.

               Students would easily be able to relate to this issue due to recent political situations.  Before reading the book, it would be very beneficial to discuss what kind of person children imagine being in government.  What would they look like?  What actions should they make or opinions should they have?  In third grade or above, I would also suggest actually having students run an election where every candidate’s voice is valued despite the gender.  Students should also be encouraged to research past and present government figures when getting ideas for their campaign.  After running this election, it would be interesting to ask the students the above questions again and to note or highlight any changes in stance.

               This electoral process and discussion of women’s issues would highlight many Common Core Standards in Social Studies.  The Culture standards in every grade highlight how our culture is influenced by generational understandings and how our beliefs affect tolerance in our communities. 

               Here is a website that lists many more children’s books about women in politics:  A Mighty Girl (2012-2016). Civics / Government. Retrieved from  http://www.amightygirl.com/books/general-interest/civics-government .

References:

Kurtzleben, D. (2016). Almost 1 in 5 Congress Members Are Women.  Here’s How Other Jobs Compare . Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2016/06/11/481424890/even-with-a-female-presumptive-nominee-women-are-underrepresented-in-politics

Dipucchio, K. (2008). Grace for President. New York, NY: Scholastic.

Public Schools of North Carolina (2016). Standard Course of Study: Social Studies Essential Standards. Retrieved from http://www.dpi.state.nc.us/curriculum/socialstudies/scos/#unpacking