Learning About Careers through National Women's History Month
By Lisa Frederiksen Bohannon
Often students ask, “Why study Women’s History? Why isn’t there a Men’s History Month?” Good questions, to be sure. To stimulate the discussion of why we celebrate Women’s History Month, consider giving your students the quiz that you can download here and duplicate as needed for your students.
The National Women’s History Project led the successful campaign to have Congress and the President annually proclaim March as Women’s History Month.
Exploring Women’s History Through Careers
A common way to celebrate Women’s History Month is to explore the career paths of current, famous women, such as those listed below. Instead of using women whom students have read about only in history books, have them learn about women who are active and working still today. Ask students to consider their age? Of the “firsts” identified in the Quiz, which ones applied to these women? What did these women study in college? What was developing or happening in society and the world when these women became revolutionaries? For example, where did Rebecca Lobo learn to play basketball; did Title IX have any influence on how she got to play for the WNBA? Here are some links to just five women:
Senator Diane Feinstein, U.S. Senator from California
U.S. Army General Claudia Kennedy, first woman 3-star general.
New York Liberty’s Rebecca Lobo, one of the WNBA’s hottest stars
Secretary of State, Madeline Albright, first female Secretary of State
Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, current Secretary of State
YOU CAN HELP SUPPORT AWARENESS OF WOMEN’S ACHIEVEMENTS – Email us about the women your students have researched. Send us any links to sites for these women that your students find so that we can add them to the list above (we will be happy to provide the school name that provided the information!).
You’ll find biography books and more information about careers at the Career Kids’ website.
Additional Resources for National Women’s History Month Celebrations:
The National Women’s History Project offers suggestions for promoting Women’s History Month: http://www.nwhp.org/whm/promoting.php.
Discovery Education website offers a wide variety of Women’s History Month celebration activities for all ages.
The National Women’s History Museum offers, “A Women’s History Calendar: Events Listed by State,” at http://www.nwhm.org/Calendar/events_calendar.html.
Lisa Frederiksen Bohannon is the author of four biographies on famous women leaders in the women’s and civil rights movements and is a national speaker on women’s and civil rights issues. Visit her website for details: http://www.lfbohannon.com.