The Training of Trainers Manual - UNFPA

■ Women should remain virgins until they are married.
■ Having sex is a good way for a man to prove his masculinity.
■ Getting pregnant is an acceptable way for a girl to prove her fertility.
Closure
Distribute Handout 6. Sex and Gender. Read through the definitions and ask if the participants have any
questions.
Exercise: Media images analysis
Objective
To have participants analyse how women and men are portrayed in the media and how
images may reinforce or challenge gender-based stereotypes
Time
25 minutes
Materials
Pictures from newspapers and magazines, flip charts, markers
Suitable for
All training and field work
Process
Before the workshop, collect images (advertisements, cartoons, articles) from magazines and
newspapers that show women or men in different circumstances. They should include images that both
reinforce and challenge stereotypes. Positive and negative images should also be used, as there is a
tendency among participants in this exercise to criticize each image without acknowledging that there
are positive images. It is helpful if you can make overhead transparencies of the images.
Divide the participants into groups of three people. Give each group a large sheet of paper, a marker,
and three images.
Explain that stereotypes are beliefs or assumptions that seem so ‘natural’ that many of us do not question
them. Even if we do not hold these beliefs, we hear or see them expressed over and over − for example,
in the media. We need to understand how stereotypes can affect our attitudes and behaviour.
Ask the participants to look at the images they have received and answer the following questions for
each image:
■ What is the main message the image gives about women or men
■ Does the image show women or men in a positive or negative way
■ Does the image reinforce or challenge gender-based stereotypes
■ Would you like yourself (or your mother or father, or your brother or sister) to be shown this way in
public Why or why not
Section 5. Annexes
187