Suggested Videos and Documentaries to Accompany Gender Inequality in Our Changing World: A Comparative Approach

Chapter Two: Work and Its Rewards

Medium length films (30–70 minutes)

“The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter” (1970, Connie Fields, 65 minutes)

A documentary based on interviews of five women – black and white, urban and rural, poor and middle-class – who took traditionally male-coded jobs during World War II. Many faced discrimination and harassment by male coworkers and employers even as they were publicly praised for helping the war effort.

Women in business, from “Makers 2: Women Who Make America” (2014, PBS, 60 minutes)

Examines the impact of the feminist movement on the business world today. Interviews famous and not-so-famous women and offers candid, sad, and humorous perspectives on what it was like to be pioneers in their fields.

“Maasai Women” (1974, Granada Television International, 52 minutes)

Although dated in many ways, this helpful ethnographic study focuses on the preparation of Maasai girls for womanhood, underlines how much power men had in traditional pastoral societies, and challenges the misperception that work itself necessarily makes women more powerful. You might note for students the casual reference to “circumcision” and ask what they think that means.

Women’s economic empowerment programs in Kenya, “Half the Sky,” disk 2, chapters 9–12 (2012, Docurama Films, 30 minutes)

Nicholas Kristof and Cheryl WuDunn examine a microfinance program and a Samburu women’s village that is based on the principles of separation from men and economic self-sufficiency.

Chapter Three: Families as the Crucible of Gender Inequality

Medium length films (30–60 minutes)

“The Double Shift” (1997, McIntyre Media, 51 minutes)

Introduces women from around the world – Canada, Mexico, Russia, Bangladesh, and the United States – who deal with stresses created by doing paid labor and non-paid care work. Also introduces the concepts of the glass ceiling and microloans. Narrated by Susan Sarandon.

“AshBash . . . A Love Story” (2012, HMV Productions, 56 minutes)

“Why aren’t you married?” This honest, humorous, and thought-provoking documentary follows one woman as she goes from panicking to embracing her single state – and invites 200 friends to celebrate her single life and its many good relationships. This film can help students explore the social pressures to get married, their families’ expectations, and their own internalized beliefs about gender, marriage, and relationships.

Longer films (>70 minutes)

“Rent a Family Inc.” (2012, Kasper Astrup Schroder, 80 minutes, in Japanese with English subtitles)

Ryuichi Ichinokawa is a Japanese husband and father of two who rents himself out as a stand-in for a husband, father, colleague, or boss. If necessary he can assemble an entire wedding party. His relationships with his own family, however, are very distant and non-functional. This documentary can provoke fruitful conversations about family life and social roles.

“A Midwife’s Tale” (2000, American Experience, 88 minutes)

Based on Laurel Ulrich’s Pulitzer Prize winning book by the same title, this film draws on a diary kept by goodwife and midwife Martha Ballard from 1785 to 1812. It is helpful for exploring the changes in families over the last 200 years, including economics, law, gender socialization, marriage, and family size.

Chapter Four: Gender and Violence

Short films (<30 minutes)

“Rethinking Sexual Assault Prevention in High School and College” (2013, TED Talks, 12 minutes)

A college junior and president of Male Athletes Against Violence, John Kalin argues that sexual assault prevention should occur where it is most needed: parties in high school and college. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRuPFmo15Tk

“Violence Against Women – It’s a Men’s Issue” (2013, TED Talks, 12 minutes)

Jackson Katz argues that gendered violence is a men’s issue because men perpetrate it, yet men are often left out of the conversation. He argues that men should take more ownership of the issue by talking with other men and making a public promise to help end violence against women. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTvSfeCRxe8

“Breaking Our Silence: Gloucester Men Speak Out Against Domestic Abuse” (2002, Media Education Foundation, 11 minutes)

A group of men from Gloucester, MA, show how men can come together to challenge the violent construction of masculinity and violence against women.

“How We Turned the Tide on Domestic Violence (Hint: The Polaroid Helped)” (2013, TED Talks, 11 minutes)

Esta Soler was one of the key advocates behind the 1994 Violence Against Women Act. In this optimistic talk she explains the thirty years of tactics and technologies that led to a 64 percent drop in domestic violence in the U.S. Her work now is to take the mission global.

Medium length films (30–70 minutes)

“Tough Guise 2: Violence, Manhood, and American Culture” (2013, Media Education Foundation, 78 minutes)

Argues that the ongoing epidemic of men’s violence in America is rooted in our inability as a society to move beyond outmoded ideals of manhood. Provides a stunning look at the violent, sexist, and homophobic messages boys and men routinely receive from media. Many students find its conclusions fascinating and provocative.

“Spin the Bottle: Sex, Lies, and Alcohol” (2004, Media Education Foundation, 45 minutes)

Jean Kilbourne and Jackson Katz team up to look at the gendered messages that surround alcohol, how popular culture glamorizes excessive drinking and high-risk behaviors, and how excessive alcohol consumption affects the lives of real young men and women.

“India’s Daughter” (2014, BBC, 63 minutes)

Tells the story of the life and death of Jyoti Singh, the young woman who was raped and killed on a bus in Delhi in 2012. Includes disturbing interviews with the rapists and others. Banned by the Indian government, this documentary helped continue the worldwide conversation about the reasons for rape in India and globally.

Gender-based violence in Sierra Leone, “Half the Sky,” disk 1, chapters 2–5 (2012, Docurama Films, 30 minutes)

Focuses on the case of a teenage girl who was raped in Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown. Provides a basis for discussing the difficulties associated with reporting gender-based violence to authorities, the stigma that can be attached to rape victims, and the hesitation of authorities to investigate gender-based violence, and what will be required for change.

“Lioness” (2010, Room 11 Productions, 56 and 82 minute versions)

Tells the story of a group of female Army support soldiers who were sent into combat in Iraq – without the same training as their male colleagues, but with a determination to serve as needed. The women reflect on their experiences both in Iraq and back home. Bonus features for the educational edition include a brief history of women in the U.S. military.

Chapter Five: The Control of Sexuality

Short films (<30 minutes)

“Let’s Put Birth Control Back on the Agenda” (2012, TED Talks, 25 minutes)

Melinda Gates argue that women’s ability to control their fertility is critical not just for the well-being of individual women, but also for solving many of the world’s most important challenges.

“Fifty Shades of Gay” (2012, TED Talks, 18 minutes)

iO Tillett Wright has photographed more than 2,000 people who consider themselves somewhere on the LGBTQ spectrum and asked many of them, “Can you assign a percentage to how gay or straight you are?” It turns out that most people exist in the gray zone, not 100 percent gay or straight.

Medium length films (30–70 minutes)

“The Purity Myth: The Virginity Movement’s War Against Women” (2011, Media Education Foundation, 45 minutes)

Hilarious and infuriating by turns, this film argues that evangelical Christians, right-wing politicians, and conservative activists have been raising irrational fears around young women’s sexuality in order to undermine women’s autonomy and roll back women’s rights. From political attacks on contraception and women’s reproductive health care, to “purity balls” and “abstinence only” classes, they teach that a woman’s worth depends on what she does, or does not do, sexually.

Intergenerational prostitution in India, “Half the Sky,” disk 2, chapters 5–8 (2012, Docurama Films, 30 minutes)

Nicholas Kristof and Cheryl WuDunn offer insight into the lives of prostitutes, the dangers for their children, and opportunities for interrupting the intergenerational cycle.

“Madams of the Barbary Coast” (2008, Chroma Production Services, 57 minutes)

Sympathetically explores the usually voluntary, occasionally forced, sex work done by women from around the world in San Francisco during the gold rush. Provides insight into how violent societies can be when the sex ratio tips heavily towards males.

Longer films (>70 minutes)

“Before Stonewall” (1985, First Run Features, 97 minutes)

This classic documentary outlines the cultural and social history of homosexuality in the United States from the 1920s to the 1970s, interviewing men and women who lived through these decades of intense repression and the beginning of liberation.

“After Stonewall” (2010, First Run Features, 78 minutes)

Continues the story into the new century, exploring the impact of AIDS and the hard work, successes, and defeats of the movement for equality.

See also “Too Cold Out There Without You” (chapter 1, 80 minutes), “Gen Silent” (chapter 6, 70 minutes), “Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin” (chapter 8, 84 minutes).

Chapter Six: Life and Death Matters: Consequences of Inequality

Medium length films (30–70 minutes)

Maternal Mortality in Somaliland, “Half the Sky,” disk 2, chapters 2–4 (2012, Docurama Films, 30 minutes)

Nicholas Kristof and Cheryl WuDunn explain why one in twelve women dies in childbirth in Somaliland (including but not only female genital cutting) and profile Edna Adan, who started the country’s first maternal health clinic. Students find this lens on maternal mortality remarkable.

“Gen Silent” (2011, Interrobang Productions, 70 minutes)

Follows the lives of six Boston-area LGBT seniors as they navigate the health care system and decide whether to go back into the closet to avoid stigmatization by caregivers. They experience both cruelty and grace. The people profiled include an interracial gay couple and a transgender woman facing terminal cancer while estranged from her family.

Longer films (>70 minutes)

“America the Beautiful” (2010, Xenon Films, 104 minutes)

An eye-opening documentary about how people are conditioned not to like the way they look and how America’s obsession with beauty can damage girls’ and women’s health.

Chapter Seven: Learning and Performing Gender in School

Short films (<30 minutes)

“For These Women, Reading Is a Daring Act” (2014, TEDGlobal 2014, 5 minutes)

Photographer Laura Boushnak traveled to parts of the world where half of the women are illiterate to highlight brave schoolgirls, activists, and mothers who are making change.

“Dare to Educate Afghan Girls” (2012, TEDxWomen, 9 minutes)

Twenty-two-year-old Shabana Basij-Rasikh runs a school for girls in Afghanistan, celebrates families who believe in their daughters, and tells the story of one brave father who stood up to local threats.

Malala Yousafzai receiving the Nobel Peace Prize (2014, YouTube, 11 minutes)

Malala Yousafzai is the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, which she won for her work promoting girls’ education and young people’s rights, and for surviving a Taliban bullet to the head. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmqF9Y2Yq1U

“New Data on the Rise of Women” (2010, TEDxWomen, 16 minutes)

Journalist Hannah Rosin shows that women are surpassing men in several important measures, such as educational achievement, and asks whether these trends – both in the U.S. and globally – will lead to an end of male dominance.

“War Against Boys” (2006, 60 Minutes, 15 minutes)

Though difficult to obtain, this segment from a 60 Minutes episode is a fine way to introduce students to the contemporary version of the “boy problem,” controversies about why it exists, and suggestions for dealing with it.

Medium length films (30–70 minutes)

Girls’ education in Vietnam, “Half the Sky,” disk 1, chapters 10–12 (2012, Docurama Films, 30 minutes)

Nicholas Kristof and Cheryl WuDunn examine both the obstacles to girls’ education in Vietnam and efforts to overcome them.

Longer films (>70 minutes)

“Girl Rising” (2013, Docurama, 103 minutes)

Inspiring documentary about nine girls in nine developing countries and the power of education to change the world.

Chapter Eight: Gender, Power, and Politics

Short films (<30 minutes)

“How We Turned the Tide on Domestic Violence (Hint: The Polaroid Helped)” (2013, TED Talks, 11 minutes)

Esta Soler was one of the key advocates behind the 1994 Violence Against Women Act. In this optimistic talk she explains the thirty years of tactics and technologies that led to a 64 percent drop in domestic violence in the U.S. Her work now is to take the mission global.

Medium length films (30–70 minutes)

Women in politics, from “Makers 2: Women Who Make America” (2014, PBS, 60 minutes)

Examines the impact of the feminist movement on American politics. Interviews famous and not‑so-famous women and offers candid, sad, and humorous perspectives on what it was like to be pioneers in their fields.

Longer films (>70 minutes)

“One Woman One Vote” (2006, PBS, 106 minutes)

Tells the story of the women’s suffrage movement from 1848 to 1920, featuring both individual leaders and the large numbers of women and men who were necessary to make the movement succeed.

“Makers: Women Who Make America” (2013, PBS, 170 minutes)

Brings to life the history of feminism since 1950, with powerful, poignant, and often funny interviews with trailblazing women like Hillary Rodham Clinton, Ellen DeGeneres, Gloria Steinem, Eleanor Holmes Norton, and Linda Alvarado, plus some of the countless “ordinary” women who challenged the status quo in industries from coal-mining to medicine. Makers captures the music, humor, and voices of women who lived through turbulent times.

“Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin” (2003, Passion River, 84 minutes)

An openly gay man and the organizer of the famous 1968 March on Washington, Bayard Rustin was a mentor to Martin Luther King Jr. but was not allowed to speak at the march he organized because he was gay. This award-winning documentary illuminates his life, what it was like to be a gay African-American man in mid-twentieth-century America, and the fuller history of the civil rights movement.

“Invoking Justice” (2011, Women Make Movies, 85 minutes)

In Muslim communities in southern India, family disputes are traditionally settled by all-male councils, known as Jamaats, that do not allow women to be present, even to defend themselves. In 2004 a group of women created a women’s Jamaat, which by 2011 had settled more than 8,000 cases. “Invoking Justice” shows meetings of the women’s Jamaat and how they gained power through community education, persistent and fair investigations, and holding local police and other men to account.

Chapter Nine: Religion and Gender Inequality

Short films (<30 minutes)

“The Courage to Tell a Hidden Story” (2014, TED Talks, 4 minutes)

Eman Mohammad is one of the few female photojournalists in the Gaza Strip. Though shunned by many of her male colleagues, she also has access to areas denied to men. In this short, visual talk she critiques gender norms in her community by bringing to light hidden stories.

“Art in Exile” (2010, TEDxWomen 2010, 11 minutes)

Shirin Neshat talks about the meanings of art for her as a female Iranian artist living in exile and how her work is interwoven with the history of Iran and her identity as a woman.

Medium length films (30–70 minutes)

“Women of Faith: Women of the Catholic Church Speak” (2009, Women Make Movies, 60 minutes)

Interviews seven women who are choosing to lead religious lives in the Roman Catholic tradition, including contemplative nuns, Maryknolls who have worked for justice in Central America, and a Womanpriest. They reflect on how women in the Church reconcile their religious, personal, and political beliefs and how they view Church teachings related to gender and sexuality.

Longer films (>70 minutes)

“Rights & Wrongs: The Story of Women in Islam” (2011, Women Make Movies, 135 minutes)

Alternates between telling the story of the early years of Islam and exploring some of the issues facing Muslim women today, including wearing the hijab, gender segregation in mosques, domestic violence, and honor killings. Draws on interviews with feminist Muslim scholars and journalists, who explain how different understandings of the Qur’an lead to very different cultural and religious practices.

See also “Too Cold Out There Without You” (chapter 1, 80 minutes), “Invoking Justice” (chapter 8, 85 minutes).