CBC Archives

Write the following quotation on the board or chart paper: “By breakfast time I wish I was going to the office instead of Daddy.” Inform students that this is a direct quotation from Clip #4 on the topic A Woman’s Place: Programming for the Modern Homemaker on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. The speaker is a young mother whose main role is to stay at home and care for her young children and she is feeling frustrated. (“Daddy” refers to her husband.) Lead a discussion about gender roles from that time period in Canadian society and compare and contrast them with gender roles of today. What are the major differences?

Divide the class into groups and assign each group one of the clips from the topic A Woman’s Place: Programming for the Modern Homemaker on the CBC Radio and Television Archives Web site. Students examine their clip to find information that will help them prepare a parody of that clip. They will write a parody in which they portray men in the roles that women play. Provide time for students to rehearse their parody. They can add costumes to reflect the time period of their clip.

Have each group perform its parody for the class. After each presentation, ask students the following questions:

What was the reaction of your audience? Why do you think the performance elicited such a reaction?

How did the male performers feel while delivering your performance? Why?

How might women of that time period have felt about their limited choices?

Students can research the treatment of women in countries where women have limited rights. What choices do those women have if they disagree with their roles?