Differences in socialization prepare males and females for different roles in the workplace and in leisure, spiritual and community events. In agricultural and pre-industrial societies, females typically handle planting, harvesting, picking and food preparation. They are assigned a social role with respect to their reproductive capacity and take secondary roles in religious, economic and artistic institutions.
In industrial societies, women's roles are confined within the domestic sphere (taking care of elders and children, house management, budget, food preparation and facilitating a man's life) because physical strength and advanced education are valued in industrial contexts and women will have been discouraged from attempting to compete with men in these areas (physical strength and education) from an early age.
In post-industrial society and in the case of people from wealthier families worldwide, females gradually gain access to salaries and social roles traditionally occupied by males, but they encounter resistance and incivility in professional and power situations insofar as few males welcome more competition for top jobs and as few males gravitate to traditional female jobs to make room. Women's work is considered less "productive" and is less paid and less prestigious in arrangements where competition for wealth, resources and power is pervasive.
This module introduces learners to basic corporate research/consulting and writing tasks using gender as a sample topic of study. The sequence of activities leads students to ask questions about gender, seek data, conduct inquiries on data base, and tailor their writing to serve company, development and sector needs. Learners are engaged with a short practical case asking them to study gender balance within an audit firm in order to improve recruitment and retension.