Empowering voices

When in class I once asked a group of teenage learners to name a famous scientist, every answer I received was male. Only when I showed them a picture of Rita Levi-Montalcini did one student whisper, “Oh yes, I know her.” That moment reminded me how easily the contributions and voices of women can fade into the background of what we teach and how important it is to make them visible again.

By women’s empowerment, we mean helping women and girls to recognize and claim their rights, their voices, and their ability to shape the world around them. At the same time, it involves engaging men and boys in questioning stereotypes, valuing equality, and becoming active allies. True empowerment is not about one group gaining at the expense of another, but about fostering confidence, agency, and equal opportunities for everyone, in both personal choices and public life.

Bringing this theme into the EFL classroom gives learners new perspectives, challenges stereotypes, and connects language learning to real-world issues. Through texts, videos, and discussions, students can explore stories of resilience and creativity, compare cultural views, and reflect on their own beliefs. Teaching women’s empowerment in this way nurtures empathy, critical thinking, and global citizenship.

Introducing the Theme: Historical Silencing

One way to begin is by looking back at moments when women’s voices were marginalized. For example, when starting a chapter on the birth of the novel (Lifelines Literatures, p.14), students are asked to reflect on three guiding questions:

1. Can you name any women novelists who were writing at the same time as Defoe and Swift?
2. What does this information suggest about women’s role in literary history?
3. Imagine you lived during the time of Defoe and Swift and had a story to tell. What challenges do you think you might face as a woman trying to share your voice?

For the first question, it is common that students struggle to provide an answer. This highlights how women’s contributions have often been overlooked, creating a powerful teaching moment: historical silencing is visible in the gaps of students’ knowledge.

The third question often sparks the richest discussion. By asking all students, girls and boys alike, to imagine themselves in the position of a woman at that time, they consider both social barriers and the personal courage required to break through them. This imaginative exercise builds empathy and a deeper sense of how power and voice connect to literary history. As Claire Kramsch (2022) suggests, thought-provoking questions like these help language learners implicate themselves in the lives of others.

Practical activities for the EFL Classroom

To bring women’s empowerment into our classrooms, I have structured a set of practical activities around three key areas that help learners recognize, reflect on, and actively practice equality and inclusion.

1. Visibility and Voice

Empowerment starts with being seen and heard; recognizing women’s contributions historically and today.

Activities for young learners:

• Read a short, age-appropriate story about a woman achieving something extraordinary (e.g., Mae Jemison’s space journey, Simone Biles in gymnastics).
• Students draw a picture of her achievement and write one sentence describing it.
• In small groups, they role-play moments from the story, practicing speaking and retelling while reflecting on the woman’s courage and agency.

Activities for teenagers:

• Students read a passage fromFoe by J. M. Coetzee in which Susan Barton asserts her right to tell her story on her own terms (see Lifelines, Literatures, p.16).
• They first complete a sentence-matching exercise highlighting key themes: autonomy, freedom, and control over one’s narrative.
• Students then discuss in pairs one or more of the following questions:
  1. How does Susan’s decision to tell her story on her own terms challenge traditional expectations of women’s voices?
  2. Go back to a time when you wanted to express yourself but faced pressure to conform. What did you do?
• Additional activities:
  c. Identify words and phrases in the passage that signal Susan’s independence.
  d. Write a short paragraph or diary entry “as Susan,” asserting your right to tell your story.

2. Language and Power

Language is never neutral. It can reinforce stereotypes, silence certain groups, or empower them. Teaching learners to notice and use language thoughtfully promotes gender equity.

Real-life examples:

• Gendered job titles:fireman  firefighter, chairman vs. chairperson.
• Media headlines describing women in appearance-based terms but men in achievement-based terms.
• Activists and writers who advocate for inclusive language, e.g., Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (We should all be feminists).

Activities for young learners:

1. Present simple sentences such as“The policeman helped the girl”.” Students rewrite them using neutral language: “The police officer helped the child.”
2. Match pictures of people in different jobs with neutral labels.
3. Classroom language rules:After a brief discussion (What words or phrases can make people feel included or excluded?), students agree on 5–7 simple rules for inclusive language (e.g., “We use words that include everyone,” “We don’t call people names or judge them by gender”). Display the rules in the classroom and revisit them during lessons.
4. Students share their rewritten sentences and reflect on why inclusive language matters.

Activities for teenagers:

1. Examine texts, headlines, or media excerpts containing gender bias. In pairs or groups, highlight biased language and suggest neutral or empowering alternatives.
2. Discuss:
   1. How does language affect the way we see women and men?
   2. Can language reinforce stereotypes even if we don’t realize it?
3. Rewrite a biased paragraph or headline using inclusive language and explain your choices.
4. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie activity:
   1. Begin with a discussion:What does feminism mean to you?
   2. Read selected excerpts highlighting language that marginalizes women or challenges stereotypes.
   3. Students identify empowering language, discuss the role of male allies, and reflect on real-life examples.
5. Classroom language rules: Based on discussions and readings, students collaboratively draft 5–7 rules for using inclusive and respectful language, e.g.:
   1. Avoid gendered assumptions.
   2. Speak and write in ways that respect all identities.
   3. Challenge biased language politely.
6. Reflect in writing on how to apply these rules in school, social media, and daily life.

3. Alliances and social change

Empowerment involves society-wide participation; men and boys as allies are essential.

Activity for young learners:

Present simple situations where a girl is excluded from a game or activity, which is traditionally associated with boys. Children act out ways to include and support each other, emphasizing listening, empathy, and allyship.

Activities for teenagers:

• Explore stories of male allies supporting women’s rights (e.g., male politicians advocating for equal pay, boys supporting girls in sports clubs).
• Writing follow-up: Create a short action plan describing one step you could take to support equality.

Integrating these three areas, Visibility and Voice, Language and Power, and Alliances and social change, allows language teachers to develop lessons that are both linguistically and socially meaningful. From imagining the challenges women faced in literary history to reflecting on real-life role models, learners develop empathy, critical thinking, and global awareness.

Teaching women’s empowerment is not just about understanding achievements; it is about building classroom cultures where every voice is seen, heard, and valued, and where students of all genders can practice agency, solidarity, and equality in their everyday lives.

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