Amount of Women's History Classes Taught in lowa High Schools

Abstract

In a 2017 report on the status of women, the Smithsonian magazine found that “737 specific historical figures, 559 men and 178 women, or approximately 1 woman for every 3 men—are mentioned in the standards in place as of 2017." Upon my entering ISU in 2019 and participating in Women and Gender Studies courses, I found many students in the classroom echoed the same ideology as the 2017 report, which begged the question "where are all the women in U.S. history?".

In pursuit of the answer to this question and to determine the extent of women's history taught in high schools, in 2021, I sent out surveys to Iowa high school teachers and students and compiled data from these results. My survey results reflect teacher and student perspectives on how much women’s history curriculum is taught in Iowa high schools. My research found that only 3.8% of teachers believe their curriculum had a strong focus on women’s history and 64.7% of teachers said there was not a balance between women's and men's historical contributions in the curriculum. Much like the teachers, 80.8% of students suggested there is a stronger focus on men in history classes and 75.7% said their classes focus little on women’s history.

My research project continues to explain the importance of this curriculum in K-12 education and gives a cost-effective lesson plan over six school days. With every idea comes anticipated obstacles; my project also recognizes the various legislative barriers to giving a full recount of history and what the future for women's representation in history classes may look like in the state of Iowa.