Jacqueline Delaat, Elizabeth M. Hawthorne and Anne Schroer-Lamont

Cases extend the realm of the students' personal experience by introducing them to situations in context that involve real decision about important issues that, like life, do not lend themselves to superficial or simple analyses. Gender cases present an area of complexity which many students are not prepared to address in their future workplace. The purpose of the workshop described below was to stimulate the writing of excellent cases on gender topics. The organization of the session was: an overview of pertinent issues, definition of a teaching case, discussion of sources for materials and resources for case situations, and characteristics for constructing a quality gender case. Small groups worked together to construct an outline of a case on gender issues in the workplace based on materials provided by the facilitators.

The elements of a teaching case focused on the story, or narrative, about a situation faced by an individual or organization; an introduction or setting providing the context for the decision; a decision point for an individual or a group; and data--facts, key actors' perspectives, and supporting material necessary to make the decision. Real situations are the most vital cases.

Five categories of gender issues in the workplace were outlined in the workshop: career development and mentoring issues; sexual harassment; gender discrimination in hiring, promotion, compensation, and benefits; stereotyping of work by gender; and balancing of work and family life. Not all cases where women play a role should be gender cases! Participants generated a series of interesting potential topics for the development of gender cases.

Participants shared specific and general sources for case materials of actual situations that could potentially be developed into teaching cases. Examples of these include: the Internet, e.g., http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/Topic/WomensStudies/GenderIssues, http://www.feminist.org; sexual harassment policies in organizations worldwide; legal cases; Chronicle of Higher Education and other periodicals; people in business/education; and professional associations' newsletters, e.g., "Women in Higher Education" and professional conferences, e.g., WACRA® conferences.

Case outlines developed addressed sexual harassment in the U.S. Army, a sexual harassment legal case against Mitsubishi (USA), and a draft case on a commuting marriage of two academics. Participants drew upon the following criteria for selecting or evaluating cases on gender issues in the workplace:

1. Does the case pose a clear gender issue, such as those in the five categories mentioned above?

2. Is sufficient information about the organizational culture in which the gender issues arise available or can such information be readily acquired or created for the case?

3. Does the situation make clear that men and women in similar circumstances are being treated differently?

4. Does the situation illustrate the difficulty of addressing gender issues in the workplace, not only for the individual experiencing the problem, but also for other actors in the organization?

5. Is the situation complex? Can it be viewed from a variety of perspectives? Do the actors have different values, perspectives, opinions, needs pertinent to the case?

6. Can missing information about the situation be acquired or, if not, can it be realistically fabricated to enhance the case?

7. Bonus (!) Does this lend itself to comparison of gender issues across borders?

If you have questions about writing and teaching gender cases contact us.

*Jacqueline Delaat is Professor Political Science & Leadership at Marietta College, OH, delaatj@ mcnet.marietta.edu, Elizabeth M. Hawthorne is Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Associate Professor of Higher Education, Penn State University Berks-Lehigh Valley College, PA and a Member of the WACRA® Executive Board, emh7@psu.edu and Anne Schroer-Lamont isAssociate Dean and Director of Counseling, Washington & Lee U, VA, ASLamont@fsadmin.uc.wlu.edu