“Malala Yousafzai: A Young Female Activist”: Discussion Guide

This discussion guide accompanies the teaching case, “Malala Yousafzai: A Young Female Activist.” The case traces the story of Malala Yousafzai, who has advocated passionately for girls’ right to education. In October 2012, a militant group with ties to the Taliban shot 14-year-old Yousafzai in the head as she was riding the school bus home after a day of classes. Yousafzai recovered and became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2014. This case explores the social factors that made such an attack possible and why there continue to be such barriers to educational opportunities for girls. This discussion guide includes suggested discussion questions and recommended readings.

“Malala Yousafzai: A Young Female Activist” is a part of a teaching pack that explores how factors within a society influence women’s health, in particular gender-based violence, at both the societal and individual levels, and examines the critical role of leadership in effecting positive change. By reading three short cases, each of which illustrates an example of gender-based violence in a specific cultural context, students can analyze the circumstances that placed each protagonist in vulnerable positions; examine the commonalities and differences of these situations in an effort to understand the circumstances that affect women’s well-being; and explore the connections between collective outrage, reactive action, and leadership. The other cases in this series are: “India’s Daughter: The Rape that Galvanized a Nation” and “Steubenville, Ohio: A Community’s Reckoning of Responsibility”; the teaching pack also includes an instructor’s note, discussion guides, an annotated bibliography, and a select glossary of terms.