Women and Power — English Bac SMB

Dans le programme du Bac SMB

English carries a coefficient of 2 in the Bac Sciences Maths B (SMB) stream, level with Philosophy. Mathematics dominates the stream (coefficient 9), followed by Physics-Chemistry and Engineering Sciences (coefficient 7 each), so English can look marginal — but it and Philosophy form the narrow margin where rankings and honours are actually decided. Reading, language and guided writing are all assessed.

À l'épreuve

Three parts: Reading Comprehension, Language, and Writing (a guided text of about 180 words). SMB candidates, trained to be rigorous and systematic, do well on the Language section if they treat each grammar point as a rule with a fixed structure; the risk is a dry essay that ignores vocabulary range and register, which the Writing section also scores.

Objectifs d'apprentissage

Reuse this vocabulary field in the Bac SMB Reading answers and in the argumentative essay (coefficient 2)
Use the vocabulary of gender equality: gender equality, gender gap, discrimination, stereotype
Describe the obstacles women in power face: glass ceiling, gender pay gap, bias
Use the vocabulary of empowerment: empowerment, leadership, role model
Argue in a nuanced way about progress made and inequalities that persist

Notions clés

Gender equality and inequality

gender equality, gender gap (the overall gap between genders), gender pay gap (the pay gap specifically), discrimination, stereotype (gender stereotype). E.g. “The gender pay gap remains a major issue in many industries.”

The glass ceiling and bias

glass ceiling (an invisible barrier holding women back from the top positions), bias (an unconscious prejudice) — key phrases for describing structural obstacles.

Empowerment and leadership

empowerment, leadership, role model — positive vocabulary used to describe progress and inspiring figures in positions of power.

Erreurs fréquentes

Confusing gender gap (the general gap between men and women, across all areas) with gender pay gap (specifically the pay gap): the second is a special case of the first.

Using discrimination with no precise complement: specify gender discrimination to avoid ambiguity with other forms.

Writing an essay that ignores the progress made: a nuanced development mentions both the advances (more women leaders than 50 years ago) and the inequalities that persist.

Exemple corrigé

Énoncé

Write a sentence using both glass ceiling and empowerment to describe how the place of women in business is changing.

Correction

Set up the contrast between obstacle and progress. Use glass ceiling for the lasting obstacle, empowerment for the progress under way.

Link the two with a contrast connector. although / while fit to contrast a remaining problem with a positive change.

Result. “Although the glass ceiling still prevents many women from reaching top executive positions, growing empowerment programmes are helping more of them break through it.”

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3 exercices pour t'entraîner

Exercice 1

Easy

Find the meaning of “glass ceiling”: (an invisible career barrier / a glass roof / a transparent window)

Voir la correction

an invisible career barrier — the phrase names an unseen obstacle that holds women back from the highest positions.

Exercice 2

Medium

Complete: “Despite having the same qualifications, she was paid less than her male colleague — a clear case of the ___.” (gender pay gap / role model / empowerment)

Voir la correction

gender pay gap — the context describes exactly a pay gap between a man and a woman with equal qualifications.

Exercice 3

Hard

Explain in one sentence why the word stereotype can partly account for the glass ceiling.

Voir la correction

Gender stereotypes (for instance the idea that leadership is a “naturally” male quality) unconsciously influence promotion decisions, helping to create and maintain the glass ceiling that holds women back from top management positions.

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Questions fréquentes

How do I illustrate this theme with Moroccan or international examples?

Naming well-known figures (ministers, scientists, business leaders, Moroccan or international) makes the essay more concrete; you can also mention public policies promoting parity (quotas, parental leave).

Should I only talk about women in politics?

No; the theme of “power” also covers science, business, education and culture — varying the areas in an essay shows a broader reflection than the political example alone.

Does empowerment have a simple synonym?

Words like “self-determination” or “emancipation” come close, but empowerment also stresses the idea of giving someone the concrete means (skills, confidence, resources) to act on their own situation.

A maths-stream student often dislikes English — how do they raise the mark?

Treat it as structure. Every writing task = introduction + argument + counter-argument + conclusion; every grammar point = one rule + one correct example + one typical mistake. Memorise that framework, apply it to the 31 chapters with two example sentences each, and 12/20 is reachable without eating into the heavy maths programme.

How do I use this theme in the Bac SMB essay without sounding generic?

Anchor each key term in one concrete, personal example — a place, a person, a situation you know. A specific illustration in accurate English scores better than a long list of terms with no support, on any of the society prompts in the programme.