Considering Types

Looking at the five types of argument explained in Writing Public Lives, I can see how some would work well for my project and others would not.

Found Animals Foundation. "Cat Argument 3". 8-29-11 via Flickr. CC A-SA 2.0. 

Position
I don't think this would work because I'm not really "defend[ing] a specific policy, position, or idea in a controversial debate"; if anything, I'm trying to make the gender gap a controversial debate so that more gets done about it. Maybe in a few years, once it's a bigger deal and there are actually more parties involved, I could write a position argument defending my favorite point of view, but I think for now to write a position piece would be to assume more people are interested than there actually are.

Casual
I believe this is the way to go. I hope to highlight "one set of causes for a particular problem" in my project and I think that the casual argument will allow me to do that without taking too much time and energy to address other things. Especially since there isn't really a widespread active opposition to the movement for equality, I think that a casual argument would allow me to make my point without making a fuss.

Evaluative
I think this could be an effective form of argument for my project because I could definitely "evaluate specific public policies and proposed solutions" in my description of the gender gap and how it is affecting our society. Title IX would be one of those policies/solutions that I would reference, but I think I want to make more of a statement than an evaluative argument would make.

Proposal
I'm not proposing anything in this piece. I was thinking about proposing a solution to the gender gap but I changed that and now I'm more worried about the gap itself and spreading awareness. With that purpose, the proposal (if any) is that people should tell their friends and family about the gap and how they're worried about what will happen if it continues to exist.

Refutation
I definitely don't think refutation is the way to go because I'm not refuting anything. If anything, I'm describing the problem and providing evidence for why we should work towards change. In a refutation I would have to bring up "harmful public effects", but I only want to focus on the gender gap and the way it is holding us back.