Benevolence Sexism And Its Impact On Women 's Accomplishments

Throughout history, women have been regarded as of lesser value than men particularly in the public sphere. This is the result of gender stratification. Gender stratification refers to the issue of sexism, “or the belief that one sex is superior to the other” (Carl et al., 2012, p. 78). The theory that men are superior to women is essential to sexism. Sexism has always had negative consequences for women. It has caused some women to avoid pursuing successful careers typically described as “masculine”—perhaps to avoid the social impression that they are less desirable as spouses or mothers, or even less “feminine.”

Sexism is the unequal treatment between sexes, more so the attitudes and beliefs about people based on their sex and is more prominent amongst women. It is the failure to give equal weight to women’s interests and is important because it undermines the welfare of one-half of the human population.

American sexism has changed dramatically over the years, but it is far from perfect. Today many women in America face sexism in many areas throughout their lives; especially in workplaces. Women face sexist stereotype that holds them back from rising up as corporate ladders, especially in jobs that have a high ratio of men compared to women. Sexist comments such as “women are weak to do this kind of job” , “these are men 's jobs” and ”women are too emotional to work” often causes a woman to be cautious of how she acts, making sure she is not feminine or that she does not cause trouble or repercussions. But, that is not all sexism is doing, often times women face discrimination at workplaces especially after entering motherhood.

Sexism is defined as prejudice or discrimination based on a person’s sex or gender. Although sexism is often discussed in regards to females, it affects both males and females. Statistically though, it affects more women on average than men. Sexism can occur in many different situations and has two distinctly different forms. Hostile sexism is a more overt form of sexism that encompasses the negative evaluations and stereotypes about a gender. Examples include actions such as promoting a male employee over a female employee simply based on gender and stereotypes about women such as the idea that women belong in the kitchen. Benevolent sexism is sometimes more difficult to identify in an everyday setting as it is covert and appears subjectively positive. Benevolent sexism is harmful as it perpetuates the ideas that women are weaker than men and are not capable of doing

Today in society it can be agreed that women have indeed gained many rights that were not accessible to them 100 years before. Although, despite the mentality that men and women are treated equally there are still very many discrepancies between the treatment of genders. Many of which can be attributed to the expectations placed on the genders, gender roles between both genders, and women in the workplace. These issues have caused a great rift to form between the genders, a rift that has caused one gender to claim dominance over the other and this can develop a sense of inferiority by the submissive gender.

Sexism is generally associated with women but, when researching the effects it also has on men, my opinion has shifted. One of the first times we identify sexism dates back to the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. At this time, due to a woman’s deceitful moral compass, settlers had the belief that women had to rely on men. Due to the religious beliefs at this time, and the story of Adam and Eve, women were deemed corrupt and untrustworthy. Feminine sexism has been around for decades but, we are just recently recognizing that men are victims of this disturbing phenomenon. (Tracy)

Often times, benevolent sexism is mistaken for a well-intentioned compliment. However, there are real world dangers that come with assigning a stereotype to an individual. Within business, one of the most common forms of benevolent sexism is assuming that because a woman has the ability to bear children she should engage in any nurturing roles. Melanie Tannenbaum elucidates the issue with labeling women as more caring, maternal, and compassionate in the 2013 article, “The Problem When Sexism Just Sounds So Darn Friendly”. Tannenbaum states:

From short stories like “The Yellow Wallpaper,” to the court cases like Ellen Pao’s Suit vs. Kleiner Perkins, and even a data book like Women in the Labor Force, it is clear to see that inequality and mistreatment of women still exists today. People often say that inequality is a thing of the past, however it has been a serious problem since the dawning of civilization itself, and it is still so today. Women are often seen as lesser beings than men, and are treated accordingly. It is getting better, and women are starting to take their rightful places as equals in the workforce, and as equals in general. However, the world still has a long way to go before the inequality and mistreatment of women comes to a complete stop.

While sexism is no longer as overt a practice as in the past, it is arguably just as pervasive. bell hooks’ life as an academic has been spent trying to breakdown the existent sexist barriers, which have prohibited women from achieving equality with men.

“I have plowed and reaped and husked and chopped and mowed, and can any man do more than that?” (Sojourner Truth) Truer words were never spoken in 1851 and in 2016 as well. Gender should not affect the way others view women, but in a city like Chicago, where 87% of women between the ages of 16-64 have personally experienced sexual harassment by a male stranger, sexism is still clearly an issue today. Our research and classic readings in our HWOC class suggest that women are often perceived as being lesser and are treated differently than men in the arts, in sports, at the office, and on the streets. This cultural mindset needs to change if sexism is to remain only on the pages of classic literature and be erased from local communities and modern society.

In modern america sexism is slowly diteriating, but it has not complitly disappeared. Women have worked hard to become astronaut, Ceos, presidentsdoctors and more, but even with these accomplishments women are still discriminated against. Women face a variety of stereotypes in the work place that prevent them from progress, some company's really think that women don't need equal pay because they are not the head of the house hold and their husbands paycheck should do the job. Other business corporations believe that women can not committed to a job because they are the primary caregiver of their children which causes companies to lose money every time there is an emergency. "The paradox is that the world of rigid and hierarchical sex roles

Gender inequality is a battle that is still being fought today. There is need to change the way women are treated in work, at school, and across the world. When women realize - that intentionally or not - they are being treated unfairly, their confidence diminishes. Today’s society is in need of some major changes towards equal treatment.

From the get involved assignment, I learned of two kinds of sexism: hostile and benevolent sexism. Hostile sexism involve negative feelings towards women such as “women are incompetent”; while benevolent sexism a knight-in-shining armor ideology that offers protection and affection to women who conform to traditional gender roles (ASI: Understanding prejudice). Furthermore, benevolent women may want the protection of males when they find themselves in certain situations and places that they find particularly dangerous (Yoder 2017).

Throughout the last forty years, American society and history has improved with the advancement of technology and education practices. Because of these increasing advances, there has been an increase in the work opportunities for both men and women. However, previous studies have shown that one gender has had better opportunities than the other. Throughout time, women have slowly worked towards independence and have gained some access to what men have been doing, however, women have not been able to gain full equality in the workforce and in society itself. Many stereotypes and discriminatory practices act as barriers to women because who try to advance themselves in the workforce. The way people like to justify the unfairness is the fact that

Throughout history, countless acts of gender inequality can be identified; the causes of these discriminating accounts can be traced back to different causes. The general morality of the inequity relies on a belief that men are superior to women; because of this idea, women have spent generations suffering under their counterparts. Also, a common expectation is that men tend to be more assertive and absolute because of their biological hormones or instinctive intellect. Another huge origin is sexual discrimination; even in the world today, many women are viewed by men as just sex objects rather than a real human being with