Definition Of Sexism Essay

While reading “Gender,” an essay by Jack Halberstam, the topic of sexism was brought to the forefront of my mind. It has been brought up more often in conversation in the modern era, issues such as how a few cruel insults pertain to female reproductive anatomy and, in a sense, degrade females and ultimately identify them, as well as femininity, as inherently “bad”. Such a thought stemmed from how Halberstam touches on the “problematic stabilization of the meaning of ‘women’ and ‘female’”: meaning there is no room for argument when it comes to your gender—you’re either a girl or not. You either fit into a strict mold, or you do not.

Sexism is the idea that one gender, predominantly female, is secondary to the other. Now, sexist thinking is the thoughts or actions that a person develops from believing a gender is superior to the other. This often leads to the idea of gender roles which Suzanna Kessler in “The Medical Construction of Gender” on page six explains as the “cultural expectations of one's behavior as “appropriate” for a female or male.” If a person does engage in sexist thinking, they may believe that phrases like, “Girls cry all the time and are way too emotional”, a real phrase a male has said to me, are justified to speak. Andrea Smith, the author of “Heteropatriarchy and the Three Pillars of White Supremacy”, helps explain why our society thinks this way by explaining on page 72 that “In order to colonize peoples whose societies are not based on social hierarchy, colonizers must

Sexism: the belief or attitude that one sex is inherently superior to, more competent than, or more valuable than the other (most commonly used for male superiority). This idea that women are weak is not a new one in the modern world. It has been studied for countless years along with the concept of a patriarchal society. A patriarchy is defined as a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it. Such systems currently exist in several forms and areas around the world; however, the most common place for these patriarchies is in literature. Novels, plays, works of nonfiction, and other forms of literature have shown to either “reinforce or undermine the

"Gender Stereotyping in the English Language" written by Laurel Richardson in 2003, Richardson argues people use the English language in such a way that limits, depreciates and ultimately dehumanizes women . Richardson develops and supports this theory by proposing the notion that historically, women have not only been limited by the terms used to describe them, but women are raised to think they must be confined to subservient jobs,  that customarily require less skill. Richardson's purpose through writing this article is to highlight an issue often overlooked, in order to promote the appropriate and equitable use of the English Language. The author intends for this principle to be turned into practice among women, men and children developing linguistic habits.

When we hear the word sexism most minds automatically associate feminine oppression. I began to wonder why that was. Webster defines sexism as “prejudice based on sex; especially: discrimination against women.” After reading this I had to know why that was.

Sexism has always been a major issue for women. It seems that today, everyone has to be careful of what they say and do so as to avoid offending someone. While everyone is busy worrying about extinguishing sexism towards women - which still is an issue that needs to be taken care of, who is concerned with sexism towards men? Sexism is just as much of an issue to men as it is to women.

I found that gendered/sexed language, mainly the concept of language as an oppressor, to be helpful in creating a critical gendered lens. Concepts like semantic derogation, semantic imbalance, trivialization, and lack of vocabulary all outline the fact that language is completely gendered/sexed and unequal. Language can be used as a power source, both positively and negatively. It can be used to put others down, whether it’s through the use of derogatory terms or even just through the ways certain people speak and are spoken

Determining women to be less productive, competitive, intelligent, or any other characteristic because of her gender disvalues her, turning her into an object instead of a subject.

In the world there are many people that believe men have more rights women. I do see the pay they earn is different but the jobs men and women do are different. When you think of nurses you think of girls, when the word plumber, the first thing that pops in my mind is a fat plumber, so sexist goes both ways.

Female stereotypes come in many forms such as: the way they speak, act, look and things that women are supposed to do. Ann Friedman explains in her article Can We Just, Like, Get Over the Way Women Talk? That women over use some words, (ex. Just, like, and sorry) which send a subtle message of subordination and lack of confidence. Also, women have been told they need to change the way they talk because of this. Additionally, women can’t talk with any authority, because then they are being too pushy. No, one way is a correct way for women to speak due to gender roles. Then, there is the worst insult to a man it’s being called a “girl,” for not measuring up to being a real man. Why is being a girl such a bad thing, why don’t we say your

Since I grew up as a nerd, I have encountered the rare breed of ‘Girl Gamer’, often hearing the struggles one has when chat or microphone is enabled during a game. Men will make comments like, “Why aren't you in the kitchen where women belong,”, “Go make me a sandwich,”, or simply refusing to call a woman by her name,calling her “Woman” as if they are objects, not people . These comments are referencing back to the 1800s and early 1900s when women were seen as property of the men, and had no basic rights after marriage. Women were often not schooled, instead taught to cook, clean, and tend to the land. This was a dark time for women, and is very offensive. Its as if they walked up to an african-american and called them ‘slave’ instead of their name.

Sexism against women has been prevalent for hundreds of years, despite the fact that there is nothing inherently sexist about human existence, or that of other animals. In fact, there exist a number of animal species that are not sexist, and the sustained prevalence of sexism among humans is a topic that necessitates investigation. This paper examines sexism as it relates to contemporary culture, with particular emphasis paid to whether women have overcome the oppression that they lived with during preceding generations. Specifically, this paper begins with an examination of the different ways in which sexism manifests in today's culture, then discusses the specific ways in which sexism has been combated. Ultimately, it is argued that while substantial developments have been made in combating sexism, gender discrimination is still inextricably linked with culture.

Language refers to the method that humans use to communicate either through speech or written. It consists of the use of the word in a structured and conventional way. Language has been referred to as ‘our means of classifying and ordering the world; our means of manipulating reality. In structure and in its use we bring out the world into realisation and if it is inherently inaccurate, then we are misled. (Dale Spender, 1980).Language has power that allows us to make sense out of the reality we live in. Sexism is discrimination of a person based on their gender, especially on women. Sexism in language is the use of language which devalues members on one sex, almost always women, showing gender inequality. In the 1960/70’s there was a

Sexism is categorized by extreme cases, but when in reality, both female and male parties execute sexism everyday even in the simplest forms. Though women tend to receive more grieve when it comes to sexist acts or sexist slurs made by men, the level of sexist disputes has decreases drastically with time. The play “Trifles” displays the major difference is the mindset of the split sexes. The setting presents a time when women were belittled and not taken seriously. Susan Glaspell’s play is evidence on the progress our society has made concerning sexism, never less the ever-existing conflict still takes its toll in our everyday life.

From a very early age, males and females are taught different linguistic practices. For example, communicative behaviors that are considered acceptable for boys may be considered completely inappropriate for girls.