Sexism A Sexist Perspective Analysis

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 defined as prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex, and is a topic that has been on and off the media throughout the years, becoming more prevalent in the 21st century. Many iconic figures throughout the ages have spoken out for women, people like Mahatma Gandhi, who said “Of all the evils for which man has made himself responsible, none is so degrading, so shocking, or so brutal as his abuse of the better half of humanity; to me, the female sex is not the weaker sex.” Sexism has been around for about as long as the human race, dating back to biblical times and beyond. A woman’s traditional role in the family has been that of the cook, the cleaner, the child raiser, and the gardener.

Sexism has been observed throughout history. There was once a time where women were denied an education, the

Over the last several decades, great strides have been made when it comes to eliminating sexism and progressing towards gender equality. However, sexism is still ingrained in our everyday culture. This is evident in the fact that in 2017 women earn about 80 cents to a man’s dollar and are less likely to be promoted within the workplace. It’s an unfortunate fact the most women will experience some form of sexism throughout their lives. In this paper, I will address my personal experiences with both hostile and benevolent sexism, how the two forms of sexism differ, and how these experiences have affected me.

Women first gained the right to vote on August 26, 1920 with the 19th amendment was approved, giving women full voting rights. Fortified by the constitutional victory in 1920, the handful of new women in Congress embarked on what would become a century-long journey to broaden women’s role in government. In the intervening years, the drive for more women’s rights encompassed the lives of the next generations of women. Even today, women are still fighting for their rights and stand up against prejudice. On the forefront of this movement are our women congresswomen who speak on behalf of all women. When Hillary Clinton announced her presidential candidacy, controversial questions immediately surfaced about the role of gender in politics. Through Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2008 and 2016, media is the principal propagator in showing bias and sexism.

“The emotional, sexual, and psychological stereotyping of a women begins when the doctor says, ‘It's a girl!’” Women are forced to conform to a set place in society, and the pressure they feel to conform starts when they are born.

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.

Sexism, is a prejudice plain and simple. One of the earliest forms of violence directed toward women was the Witch Hunt Trials of the Middle Ages. Bishops debated whether a woman was really human at all. If her nose were too long, she had red hair, a humped back, or if she was exceptionally beautiful, she was thought to be a witch and was burned at the stake. There was an estimated nine million women burned during the Witch Trials. During the “Women’s Liberation Movement in the 1960’s, feminist theorists explained that oppression of women was widespread in nearly all human society, and spoke of sexism instead of male chauvinism. Male chauvinists were usually individual men who expressed the belief that they were superior to women” (Napikoski). By the mid 20th century sexism was established and began to appear in advertising. Between the 1970’s and 1990’s women began to feel more equal to men until the 1980’s where they were portrayed as sex symbols on national television (The Origin and History of SEXISM). There are two main types of sexism, benevolent and hostile, and their definitions are opposite from one another. Hostile sexism is what most people perceive as sexism today as it seems sexism is occurring more and more often and is, notably, more vulgar. It is the notion that women are inferior or not as worthy; a belief that males are intrinsically superior. For many years women have been degraded and looked down upon with the idea that their place is in the kitchen with

Sexism has been prevalent in our society for generations. It has plagued the views and outlooks on gender, and has molded the populace’s minds to favor one over the other. Engrained within society is the strict framework of binary gender roles, and placing males and females into distinct and rigid categories that they can rarely break free from. While progress has been made with regards to weakening these rigid and unfair gender roles, the prejudice views that run rampant through the minds of the older generations, and into the up-and-coming ones, are difficult to combat. Women are often overlooked and regarded as the inferior gender, and they are often portrayed as individuals who are at men’s every beck and call. This is highlighted through the observations of Paula Rothenberg in her novel Invisible Privilege, she discusses her observations and dealings first hand with prejudice of all kinds. The book recalls her experiences from the mid to late 20th century, which was a time of more blatant sexism, but I will be using other sources in addition to prove that sexism is still a prevalent issue in everyday life. The sources I will pull from in addition to the novel include, “Different but Equal? Inequalities in the workplace, the Nature Based Narrative, and the Title VII prohibition on the Masculinization of the ‘Ideal Workers,’” an academic article by Kristin Housh, which uses statistical information to argue that women are treated differently in the workplace. Secondly, “Gender Bias in Education,” an op-ed by Amanda Chapman, which discusses unequal treatment of women in education, in addition to a visual and song lyrics that also support these arguments. Sexism and unequal treatment of women in the workplace and education is still a problem in society today that needs to be changed.

Sexism may manifest itself in many different forms: blatant, covert, and subtle sexism (Swim, Mallett & Stangor, 2004). Specifically,

In a statistic released by the United Nations, it was discovered that, “while forming more than one-half of the world’s population, women work two-thirds of the world’s working hours, own one-tenth of the world’s wealth and one-hundredth of the world’s land, and form two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people … Over three-fourths of starving people are women with their dependent children” (Johnson, p. 26). While this statistic may be shocking, it is part of a battle that women have been fighting for centuries. Women have consistently been the target of sexism. But what, exactly, is sexism? Margaret Farley posits sexism “is ‘belief that persons are superior or inferior to one another on the basis of their sex. It includes, however, attitudes, value systems, and social patterns which express or support this belief’” (Johnson, p. 23). How can women fight back against a concept such as this that has been deeply engrained within society? Many suggest fighting for equal rights in specific aspects of one’s life (such as equal pay), but these actions are worthless if the system itself cannot be made equal. Therefore, in order to solve the problem of sexism, the entire social system that allows for the devaluation of another being based on

In a podcast titled “The Unwelcome Harassment Women Face on the Street”, Brian Lehrer speaks about how “Women…often talk about the outrageous things men say to them, do to them, or propose doing to them…” (00:01:54-00:02:00). In modern society, women face sexual harassment whether verbal or physical. Lewd comments on a woman’s clothes or grabbing her butt without consent are both examples of both forms of harassment. Melanie A. Morrison, Todd G. Morrison, Gregory A. Pope, and Bruno D. Zumba say that “Modern sexism represents a constellation of beliefs in which individuals: (a) disavow women's present-day discrimination; (b) reject women's demands for political and economic power; and (c) disapprove of policies designed to promote gender equality” (Morrison et al 39). There are different aspects of sexism and though they may not all seem harmful, they hinder much of the progress that women have made in the past centuries.

Generally, even though there may be no way to completely eliminate sexism on a worldwide political, economic, and social scale, it is evident that sexism should be recognized as a societal problem that needs to be dealt with. In this day and age, it is just inappropriate that females all over the globe are still treated differently and with less rights than their male counterparts. In order for us to reduce the effects of sexism, everyone must first realize that sexist behaviors and actions are still common and take place to most women on a daily basis. Provided that everyone recognizes sexism, we can begin to work towards a more successful and fair society for, not just women, but for every body. Furthermore, despite the opinions of various

One of the most debated topics of this century, or arguably history, is the idea of sexism and its implications on gender roles in society. Sexism is defined as a prejudice or wrong mindset, usually under a negative connotation, of a member of the opposite sex. It usually constrains and limits the actions of the individual or group that the prejudice is being inflicted on - in this case women. It has not been a secret in society that females are often on the low end of the stick when it comes to jobs, societal perception, or even capabilities. In the workplace, they are often perceived to be inferior to males in true academic worth, which is one of the reasons that a majority of the jobs that specialize in the arts, such as journalism or photography, often are female prevalent (Sinkele, C. N. and others, 2011). Females who do manage to make it into the high paying STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields, often make noticeably less than their male counterparts. Women are also thought of to be weaker, more emotional, and less ambitious than males; they are often constrained to traditional gender roles of obedient housewives in countries such as India or Pakistan. Nevertheless, many disagree with the concept of sexism in general and argue that many supposed assumptions imposed on females are legit, and therefore make the argument that sexism is unrealistic. Arguments have been made on if sexism even exists in some circumstances; those opposing the concept of

Gender inequality is a social problem that is widespread in society. It is referred to as the unfair treatment of individuals based on one 's gender. Historically, laws have opposed women to go to school, access certain jobs, and purchase property. Gender inequality has been experience through culture – honor-killing, sex-selective abortion, and society – occupation, gender roles, and education. The social expectations of men and women differ between cultures that are constructed socially and culturally. These expectations are displayed in roles, and behavior believed both by men and women and their interdependent relationships. Gender inequality can be further understood through the structure of sexism. Discrimination takes place in gender inequality for the reason that men and women are treated on the basis of gender alone (Amjad, R., Ashfaq, M., Kousar, R., Saghir, A., 2010).