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Sexism, And Gender Inequality

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Growing up I solemnly watched TV for entertainment purposes, never really thinking about some of the reoccurring themes I was seeing. It wasn’t until these past few years, that I have started to notice some, what may seem to be subtle, but actually blatantly obvious trends in the shows I was watching. Sexism, and gender inequality is quite present in many of the shows Americans are watching today, and that is an issue that needs to be addressed. Sexism can be seen in many ways, from minor insults made by characters, to the sexism, and gender binary, to the ratio of female actor, to male. Now, I am not telling you to stop watching or start boycotting some of your favorite shows, but it is good to notice where this popular issue can be …show more content…

First I want to address the idea of gender binary. Gender binary is the classification of gender into two distinct, and opposite, disconnected forms of masculine and feminine. It focuses mainly on the idea of gender roles, and sets up stereotypes specifically for what a male’s life should look like, versus what a female’s life should look like. “Women’s history is no longer solely a branch of social history. It treats, among other things, electoral politics, economics, intellectual life, and popular culture [as well]”, say the American Historical Association. The constraints set by gender binary can dictate many aspects of a person’s life ranging from expectations of dress, behavior, and careers. When I think of men, there is an association of leadership positions, strength, and masculinity. I have been set up to believe that there are certain standards that men must make, and that women cannot follow any of them. This is very limiting for women, when they are set up to believe that they cannot hold a position of power, pursue a certain career because it is too masculine, or possess certain personality traits. Gender binary has been drilled into our society, and it is seen all throughout women’s life; especially in the workforce. According to Amanda D. Lots’ book, Feminist Studies and Media Culture : REDESIGNING WOMEN : Television after the Network Era, “as stories about working women

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