By Rania Tsoli,
The first years of the 21st century are upon us, and with them have come tremendous changes in the way we see and experience the world. From finally starting to normalize things that were once unhealthily considered unacceptable, to finding the courage to claim our rights, we can see some progress in various aspects; progress that one could characterize as a huge leap forward, compared to where we were a hundred years ago, but not that big of an improvement if we objectively look at our true aims and goals. Unfortunately, many of our society’s problems remain a big deal and have not been entirely solved, with sexism being one of them; in order for satisfactory change to start taking place, we need to raise awareness and be informed on a deeper and more thorough level. With that, let us take a look at what sexism actually means, both theoretically and practically when applied to our sociological reality.
The term “sexism” is used to describe any form of discrimination and prejudice that is based on sex or gender. The term emerged from the “second-wave” feminism of the 1960s through the 1980s and was most likely modeled on the civil rights movement’s term “racism”. Sexism is a belief that can be imposed or adopted through society’s norms and limits all genders on what they should think, feel, and do. The concept of sexism was originally formulated to raise consciousness about the oppression of girls and women; but since the beginning of the 21st century, it has started to expand in order to include the oppression of any sex, including men and boys, intersex people, and transgender people. However, in most – if not all – modern social settings, sexism is most commonly thought to directly apply against women and girls and has always functioned to maintain the patriarchy, also known as male domination.
A common form of socialization that is based on sexist beliefs teaches us particular narratives about traditional gender roles for males and females. According to this view, also known as benevolent sexism, women, men, and any other genders are polar opposites; women are seen as naturally nurturing, loving, and emotional, with a weaker rational and logical side, while men are viewed as born leaders that have to be tough and stern; they are made out to be bad at expressing feelings or being empathetic and having a softer side because they have to be the voice of reason that takes charge in any situation.
Hostile sexism includes even more extreme opinions and involves any overly hostile attitudes towards women, such as the belief that women are manipulative and sinful, or that they owe men sex. Ambivalent sexism is a combination of hostile and benevolent sexism, which often work together as part of a system. Sexism can also occur alongside other forms of oppression, such as ableism, homophobia, and racism, affecting people who belong to more than one marginalized group.
Gender discrimination can manifest itself at any level of society, including the institutional, interpersonal, and individual levels. Institutional sexism occurs when sexism affects the practices of a whole system or institution, such as a legal, healthcare, or educational system, while interpersonal sexism occurs within personal relationships and social interactions – examples include catcalling, verbal insults, abusive behavior, and rape culture. People can also be deeply affected by internalized sexism, which refers to sexist beliefs about a person’s own sex or gender, which may cause them to discriminate against others who fit in the same group. The feminist movement has accomplished the disentanglement of gender identity and gender roles from one’s biological sex to a high degree: feminists have claimed time and time again that our sex does not predict anything about any of our abilities, our emotional and intelligence quotient, or aspects of our personality.
However, it seems like the term “feminism” is often misunderstood. Due to lack of information and familiarity with the movement, many might think that it supports the superiority of women over men, while feminists simply aim for the equality of genders and sexes. On the other hand, some might take the term to an extreme, and falsely use it to express their unhealthy beliefs about the male sex; however, smaller than misogyny, misandry can also be a problem in today’s society.
It is becoming fairly obvious that sexism can take a truly devastating toll on our everyday lives. To some, it might sound surreal, yet it could not be closer to the truth: being a woman can be extremely hard. From being expected to fit society’s norms by settling down and having kids – while being judged by many if we happen to decide against it – to getting catcalled and clutching our keys in our hands when we walk alone late at night so that we feel a tiny bit safer, the reality of being a female can be overwhelming. Women still getting paid less in some work environments, being denied their right to abortion in many countries, and getting judged for their personal aesthetic preferences – like makeup, clothes, and body hair – is just the tip of the iceberg of discrimination towards females.
Even the seemingly smaller things matter; let us use children’s toys as an example. One can easily spot the difference between toys marketed toward boys and those marketed toward girls: a toy aisle for boys is full of cars and trains, action, and adrenaline. Take a look at a girls’ toy aisle, and you will find baby dolls to train their maternal instinct, kitchens to teach them how to cook… and even vacuum cleaners and an ironing board or two. No matter how insignificant it might appear to some, this can certainly leave its mark on a child’s way of thinking, both a girl’s and a boy’s.
However, every coin has two sides. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to be a female to experience the aftermath of sexism; men are also victims of the patriarchy in more ways than one. One of the first situations that might come to mind is divorce: divorced men receiving custody of their children in only about ten percent of divorce cases or having to face burdensome alimony payments, even in situations where their ex-wives are perfectly capable of supporting their household on a financial level are unfortunately extremely common patterns. Men have also had a long history of social and legal pressure to fight in a war – something that women do not generally experience in the same way. Along the same lines, physical violence against men is often minimized or seen as normal.
The list goes on, with the classic “men do not cry” motto echoing in a boy’s head well into his adulthood and public toilets lacking a changing station in the male bathrooms, as if there are no single dads or dads spending some time out with their children without their partner accompanying them. As we can see, sexism does not only affect females but harms males as well, filling their minds with toxic masculinity and preventing them from having a healthy outlook on what “being a man” truly means.
The fact that sexism exists in a myriad of ways that can prove to be confining and harmful is crystal clear. Although the historical and ongoing impact of the patriarchy on women has been documented and explored for years on end, to say that we have not yet completely defeated gender-based stereotypes would be an understatement. It is our responsibility to keep fighting for gender equality, and simultaneously recognize the impact sexism can also have on men; male domination often harms males too, in vastly different yet still significant ways. We have come a long way, but we still have an even longer way to go, and the only way to keep moving forward is by continuing to learn, listening to all sides, keeping an open mind, and always seeking honesty and true fairness.
References
- Sexism, britannica.com, Available here
- When Men Experience Sexism, theatlantic.com, Available here
- What is sexism?, medicalnewstoday.com, Available here
