In the modern world with its rhythm of life and the difficult economic situation, more and more women are striving for equality with men in absolutely everything. In this regard, family values sometimes go to the background. This trend may be one of the main reasons for the manifestation of the ideology of equality. Then the question arises - what is sexism.
What does sexism mean?
Sexism is a concept that denotes expressed discrimination of people on the basis of gender. Many people ask themselves what is a sexist. This is a person who is a supporter of the ideas of sexism. These terms can refer to any gender, but more often they are expressed in discrimination against women . Despite the pronounced democracy, this ideology is widespread in the economy and politics, education, medicine, in solving religious issues, in the work of such a social cell as the family.
Signs of sexism
This concept is so closely related to the life of society, which is used in many areas of activity. As a rule, the male sex has great material wealth, political power, social status. A man is considered the head of a family, while a woman is given the role of a housewife and a child caregiver. Historically it happened, perhaps there is logic in this, but there are examples where the fairer sex could fly business in space with a strong one, conduct business and take pride in sports achievements.
There are some signs of manifestation of sexism, which sometimes can go unnoticed, for example:
- Discussing topics such as marriage, family, personal life;
- inappropriate, sometimes even overly candid jokes;
- admission to the management of a case, as well as to resolve political and economic issues;
- strict dress code;
- oppression of rights in the workplace;
- an obstacle to career growth;
- wage restraint.
The causes of sexism
As a rule, the sources of sexism are laid in the very social society, its rules and traditions. The public is used to the fact that women:
- occupy subordinate posts with a small salary;
- more time is devoted to the family and the upbringing of children ;
- conduct a household;
- less time is devoted to political problems;
- are psychologically less stable.
The stereotypes under consideration may be the reasons for the pronounced gender discrimination, although there are many examples where women in many respects bypassed men in various spheres of life or went on par with the stronger sex, not yielding to them in domestic, labor, political, legal and economic matters.
Types of Sexism
Often psychologists distinguish two forms of such an ideology:
- Open and hostile, when representatives of the male at any opportunity try to humiliate a woman publicly.
- Benevolent - men treat girls positively, but in parallel they consider them helpless and defenseless.
Male sexism can manifest itself in a different relation to the opposite sex, for example:
- Hostile.
- Humiliating or offensive.
- Decreasing dignity and development opportunities.
- Patronizing.
The choice of this or that tactic, basically, depends on the sphere of activity, the relationship of partners to each other, further plans, the opinion of society, social rules or religious and family traditions . Among the common types of sexism, the following are sometimes distinguished:
- at work;
- in family;
- in the learning process;
- in friends company.
Sexism and Feminism
Feminism is an ideology of equality of rights between men and women in various spheres of life. In most cases, this is politics, economics, education and health. Often this term is compared with the concept of female sexism, which is not entirely true. Feminism is the idea of gender equality, and sexism in women is a manifestation of discrimination against the male sex.
Ageism and Sexism
As a rule, sexism is a common concept, it can be applied in various spheres of society. Often, some of its manifestations are compared with ageism - the infringement of the rights of older people, but if the first concept is more extensive, it refers to representatives of any age groups, then in the subsequent case we mean the old age proper. The second term means not only discrimination of people of respectable age, but also disrespectful attitude towards them. Therefore, we can say that ageism will be one of the manifestations of sexism.
How to deal with sexism?
Many members of the public are against sexism. This is possible, because people live in a democratic society, have the right to speak and vote, and gender should not be a priority for solving any issues. A typical sexist will defend his point of view - a man from ancient times was an earner, he is stronger and less emotional. A separate place is occupied by religious and cultural traditions, the veneration of which may contradict some world standards. In the fight against sexism, the following methods are used:
- remarks;
- conversations;
- for the working environment, a meeting is sometimes convened;
- Seeking help from social organizations dealing with such matters;
- psychologist's help;
- attraction of the media and courts.
If there are any signs of sexism, sometimes there are enough remarks, and in some cases a trial is required. The ideology of discrimination based on gender is not news for the present. What is sexism, known since the mid 20 th century, but there is still no clear opinion on this. Everyone will defend his point of view. Perhaps you should find a middle ground, because there are areas in which a man and a woman can achieve the same success, but there are things that one of the sexes does better.