Most societies have been patriarchal historically, and the feminist movement has only occurred relatively recently. There cannot be ideological equality while there is still a stigma to being born differently, or of the “inferior sex.” People make assumptions on others based entirely on their sex, such as females are supposed to be nurturing and weak while males are supposed to be dominant and strong. The vernacular language use implies a sexist attitude that is prevalent in society. There are several solutions to reduce the apparent sexist lexicon.
Sex is defined as the biological and physiological characteristics, which can be simplified to as being male or female (World Health Organization website). However, gender is defined as the “socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women” (World Health Organization website). This means that sex is based on the physical biology of a person, while gender is based on the social roles that the person is expected to adhere to. Linguistic determinism is a theory that says “that language may determine thought,” and it was supported by “cognitive differences that resulted in people who speak in languages with different grammatical structure” (Wasserman and Weseley). Linguistic relativity has greater support, and it refers to “the idea that language can reflect and preserve existing social structures and influence perceptions of reality” (Wasserman and Weseley). The social justification effect is defined as the disadvantaged groups that “rationalize the society that puts them at a disadvantage and to therefore embrace the idea that their own group is inferior” (Wasserman and Weseley).
Gender typing is used to dis...
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Blatantly sexist laws and practices are slowly being eliminated while social perceptions of "women's roles" continue to stagnate and even degrade back to traditional ideals. It is these social perceptions that challenge the evolution of women as equal on all levels. In this study, I will argue that subtle and blatant sexism continues to exist throughout educational, economic, professional and legal arenas.
The English Language Systematically Degrades and Devalues Women It is often argued that the English language needs to be modernised to keep pace with the rapidly changing societies in the world. One reason for this is many words and their usages are viewed as sexist, in that they are discriminating against individuals based on their gender. In this essay, I shall discuss many factors relevant to the argument that the English language systematically degrades and devalues women. One possible argument in agreement with this statement is that male words and their female equivalents are often asymmetrical in their connotations and implications. For example, pairs of words such as ‘bachelor’ and ‘spinster’, have distinctively different associations: ‘spinster’ has relatively negative undertones, and conjures the image of an aging woman with a dull lifestyle, whereas the word ‘bachelor’ suggests a more carefree, younger man with an exciting and enjoyable way of life.
Sexism is the ideology that maintains that one sex is inherently inferior to the other. Sexism or discrimination based on gender has been a social issue for many years; it is the ideology that one sex is superior or inferior to the other. Sexism does not only affect females, but also males. Men are very often victimized by social stereotypes and norms based on gender expectations. Sexism has appears in almost all social institutions including family, the media, religion, sports, the military, politics, and the government. However, although both genders are affected, men have benefited from sexism the most (Thompson 300-301.)
In today’s technological society it is hard to imagine that trivial things from the past like discrimination or prejudice are still present, but they are. Yes we still have racism, but for the most part this is only a problem of the less educated and vocal minority. There is a different prejudice that is deep rooted in this land of freedom and prosperity. This prejudice is sexism.
At a young age people learned sexist ways and how to say things, but they were never told that it was sexist. But as you grow older that’s all you hear is, it’s not mail man is mail deliver or lunch lady it is actually the food server. There are also people that have been taught to not be sexist, those people tend not to be corrected that often. And one of the things that get people the most, is when people think of rolls in society that are given to those men and women. You can also see all forms of sexism being used at school, in sports, or at a job, and also toward both men and women of both past and present and how it is also a big deal in other countries.
Even in the first civilizations sexsim was very prevalent, women were not included in democracy, they were not allowed to vote, and in some earlier civilizations women were not even allowed to have a job or go outside the home. Even as a 16 year old girl in America, the supposed land of dreams, I see sexism everyday. I see it when I watch the news, I see it when I’m walking down the halls at my school, I even see it when I read novels and articles or watch a movie online. Over 60% of serious journalism roles are given to males, while the women are left with the less important, or less popular sections. In school I see boys calling girls stupid, or girls getting a pass to go to their locker because they forgot something, even though a boy was just denied. I notice sexism the most in literature and movies, I see female characters being “airheads” or acting dumb and helpless, their main role in the piece is to wait for the male character to save them, or to be a comic relief. Not only are women’s jobs and dignity at stake but our sexuality, education and rights are too.
The term sexism seems like a simple word, but it causes controversy and chaos amongst a gender based society. Sexism all over the world puts a lid on what it means to have equality, freedom, and humanity, which tampers with self-esteem. Tony Porter, a motivational speaker perfectly depicts how effective sexism is and how it harbors domestic violence as well as how the “man box” plays a huge role in sexism. Also, Sheryl Wudunn another motivational speaker as well ties in how sexism interferes with the female population.
Emily Martin argues that medical and scientific publications naturalize gender roles by presenting “facts” that reflect socially constructed ideas about gender. This misrepresentation is reflected in much of the information intended to educate children about the “facts” of life. Each of the pieces included in our course reader manifest this distortion to some degree. Because individuals begin to formulate ideas about gender at a very early age, such indoctrination is particularly precarious when presented during a child’s formative years. Feminists argue that Santa Claus, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White are also dangerous fictionalizations but depictions of stereotypical male/female roles presented to young people as serious, straightforward answers to important questions is far more sinister and the implications more dangerous to a society that values and espouses equality.
Society and beliefs shape the development of gender identity in children (Turner-Bowker, 1996). Research has shown that gendered literature teaches standards of femininity and masculinity. According to Weitzman, Eifler, Hokada, and Ross, these standards can lead girls to believe they are less worthy than boys (as cited in Hamilton et al., 2006). Because books are a main source of interaction for young children, Fried states that in order to make advancement in the equality of women in children’s literature, sexism must be reduced (as cited in Gooden & Gooden, 2011). Perception of gender roles in society is reflected in the pictures and writings of children’s books.... ...
The ideology that one sex is superior to the other is called sexism. The presumption of male sexism led to patterns of prejudice and discrimination against women. These prejudices and discriminations have led to many beliefs or ideas of why women are inferior to men. They range from brain size to sexual differences, including personalities based on genitalia. Cross-cultural studies demonstrate how the socialization process and societal expectations of men and women produce variances in sex-role norms and behavior.
A huge controversy within society today is the debate between gender equality. I view gender equality is necessary to sustain a stable community. Some may disagree and say social status between men and women are infrequent because they say men have more power than women. According to Roxane Gay’s article, Bad Feminist, she states that good women adhere to standards of wearing make up, specific clothing, being charming, polite, and earning 77 percent of what men earn. If women do not fall under these categories, they maybe considered as bad women to society. Women are already subjugated as deteriorate to men regardless if they are considered as good or bad. Over time, the word feminism, which means women’s rights of economic, political, and social status should be equal to men, has taken on a negative view. Comparing with Julia Serano’s article, Why Nice Guys Finish Last, she explains how women and men are categorized when involved in rap culture. Rape is horrible, and how society normally views
conceptualizations of gender in literature are situated in a culture and historical context ; the
Social Justice Research Paper: Sexism Society has a way of trying to fit every single little thing into a labeled, categorized box. Unfortunately, the same thing happens to people. In high school, everyone is put into a “group” because of how they dress, act, what their interests are, or how popular they are with others. Beyond high school, it happens in workplaces as well. But what makes this issue infinitely worse is when gender stereotypes are involved and sexism surfaces.
Women – beautiful, strong matriarchal forces that drive and define a portion of the society in which we live – are poised and confident individuals who embody the essence of determination, ambition, beauty, and character. Incomprehensible and extraordinary, women are persons who possess an immense amount of depth, culture, and sophistication. Society’s incapability of understanding the frame of mind and diversity that exists within the female population has created a need to condemn the method in which women think and feel, therefore causing the rise of “male-over-female” domination – sexism. Sexism is society’s most common form of discrimination; the need to have gender based separation reveals our culture’s reluctance to embrace new ideas, people, and concepts. This is common in various aspects of human life – jobs, households, sports, and the most widespread – the media. In the media, sexism is revealed through the various submissive, sometimes foolish, and powerless roles played by female models; because of these roles women have become overlooked, ignored, disregarded – easy to look at, but so hard to see.
They creates a stigmatized definition of what it means to be male and female. These stereotypical roles given to us from birth, often create gender inequality causing both males and females to struggle from gender disproportion. Unfortunately this is difficult to eliminate as they have been socially constructed into our societies. Although over the years these roles have been changing due to the awareness, media and many laws and protests, there is still the need for a self-identity and equality among both males and females. Blasco (2010) suggests that in order for us to move towards improvement, we cannot view males and females as complete opposite.