Misogyny is definitely not a new problem in society. It has been around for millennia. In today's day and age women are able to get jobs, occupy positions of power and be independent but however, the increasing cases of mistreatment and violence against women make this a cause for alarm. Sexism is still a problem in the modern world, although women have spoken up about sexism being an issue with movements in the 1960’s and 70’s, women today are still facing unequal pay, objectification and sexual harassment.
An example of sexism in the modern world is that most women are being paid substantially less than men. Congress passed the equal pay act in 1963. However major gender pay disparities still exist more than 50 years after that act was passed. Although there are great variations among individual salaries, on average women are being paid just 79 cents to every dollar a man makes. This makes things like paying off student debt harder for most women. Men and women both pay the same amount of money for tuition, automobiles, houses, and yet women are being paid substantially less than men, this makes it more difficult for women to gain financial independence. Some politicians argue that equal pay acts already made it illegal to discriminate on gender, and that any further legislation is unnecessary. Others also argue that women are taking lower paying jobs than men so this statistic is misleading.
Another reason that sexism is still a problem is that women are being objectified. An actress dressed in a black crewneck and jeans videoed herself walking around New York City for ten hours. “Over one hundred instances of verbal street harassment took place within ten hours, involving people of all backgrounds. This doesn’t include the countless winks, whistles, etc.” After the video was uploaded the actress received numerous rape threats online.
The Huffington post interviewed New Yorkers about their experiences with verbal street harassment and being harassed. Some men in the video tried to justify their verbal assault, saying “If you have a beautiful body, why can’t I say something?” The women in the video explained how uncomfortable and how unsafe being verbally assaulted makes them feel. One woman commented “I think there should be a more respectful way to approach women”. While they were interviewing a young women about being verbally harassed on the streets, an older man came up and grabbed her shoulder, the women responding “Sorry sir” and trying to get loose from his grip. Only after one of the interviewers went up to the old man, he let go of her.
Verbal harassment on the streets is an under researched topic but it’s clear from the few studies that exist that it is a significant and prevalent problem. In 2014, SSH had commissioned a 2,000 person survey in America. The survey found that over 99 percent of the female respondents said that they had experienced some form of verbal street assault and or harassment - only three women out of the 916 respondents said they had not.
Many women are being taken advantage of and are raped. The death of the gang rape victim in Delhi on December 2012 had sparked a collective outrage against sexual violence in india, with month long protests wide spread around the region. Even after all the protests and laws against sexual harassment women and girls are still at risk. A new campus sexual assault survey from the Association of American Universities finds that one in four female undergraduates in a new survey of 150,000 students at 27 colleges reported being a victim of sexual assault or misconduct.
Does a women deserve to get raped because of the way she dresses? Photos of scantily dressed women on Facebook were accompanied with accusatory comments. One of the many were: “She’s asking to get raped… don’t blame the rapists” and “Most of the time, the victims asked for it”. This shows that the people leaving these comments have the mentality that rape is acceptable, as long as the victim was “asking for it”, it reinforces the notion that it is not the rapist's fault for raping girls but it’s the victim's fault. In parts of the world victims of rape are being blamed and punished. The fact that not only some people, but some countries have this ignorant mindset is unbelievable. A victim of rape is not responsible for the rapists actions, and should not be held accountable.
Showing posts with label sexism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sexism. Show all posts
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Sunday, March 20, 2016
I am Leviathan
Girls are unfairly restricted from doing certain things. Sometimes, it’s really important, such as education; other times, it’s things such as dreams and passions. However, both of these things are significant and in some situations, girls are expected not to have these opportunities. This theme of gender inequality is prominent in books “Leviathan” by Scott Westerfeld, and “I am Malala” by Malala Yousafzai. “Leviathan” follows Alek and Deryn, who meet by accident on board the airship called Leviathan. Deryn is a girl disguised as a boy so that she can join the British Air Service. “I am Malala” is a true story about Malala, a girl who stood up for girl’s rights to education and was shot by a fundamentalist Muslim movement. Both “I am Malala” and “Leviathan” bring up the subject of stereotypes and expectations preventing girls from following their passions. Girls being restricted from doing things can have a big effect on their life; usually, it pushes girls to take action, either on a large or small scale, which sometimes has life-threatening or simply humiliating consequences.
A theme in both texts is that girls are confined due to expectations, which urges them to protest against it. Deryn, in “Leviathan,” dreams about joining the British Air Service. However, it is illegal for girls to join the Service, preventing her from following her passion. “Leviathan” describes how it was unfair to Deryn, where other, less qualified boys are able to join the Service. She comments on how “the tallest hardly came up to Deryn’s shoulder. They couldn’t be so much stronger, and she didn’t credit that they were as smart or as brave. So why should they be let into the king’s service and not her?” Since girls aren’t allowed become ‘midshipmen’, Deryn disguises herself as a boy and is recruited into the Service. Although this does not affect anybody drastically, her resilience signifies rebellion in order to allow girls to follow their passions. Likewise, in “I am Malala,” Malala finds it hard to go to school and receive an education because girls in her culture aren’t supposed to go to school. A man who is part of the Taliban, a Muslim movement, voices his opinions, saying that “[he is] representing good Muslims and [they] all think that [Malala’s father’s] school is a blasphemy.” The Taliban believe that “girls should not be going to school.” In Pakistan, girls are “expected to cook and serve [their] brothers and fathers.” Malala protests against this by standing up for girl’s rights to education. Both “Leviathan” and “I am Malala” show how girls object to following unreasonable restrictions and insist on change, just in different ways.
Although both texts express the theme of gender limitations and girls protesting against this, there are differences in the consequences that they face. In “Leviathan,” Deryn wants to join the Service because it’s her passion. If she doesn’t join the Service, there are no extreme effects. The most that would happen to her is that she would simply be forced to wear skirts and corsets. “No more dreams of flying, no more studying.” Despite the fact that this would still affect the way that she lives her life, there are no serious, life-threatening outcomes. In addition, Deryn’s protest is small and secretive. The results mainly had an effect on Deryn alone. Furthermore, Deryn’s act of defiance didn’t lead to many consequences except for the fact that the Service would be humiliated if anybody reveals her secret profile. Deryn took action on a small scale, which simply resulted in the possibility of embarrassment.
"I am Malala" shows how Malala openly protested for girl’s rights to education, which provoked life-threatening consequences. Malala is prevented from going to school. This means that she doesn’t get an education. This is a serious issue. Education should be a basic right for everyone because everybody deserves to be able to learn things about their world. Malala is being restricted from something that should be a basic human right. If she doesn’t go to school, she would “be ignorant” to the world around her. School is an important part of children’s lives. If a girl has no education, she wouldn’t be able to work to earn money. Without money, the girl would have to “be dependent on a man.” Malala stands up to this openly, publicly voicing her opinions, unlike Deryn in "Leviathan". This results in a Taliban shooting Malala, showing how her protest leads to a large, life-threatening consequence, dissimilar to "Leviathan". Malala took public action on an important issue, which caused a huge effect.
In both of the texts "Leviathan" and "I am Malala," the authors bring up the important theme of gender inequality. Readers would conclude that sometimes, having expectations and restrictions for people have large consequences, on their health and their lifestyle, for girls especially. "I am Malala" is a true story about Malala Yousafzai. It shows what girls really go through in real life, specifically in Pakistan. "Leviathan" also truly shows how girls are restricted as well, in a different situation. Either way, gender inequality is a real issue that should be solved, or large consequences to girls may be unavoidable.
In both of the texts "Leviathan" and "I am Malala," the authors bring up the important theme of gender inequality. Readers would conclude that sometimes, having expectations and restrictions for people have large consequences, on their health and their lifestyle, for girls especially. "I am Malala" is a true story about Malala Yousafzai. It shows what girls really go through in real life, specifically in Pakistan. "Leviathan" also truly shows how girls are restricted as well, in a different situation. Either way, gender inequality is a real issue that should be solved, or large consequences to girls may be unavoidable.
Wednesday, December 9, 2015
The Stereotype Station Shouldn’t Be This Popular
The half-Chinese student goes to summer camp in Canada, people ask her where she learnt to use a knife and fork. Her peers tell her to get some chopsticks. They ask her how she can speak english so well, how she has an american accent.
If only these were genuine events of curiosity. Instead, they represent the way in which stereotypes still exist. Assuming everyone who fits into a certain ethnic group all have the same strengths and weaknesses, act the same, are the same. But nevertheless they are deceptions. “Stereotypes are fast and easy because they are lies, and the truth takes it’s time.” claims author Deb Caletti.
Stereotypes are the way that we try organize everything in our brain because one similarity isn’t enough, they are just attempts at over generalisation in a world where there is nothing but diversity. Novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie “The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story” This offers evidence to support the idea that stereotypes aren’t always false, they just fail to account for natural differences in humans
The truth is stereotypes create pressure. They create standards even when they are posed as jokes, the comedy doesn’t outweigh the seriousness. According to one UWCE kid who chose to remain anonymous, “My friends have been extremely rude and critical when I got a grade that was not very high. They told me that it was really rare just because I was Indian.” This indicates that this stereotype has created pressure for her and shaped her. It made her actually feel bad about herself because of some stereotype that applies to some people but not all. But, it’s not only the mental capabilities, it also in the physical appearance. When the japanese child smiles, and his friends say that he has small eyes, that doesn’t help him. Now, whenever he smiles, he’s insecure, he’s scared that they are going to comment about his eyes, again.
These kind of comments might seem uncommon but that isn’t reality. 100% of people surveyed in a private survey admitted that people had commented about them based on stereotypes and 80% of people said that these comments were posed as jokes, from that only 40% of people said that they were offended compared to 100% when they were serious. What this exemplifies is that even when the commentor believes they are making a harmless joke, people still get hurt just the same.
The issue is that not only do stereotypes bring people down, they can actually weaken normal performance. “The idea is that when a person’s identity has a negative stereotype attached to it and that person engages in important activities that are relevant to that stereotype, he or she will become distracted and anxious and then underperform in a manner consistent with the stereotype”, remarked Claude Steele, psychologist and current Executive Vice Chancellor at University of California, Berkeley. And so it becomes clear that the pressure created by stereotypes even when they are fiction can subconsciously transition into our actions and we unknowingly, unwillingly make ourselves stereotypes.
An experiment performed by Steele and his colleagues proved this theory. The experiment consisted of 4 groups, 2 of equal mathematical intelligence of men and 2 of women. They all completed an exam in which because of the stereotype that women are naturally worse at math than men, women placed a whole standard deviation lower than men. Then, when the women were told before the test that “you may have heard that women are not as good at math, … but that’s not true for this test, this is a test where women always do as well as men …,” the women got the same results as the men. The difference has disappeared simply because of the fact they were told that usually they do the same as men, the creation of a non-negative stereotype improved their performance, it made them feel like they could do it and they therefore were a lot less anxious and stressed.
Stereotyping people can have a huge impact on people, not only their ability to mimic them because of mental stress, but they can also cause decreased self esteem, aggression, inability to focus, lack of self control and the incapability to make rational decisions. And Michael Inzlicht, professor of psychology also claims that these impacts stay with the people forever, they carry around this baggage for the rest of their lives.
But, there is a solution, there is a way to break the stereotype. “Stereotypes lose their power when the world is found to be more complex than the stereotype would suggest. When we learn that individuals do not fit the group stereotype, then it begins to fall apart” said lawyer and politician Ed Koch. We simply need to embrace diversity, embrace uniqueness and understand that everybody is different, everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, everyone has different hobbies and everyone is different. One common similarity like race doesn’t make everyone the same and understanding that, is the key to solving this issue.
Try thinking about yourself and the stereotyped comments people have said to you, did they make you a better person or insecure? How about the stereotyped comments you have told other people, 60% of people admitted they had made comments and the other 40% responded that they don’t think they had, but might have. These comments even when posed as jokes are harmful for your health and future. Of the surveyed bunch, 54% believe that there is never a time where it is okay to make stereotyped jokes but all admitted to having made them before. Keeping a double standard for such a serious topic like this, isn’t the way to go.
So before judging, before making a stereotyped comment, think it through. Annie Murphy Paul stated that “We all use stereotypes, all the time, without knowing it. We have met the enemy of equality, and the enemy is us.”
If only these were genuine events of curiosity. Instead, they represent the way in which stereotypes still exist. Assuming everyone who fits into a certain ethnic group all have the same strengths and weaknesses, act the same, are the same. But nevertheless they are deceptions. “Stereotypes are fast and easy because they are lies, and the truth takes it’s time.” claims author Deb Caletti.
Stereotypes are the way that we try organize everything in our brain because one similarity isn’t enough, they are just attempts at over generalisation in a world where there is nothing but diversity. Novelist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie “The problem with stereotypes is not that they are untrue, but that they are incomplete. They make one story become the only story” This offers evidence to support the idea that stereotypes aren’t always false, they just fail to account for natural differences in humans
The truth is stereotypes create pressure. They create standards even when they are posed as jokes, the comedy doesn’t outweigh the seriousness. According to one UWCE kid who chose to remain anonymous, “My friends have been extremely rude and critical when I got a grade that was not very high. They told me that it was really rare just because I was Indian.” This indicates that this stereotype has created pressure for her and shaped her. It made her actually feel bad about herself because of some stereotype that applies to some people but not all. But, it’s not only the mental capabilities, it also in the physical appearance. When the japanese child smiles, and his friends say that he has small eyes, that doesn’t help him. Now, whenever he smiles, he’s insecure, he’s scared that they are going to comment about his eyes, again.
These kind of comments might seem uncommon but that isn’t reality. 100% of people surveyed in a private survey admitted that people had commented about them based on stereotypes and 80% of people said that these comments were posed as jokes, from that only 40% of people said that they were offended compared to 100% when they were serious. What this exemplifies is that even when the commentor believes they are making a harmless joke, people still get hurt just the same.
The issue is that not only do stereotypes bring people down, they can actually weaken normal performance. “The idea is that when a person’s identity has a negative stereotype attached to it and that person engages in important activities that are relevant to that stereotype, he or she will become distracted and anxious and then underperform in a manner consistent with the stereotype”, remarked Claude Steele, psychologist and current Executive Vice Chancellor at University of California, Berkeley. And so it becomes clear that the pressure created by stereotypes even when they are fiction can subconsciously transition into our actions and we unknowingly, unwillingly make ourselves stereotypes.
An experiment performed by Steele and his colleagues proved this theory. The experiment consisted of 4 groups, 2 of equal mathematical intelligence of men and 2 of women. They all completed an exam in which because of the stereotype that women are naturally worse at math than men, women placed a whole standard deviation lower than men. Then, when the women were told before the test that “you may have heard that women are not as good at math, … but that’s not true for this test, this is a test where women always do as well as men …,” the women got the same results as the men. The difference has disappeared simply because of the fact they were told that usually they do the same as men, the creation of a non-negative stereotype improved their performance, it made them feel like they could do it and they therefore were a lot less anxious and stressed.
Stereotyping people can have a huge impact on people, not only their ability to mimic them because of mental stress, but they can also cause decreased self esteem, aggression, inability to focus, lack of self control and the incapability to make rational decisions. And Michael Inzlicht, professor of psychology also claims that these impacts stay with the people forever, they carry around this baggage for the rest of their lives.
But, there is a solution, there is a way to break the stereotype. “Stereotypes lose their power when the world is found to be more complex than the stereotype would suggest. When we learn that individuals do not fit the group stereotype, then it begins to fall apart” said lawyer and politician Ed Koch. We simply need to embrace diversity, embrace uniqueness and understand that everybody is different, everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, everyone has different hobbies and everyone is different. One common similarity like race doesn’t make everyone the same and understanding that, is the key to solving this issue.
Try thinking about yourself and the stereotyped comments people have said to you, did they make you a better person or insecure? How about the stereotyped comments you have told other people, 60% of people admitted they had made comments and the other 40% responded that they don’t think they had, but might have. These comments even when posed as jokes are harmful for your health and future. Of the surveyed bunch, 54% believe that there is never a time where it is okay to make stereotyped jokes but all admitted to having made them before. Keeping a double standard for such a serious topic like this, isn’t the way to go.
So before judging, before making a stereotyped comment, think it through. Annie Murphy Paul stated that “We all use stereotypes, all the time, without knowing it. We have met the enemy of equality, and the enemy is us.”
Girls Can’t But Boys Can
She stands alone, nobody passes to her. She’s not good enough because she’s a girl.
People always seem to say that girls are weaker than boys. That they're not as good in sports and are mostly inferior to boys. This has created a stereotype that girls everywhere have to fight against. It isn’t correct. Girls can be as strong as boys. Almost always, girls prove the theories wrong.
Take for example this situation that happened a few years ago to a female fourth-grade student in India who had joined an after school football activity. She was the only girl. When she arrived at the field, the boys started talking amongst themselves. She could hear snatches of the conversation; somethings she heard were: “I hope she’s not in my team… All girls are really bad at football.” Also, things like: “Ugh, girls can’t do sports. Why do they even try?”
The activity went on and the students were put into teams. When the girl was sent to a team, the boys there groaned loudly and whispered to each other: “Don’t pass to her.” The game commenced and the boys kept their word; they never passed to her, even if she was the only one without a defender. Eventually, people stopped defending her. Once, somebody accidentally kicked the ball in her direction. They shouted out in frustration but she leaped into action, dribbling down the field and scored a goal. The boys were silent after that and started passing to her. The student is now in eight-grade, and that wasn’t the only time something like that had happened to her.
Something similar happened to another girl just last year when she was in seventh grade. There was a lunchtime basketball tournament among the classes. One rule was that at least one girl had to be playing on court at a time for each team. This rule was met by many protests from the boys. Nevertheless, the rule stood, as it had many years before. The boys always put one girl, nothing other than one girl and four boys. When the games started, they never passed to the girl that was playing. Finally, one of the four girls that were rotating on and off managed to intercept the ball from the opposing team and score a goal, all in less than fifteen seconds. After that, the boys passed to that girl, but still not to the other girls.
Both of the stories suggest that it was as if the girls had to prove themselves to the boys. As if they had to prove that they could play. However, the boys never even gave them a chance.
Every 13 to 14 year old girl who was interviewed said that at least once in her life, someone said that she couldn’t do something well because she was a girl. Most of the girls even had more than three experiences. Just think about it. If a 14 year old girl has been through more than three experiences where people have thought that they were restricted because she was a girl, how many times would that happen to a 20 year old? To a 30 year old? These things, these discriminative thoughts that people do or think can really restrict activities for girls. Another grade 8 student agrees. “People generally think that because you are a girl, you can’t be sporty or good at certain sports.” She says. This is true; but it doesn’t just happen in sports, it also happens in things like engineering, computer sciences and web designing.
This idea that ‘girls can’t’ doesn’t just appear in schools. It’s apparent in real life, too; like when you’re an adult. Gretchen Cawthorn is a lady who knows what it’s like to be told that she can’t do something because she’s a girl. When working in an internet-orientated company, Gretchen was told that girls can’t do web design by a business partner. In 2005, she proved him wrong by setting up ‘Girls Can’t What’ (girlscantwhat.com) all by herself. ‘Girls Can’t What’ is a website that provides girls with the opportunity to share their stories and receive inspiration from others. “The world is not against you, they just don’t know you.” Gretchen says. What she means to say by this is that although people may think that you can’t do something just because you’re a girl, it doesn’t mean that they are preventing you from doing anything. It might be hard, but you just have to step up and make them realise that you can. Make them know the real you, not some stereotype about girls.
So what else can you do about this issue that has been going on for decades, maybe even centuries? Everything comes down to the younger generations. Teach the young to have respect. From a young age, being exposed to an open mindset about girls can shape the future, especially the future of females.
But what about now, you might ask. What can you do now? Well, for boys, change your mindset! Don’t ever think that girls can’t do something just because they’re girls. Don’t separate the females from the males. Give both of them equal chance to prove themselves. If you’ve never thought girls couldn’t do something, keep it up.
And girls, to all the girls. Don’t let boys get you down, show them that you can do it. If somebody says that you can’t, use their comments as motivation to show them that you can; you need to prove them wrong. If you prove them wrong, you can prove the rest of the world wrong, too. Ignore any criticism you get from anybody. Just focus on doing what you love. It might take some time, so be patient. The world will need some time to change people’s ways of thinking, but they can change, and they will.
Sources:
Girls Can’t What by Gretchen Cawthorn
http://www.girlscantwhat.com/about/
People always seem to say that girls are weaker than boys. That they're not as good in sports and are mostly inferior to boys. This has created a stereotype that girls everywhere have to fight against. It isn’t correct. Girls can be as strong as boys. Almost always, girls prove the theories wrong.
Take for example this situation that happened a few years ago to a female fourth-grade student in India who had joined an after school football activity. She was the only girl. When she arrived at the field, the boys started talking amongst themselves. She could hear snatches of the conversation; somethings she heard were: “I hope she’s not in my team… All girls are really bad at football.” Also, things like: “Ugh, girls can’t do sports. Why do they even try?”
The activity went on and the students were put into teams. When the girl was sent to a team, the boys there groaned loudly and whispered to each other: “Don’t pass to her.” The game commenced and the boys kept their word; they never passed to her, even if she was the only one without a defender. Eventually, people stopped defending her. Once, somebody accidentally kicked the ball in her direction. They shouted out in frustration but she leaped into action, dribbling down the field and scored a goal. The boys were silent after that and started passing to her. The student is now in eight-grade, and that wasn’t the only time something like that had happened to her.
Something similar happened to another girl just last year when she was in seventh grade. There was a lunchtime basketball tournament among the classes. One rule was that at least one girl had to be playing on court at a time for each team. This rule was met by many protests from the boys. Nevertheless, the rule stood, as it had many years before. The boys always put one girl, nothing other than one girl and four boys. When the games started, they never passed to the girl that was playing. Finally, one of the four girls that were rotating on and off managed to intercept the ball from the opposing team and score a goal, all in less than fifteen seconds. After that, the boys passed to that girl, but still not to the other girls.
Both of the stories suggest that it was as if the girls had to prove themselves to the boys. As if they had to prove that they could play. However, the boys never even gave them a chance.
Every 13 to 14 year old girl who was interviewed said that at least once in her life, someone said that she couldn’t do something well because she was a girl. Most of the girls even had more than three experiences. Just think about it. If a 14 year old girl has been through more than three experiences where people have thought that they were restricted because she was a girl, how many times would that happen to a 20 year old? To a 30 year old? These things, these discriminative thoughts that people do or think can really restrict activities for girls. Another grade 8 student agrees. “People generally think that because you are a girl, you can’t be sporty or good at certain sports.” She says. This is true; but it doesn’t just happen in sports, it also happens in things like engineering, computer sciences and web designing.
This idea that ‘girls can’t’ doesn’t just appear in schools. It’s apparent in real life, too; like when you’re an adult. Gretchen Cawthorn is a lady who knows what it’s like to be told that she can’t do something because she’s a girl. When working in an internet-orientated company, Gretchen was told that girls can’t do web design by a business partner. In 2005, she proved him wrong by setting up ‘Girls Can’t What’ (girlscantwhat.com) all by herself. ‘Girls Can’t What’ is a website that provides girls with the opportunity to share their stories and receive inspiration from others. “The world is not against you, they just don’t know you.” Gretchen says. What she means to say by this is that although people may think that you can’t do something just because you’re a girl, it doesn’t mean that they are preventing you from doing anything. It might be hard, but you just have to step up and make them realise that you can. Make them know the real you, not some stereotype about girls.
So what else can you do about this issue that has been going on for decades, maybe even centuries? Everything comes down to the younger generations. Teach the young to have respect. From a young age, being exposed to an open mindset about girls can shape the future, especially the future of females.
But what about now, you might ask. What can you do now? Well, for boys, change your mindset! Don’t ever think that girls can’t do something just because they’re girls. Don’t separate the females from the males. Give both of them equal chance to prove themselves. If you’ve never thought girls couldn’t do something, keep it up.
And girls, to all the girls. Don’t let boys get you down, show them that you can do it. If somebody says that you can’t, use their comments as motivation to show them that you can; you need to prove them wrong. If you prove them wrong, you can prove the rest of the world wrong, too. Ignore any criticism you get from anybody. Just focus on doing what you love. It might take some time, so be patient. The world will need some time to change people’s ways of thinking, but they can change, and they will.
Sources:
Girls Can’t What by Gretchen Cawthorn
http://www.girlscantwhat.com/about/
Simply Because You Are A Girl
You’ve spent your entire life being judged. Simply because you are a girl.
‘You can’t play soccer! You’re a girl.’ Yells a young boy in 4th Grade to a girl in the same grade in India. The girl walks away in tears, saddened by the fact that she can’t play simply because she’s a girl. The boys yell after her, calling her a ‘baby’ and a ’sissy’. They yell how she’ll never be allowed to play soccer with them. A boy of 7 years is taught that he is better than girls and taught that some some activities such as sport and computers are only for boys while other activities are for girls. Another girl in grade 8, is being ridiculed for enjoying and liking engineering. The boys that laugh at her are younger then her, they’re in the 6th grade, but they think that it’s okay to laugh at her. When the girl tells them to stop, they say ‘Don’t be so bossy’ and ‘Are you on your period? ‘cause you’re so grumpy.’ They laugh at their ‘jokes’ but the girl looks hurt and she turns away.
Sexism in all it’s forms is shown in the media, in schools and in the workplace. All over the world women experience inequality of varying levels. It’s vile, women shouldn’t have to fight for basic rights. But they do and that’s a problem. Every girl that was interviewed said in one way or another they had been the victim of sexism and sexist bullying. It ranged from being told that they can’t do a sport to being laughed at because they like engineering. Girls had been told to their face or it was done subtly. All the boys said they most likely had been sexist unintentionally and some even said they had told the girl to their face that they couldn’t do something because they’re a girl.
Sexism makes girls feel worthless, unwanted and unable to do things. People who stand up for women’s rights are ridiculed by others for standing up for girls young and old. Gender equality is closer than ever. Women fight to earn their dollar instead of 75 cents. Women fight to be treated equal. Girls who are 10, telling boys that they can play soccer because they are equal to boys. Women in their 90’s telling stories of how they helped in a war, even when women were treated inferior to men. These women stand up for what they believe in. They stand up so that the next generation doesn’t have to.
But sexism can be fought by joining together as a community. We can teach boys from a young age to see girls as equal. We can let girls do sciences and engineering without being ridiculed. Let boys do cooking and other domestic activities so they can learn. Don’t make fun of girls who want to play with ‘boy-orientated’ toys or vice versa. The new generation is coming and with them comes a world free of sexism. But only if we act now.
‘You can’t play soccer! You’re a girl.’ Yells a young boy in 4th Grade to a girl in the same grade in India. The girl walks away in tears, saddened by the fact that she can’t play simply because she’s a girl. The boys yell after her, calling her a ‘baby’ and a ’sissy’. They yell how she’ll never be allowed to play soccer with them. A boy of 7 years is taught that he is better than girls and taught that some some activities such as sport and computers are only for boys while other activities are for girls. Another girl in grade 8, is being ridiculed for enjoying and liking engineering. The boys that laugh at her are younger then her, they’re in the 6th grade, but they think that it’s okay to laugh at her. When the girl tells them to stop, they say ‘Don’t be so bossy’ and ‘Are you on your period? ‘cause you’re so grumpy.’ They laugh at their ‘jokes’ but the girl looks hurt and she turns away.
Sexism in all it’s forms is shown in the media, in schools and in the workplace. All over the world women experience inequality of varying levels. It’s vile, women shouldn’t have to fight for basic rights. But they do and that’s a problem. Every girl that was interviewed said in one way or another they had been the victim of sexism and sexist bullying. It ranged from being told that they can’t do a sport to being laughed at because they like engineering. Girls had been told to their face or it was done subtly. All the boys said they most likely had been sexist unintentionally and some even said they had told the girl to their face that they couldn’t do something because they’re a girl.
Sexism makes girls feel worthless, unwanted and unable to do things. People who stand up for women’s rights are ridiculed by others for standing up for girls young and old. Gender equality is closer than ever. Women fight to earn their dollar instead of 75 cents. Women fight to be treated equal. Girls who are 10, telling boys that they can play soccer because they are equal to boys. Women in their 90’s telling stories of how they helped in a war, even when women were treated inferior to men. These women stand up for what they believe in. They stand up so that the next generation doesn’t have to.
But sexism can be fought by joining together as a community. We can teach boys from a young age to see girls as equal. We can let girls do sciences and engineering without being ridiculed. Let boys do cooking and other domestic activities so they can learn. Don’t make fun of girls who want to play with ‘boy-orientated’ toys or vice versa. The new generation is coming and with them comes a world free of sexism. But only if we act now.
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