Sexism in High School
Is sexism still prevalent among high school students?
Always #LikeAGirl
Study Shows Subtle Sexism Still Lingers in High Schools
Sexism Among High School Students
Students Mostly Show "Subtle Sexism"
Questions Asked
- Show me what it means to you to run like a girl.
- Show me what it means to you to throw like a girl.
- If a girl’s angry with you, what’s the most likely reason?
- Do you consider yourself a feminist?
- Are feminists asking for too much from society?
- A male pedophile is sentenced to 6 years in prison for sexually abusing an 8-year-old girl. A female pedophile is sentenced to 4 years in prison for sexually abusing an 8-year-old boy. Are these sentences fair?
- A woman is drunk and wearing a short skirt at a party. She is raped by a man. Who is at fault?
A man is walking at night with no shirt on. He is raped by a woman. Who is at fault?
- Do you agree or disagree with the following statements:
- Many women have a quality of purity that few men possess.
- Women, as compared to men, tend to have a more refined sense of culture and good taste.
- Most women interpret innocent remarks or acts as being sexist.
"Non-Sexist" Answers to the Questions
- Running and throwing "like a girl" should've been done exactly the same way as if it was "like a boy."
- The answer to the third may vary, but should be along the lines of I was rude, or I did something wrong. NOT, Girls are just drama queens, etc.
- The fourth questions should be yes. While you might not be completely sexist if you aren't a feminist, believing that men and women should be equal on all grounds should be something you strive for.
- The answer should be no, because asking for equality isn't asking for too much.
- Question number five's answer should, obviously, be no. The sentences are not fair because the woman gets less jail time. The same crime is committed, so the same punishment should be applied to both the man and the woman.
- The answer to question number six is the man. He committed the crime.
- The answer to question number seven is the woman. Once again, it was the woman who committed the crime and should therefor be punished. It doesn't matter the genders of the people involved.
- For the statements, every answer should've have been some degree of disagreement. While individuals may very, women aren't inherently more or less pure than men, or more or less cultured than men. These stereotypes of women are simply products of society.
Conclusion
I have interviewed several different high school students, all ranging from 14 to 18 years old. I've interviewed girls and boys, and I've found that, yes, sexism still exists among high school students today.
But, more specifically, I've found that both girls and boys seem to have a low amount of hostile sexism, but the amount of benevolent sexism is still high. This, despite still being sexism, is nonetheless an improvement.