sexism is a problem
what is sexism?
-Behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex
Benevolent sexism
sexism is not only towards women
sexism in schools
real experience
I lived in Paris between 2009 and 2011. When I told people I was a freelance writer, it raised eyebrows. Many assumed I was a rich girl living off a trust fund, when in fact, I was supporting myself. To further explain that I spent most of my time as a blogger for a women-focused website was even more confusing.
Not just the part about blogging for a living, but about the topic. When opening my French bank account, I had far too many dealings with a pompous banker, but on our first meeting I told him my profession: that I was a writer, writing for women’s publications. His response, word for word, was, “For women? For girls? That’s horrible.” When I asked him why he’d say such a thing, he tried to laugh it off and his excuse was: “In France, the men are misogynists … I kid, a bit, but what does it matter? Women can do as much as men can now, feminism in France doesn’t have to be like that. You see, even when I put your profession in our system, I put écrivain not écrivaine. It’s built on the patriarchy.”
It wasn’t the first time I experienced disdain toward ladymag/blog writing. As a student studying in Paris a few years earlier, my host sister asked what I wanted to do after graduation, and I said I would probably try to get an assistant job at a women’s or fashion magazine and maybe I could work up to become an editor. Her response was, “Why would you want to do a thing like that?” She said it was superficial and meaningless. I’ve never experienced this lack of respect in the States, but I have mixed feelings about my interactions in France. As a guest in a foreign country, I was always conscious of being respectful of customs even when there were social or emotional consequences, so I regarded these situations with curiosity and never felt anger or rage about them( Leonora Epstein 1).
statistics
"Girls identified sexism as a priority issue for their generation", with three-quarters saying sexism affected "most areas of their lives.
11 to 21-year-olds - 87% thought women were judged more on their appearance than their ability.
16 to 21-year-olds- More than a third 36% of all those surveyed had felt "patronised or made to feel stupid" because of their gender
Most of the 13-year-olds questioned said they had experienced sexual harassment, rising to 80% of 19 to 21-year-olds.