Sexism is the belief or attitude that one sex is inferior to the other.
In the 1980's, I worked in an upscale restaurant in Cincinnati. I saw both sides of sexism. The owner of the restaurant was a male and he would only hire men for the maitre'd and bartender positions.
On the other hand, the female staff who were servers seemed to make better tips and were requested more than the male servers. Many of our customers seemed more comfortable with a female as their server and often treated the male servers as busboys.
Epistemology is important because it is the foundation to how we think. It is necessary for the existence of sound thinking and reasoning. We often obtain our knowledge through experience or through the use of rationalism. Epistemology focuses on our means for acquiring knowledge and how we can differentiate between what is true and what is false.
Sexism is discrimination or devaluation based on a person's sex.
Before starting in the field of human resources, I worked in staffing for six years. On many occasions I experienced sexist behavior. I had males request pretty blondes with big boobs for their front desk, which was disgusting to say the least. I also experienced qualified candidates get passed over for positions just because of their sex.
Sexism can be defined in a multitude of ways, but my basic definition for sexism is the different ways an individual is treated because of their sexs (male/female).
I haven't personally experienced sexism nor have I been involved with sexism that I am aware of. The majority of sexism that sticks out to me are jokes that are made about the other sex, pertaing to their job responsibilties around the house.
I feel like in todays time and age there has become less and less sexism with men and women growing closer in the oppurtunities provided to each. Also, both sexes are becoming aware if not already aware that men and women can achieve the same thing in the business world.
Sexism is being treated differently based off of your sex. A personal way I have experienced this is in the work field. I work at a salvage yard and have been tested if I can really do lifting and mans work. Many people try to baby me there thinking there is no way she can do this, but I have proved them wrong in many situations. Although this has happened in my work place no one is mean to me about me being female. They just assume that I need help doing the basic things because I am not as strong as they are.
Although this happens time to time my job rocks, and is a lot of fun.
Sexism is the belief that one sex or gender is superior or more valuable than the other.
I personally have witnessed sexism countless times over the years. At times it was as minor as a teacher believing a male was predispostioned to be poor at English, while a female would be inferior in math and science. In other instances there was the honest belief (often religious in origin) that women and men were only capable of handling certain duties in life.
Personally I have experienced this during my career at an airline. I was often pre-judged to be too weak to load aircraft or lift boxes (which I happily proved incorrect), and after I became part of management I would often be a witness to the "boy's club" mentality in upper management, partly due to most of my peers being former pilots - a field dominated by males.
I disagree with a few of these response... respectfully of course. Sexism is not necessarily "the belief that one sex or gender is superior or more valuable than the other," because if this was the case 99.9% of men would think that women are inferior and 99.9% of women would think men were so. MOST of us have partaken in a sexist situation, yet this does not mean we think any less of the opposite sex (though i do realize that there are sexist situations that do occasionally lead to these opinions of inferiority).
I also think sexism is more than just "being treated differently because of your sex". There's more to it. If this was the case, every man who opened a door for a woman or stood up to let a woman sit down would be a "sexist". OR, similarly, any woman who asked a man to help her open a jar with a lid that was screwed on too tight could also be labelled a "sexist". Again, clearly not the case.
I think that sexism mainly involves stereotyping, and the best definition I've been able to find is "the behaviors, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex". In other words, automatically assuming that one member of a sex possesses the same qualities as most average members of his or her sex.
I think men are unfairly ganged up on concerning this topic because i think they experience a great deal of sexism as well.
i have experienced sexism a lot in my job. I work in the construction field as a roof sales rep/claims specialist. Adjusters are often shocked to get to a home and find a female waiting to guide (usually) him through the inspection. They are often VERY shocked when i climb up on the roof ahead of them. But i've learned to make the most of it and in most cases it ends up working in my favor.
I agree with Danielle that sexism has to do with the social roles that society has set down for men and women. These preset social roles determine how men and women are perceived, treated, and accepted by others. It also influences the clothes we wear, the way we talk, the activities that we engage in, and even the types of jobs we apply for.
As much as I hate to admit it, the strongest sexism influence that I have experienced is in my own family. My dad's side of the family is extremely sexist (thankfully my dad is not as bad as the rest of them). To my grandpa and my uncles, the woman's place is in the home cooking, cleaning, and raising children and no where else. A woman should always be dressed in nice clothes and should never leave the house or be seen without makeup on. Women are helpless when it comes to cars and are not reliable sources of information. The women in my family are slowly beginning to change things since my mom and I are now the major sources of medicinal knowledge in the family. But that is their mentality and I despise being thought of in that way simply because i'm a female.
I agree with what Lauren and Danielle are saying (for the most part). Sexism has a lot to do with social roles. I may be going out on a limb here, but I don't actually think it's possible to sexist towards men (the same way I don't think it's possible to be racist towards white people). "Isms" and "Ists" are a result of power and control. Women, though there are more of them as far as population is concerned, are a minority. Being a minority means that you lack power. It's all about power. Women have less power in relation to men and are therefore the minority. Are there social pressures on men? Yes. But let's think about what those pressures are. Men are called to be strong. They aren't allowed to show weakness, they aren't allowed to cry. Should they do so, they get labeled with terms like "bitch." But this isn't sexism towards men. This stems from the fact that women are inferior. When a man is told he must not cry, he's subtly being told that he must not lower himself to the emotional status of a woman. All pressures applied to men come back to making sure men do not behave as women who are inferior.
I would agree with Danielle and Lauren in that sexism is a stereotype with social implications. I disagree with Dani, though. It is possible to be racist and sexist to the corresponding majority groups. The minority will compare themselves against the majority as well as to the majority. In other words, a woman may say, "I may be (x), but at least I'm not (y)." That negative quality is sexist in that it is assuming that all men are unemotional, or sexist, or idiots (fill in the blank). The quality is assumed to be shared by all men--a stereotype, which we have defined as part of what sexism is.
As for using comparisons to define men against women, Dani is forgetting that there are two sides to the coin. Society is defined by comparison. It would be impossible to create a stereotype unless there were something to define it against, so the fact that men are compared to women is not sexist in and of itself, but a trait of reality. Men can be shortchanged as much as women, the biggest example of this being custody cases. Women are statistically more likely to win custody of their children, because women are perceived as more nurturing. Many good and caring fathers have lost the right to see their children, even in extreme cases in which the woman was shown to be a bad mother.
I would have to agree with Samantha. Having taken many sociology courses it is extremely evident to me that any race and any gender can be "discriminated" against or made out to be inferior or superior to another. There are many disparities in society. As far as race and gender go, however, simply by "being" one gender allows for the possiblity of sexism to occur toward any gender. Same goes for race. By "being" a race (which we all are associated with at least one), regardless of the minority or majority status of the race, we are therefore subject to superiority, inferiority, or stereotypes just by simply "being".
Many of the examples of sexism that I have seen in society are often based on stereotypes. Women being gauked at when walking into mechanic shops, men being snickered at when purchasing items from a specialty lotion shop. Sexism thrives on stereotypes. I believe that much of sexism is due to labels people put on each gender in society. This observation, however, is not meant to belittle the many true and statistical findings of injustices against men (following Samantha's custody battle example) and women (making 70-80 cents a man's dollar).
Sexism is the valuation of one gender over the other; it involves a belief that one gender is superior to another.
I have been a patron of one particular pet store for over 15 years. During this time, I have seen over a dozen male employees hired (the owner is also male, and he purchased the business from his father). In this same time, I have only seen one female employee. She quit after only a month or so. The male employees are very knowledgable and friendly toward customers, but do have a sense of humor that is pretty crude and can be degrading to women. This was one of the reasons that the female employee left.
Sexism is discrimination on the basis of sex, especially the opression of women by men.Sexism is based on traditioonal stereotypes and roles of men and women. Sexism can be seen in restricted jobs, salary, government positions, sports and just about everything you can possibly think of. I agree with every post on here and believed that everyone has experienced some sort of sexism in their life time. :)
Sexism is discrimination or behaviors that promote stereotyping of social roles based on gender.
Obviouly, the gender most discriminated against is women. I haven't had much experience with any sexism in the workplace of in school. This may just be because I'm not really looking for it. However, its easy to spot in the way society sterotypes males and females.
One example I have is about how my dad and my older brother have strong views on how a guy should act. My younger brother who is 20 has never really been like that and doesn't mind doing things that most men think it too girly to do. For example I got him to watch musicals and he loves the show GLEE. I even got him to get a pedicure one time (who doesn't like clean feet?) But my dad and older brother had a field day with that. For some reason, they believe these things are feminine and make you less of a man. Anyway thats just an example of how I think society puts too much emphasis on male and female stereotyped roles.
Sexism is experienced on almost an everyday basis. I experience sexism in my family. An example of this is when I get hurt during a sporting event my Mom and Dad say to walk it off. I remember one time when I was in a soccer game I went up for a header. I head-butted the other guy. I bent over and held my face and my Mom and Dad yelled onto the field to get back on defense. When I had my hand over my face, my Mom and Dad didn't know the whole situation until the blood from my eyebrow had overrun my hands and onto the ground. Then we knew it was serious. Well to fix the cut across my eyebrow, I got a butterfly band-aid. I was still told that I was fine. I would have kept playing but they wouldn't allow me back on the field because of the blood. The sexism is just instilled in you from birth.
Sexism can be described as the prejudice attitude or discrimination against those of a different sex. Although this is most common, both throughout history and worldwide, with women as the victim, men can be discriminated against for their sex as well. I grew up in a very conservative family where my mom does all the housework (in addition to working a full time job) and my dad does nothing around the house other than complain when his dinner is late. I have honestly never classified his behavior as sexist for a few reasons. First of all, this is the way it has always been and I didnt realize that there was any other way of doing things until I went to friend's houses when I was older. By then I was so used to it that it didn't bother me. Another reason is that that is the way that both my mom and dad were raised and it is all they know. Probably the most important reason I dont consider this to be sexist is that my dad respects my mom otherwise and doesn't think that she is incapable of working outside the house or doing other important jobs. Whether it is because he truly thinks housework is a woman's job or because he doesn't think that he is capable of doing it I don't know, but I definitely would not classify it as sexist. However, my siblings and I have always said that our households will be much more balanced and we will not have housework diveded the way my parents do. Interestingly, I would say that the only real sexism I have ever encountered is from a female friend who is incredibly sexist toward men. This friend has not had many good relationships with men in her life and it is possible that this is the reason for her distaste. However, she will not be friends with men, listen to male musicians, read books written by men or anything else related to men. She talks constantly about how men are pigs and are not worth the trouble. Honestly, this sexism bothers me more than any sexism towards women I have encountered. I feel like we have worked so hard over the past decades to level the playing field between men and women and that this type of treatment of men is not helping but hurting the cause.
Sexism is the belief or attitude that one sex is inferior to the other.
ReplyDeleteIn the 1980's, I worked in an upscale restaurant in Cincinnati. I saw both sides of sexism. The owner of the restaurant was a male and he would only hire men for the maitre'd and bartender positions.
On the other hand, the female staff who were servers seemed to make better tips and were requested more than the male servers. Many of our customers seemed more comfortable with a female as their server and often treated the male servers as busboys.
Epistemology is important because it is the foundation to how we think. It is necessary for the existence of sound thinking and reasoning. We often obtain our knowledge through experience or through the use of rationalism. Epistemology focuses on our means for acquiring knowledge and how we can differentiate between what is true and what is false.
ReplyDeleteSexism is discrimination or devaluation based on a person's sex.
ReplyDeleteBefore starting in the field of human resources, I worked in staffing for six years. On many occasions I experienced sexist behavior. I had males request pretty blondes with big boobs for their front desk, which was disgusting to say the least. I also experienced qualified candidates get passed over for positions just because of their sex.
Sexism can be defined in a multitude of ways, but my basic definition for sexism is the different ways an individual is treated because of their sexs (male/female).
ReplyDeleteI haven't personally experienced sexism nor have I been involved with sexism that I am aware of. The majority of sexism that sticks out to me are jokes that are made about the other sex, pertaing to their job responsibilties around the house.
I feel like in todays time and age there has become less and less sexism with men and women growing closer in the oppurtunities provided to each. Also, both sexes are becoming aware if not already aware that men and women can achieve the same thing in the business world.
Sexism is being treated differently based off of your sex. A personal way I have experienced this is in the work field. I work at a salvage yard and have been tested if I can really do lifting and mans work. Many people try to baby me there thinking there is no way she can do this, but I have proved them wrong in many situations. Although this has happened in my work place no one is mean to me about me being female. They just assume that I need help doing the basic things because I am not as strong as they are.
ReplyDeleteAlthough this happens time to time my job rocks, and is a lot of fun.
Sexism is the belief that one sex or gender is superior or more valuable than the other.
ReplyDeleteI personally have witnessed sexism countless times over the years. At times it was as minor as a teacher believing a male was predispostioned to be poor at English, while a female would be inferior in math and science. In other instances there was the honest belief (often religious in origin) that women and men were only capable of handling certain duties in life.
Personally I have experienced this during my career at an airline. I was often pre-judged to be too weak to load aircraft or lift boxes (which I happily proved incorrect), and after I became part of management I would often be a witness to the "boy's club" mentality in upper management, partly due to most of my peers being former pilots - a field dominated by males.
I disagree with a few of these response... respectfully of course. Sexism is not necessarily "the belief that one sex or gender is superior or more valuable than the other," because if this was the case 99.9% of men would think that women are inferior and 99.9% of women would think men were so. MOST of us have partaken in a sexist situation, yet this does not mean we think any less of the opposite sex (though i do realize that there are sexist situations that do occasionally lead to these opinions of inferiority).
ReplyDeleteI also think sexism is more than just "being treated differently because of your sex". There's more to it. If this was the case, every man who opened a door for a woman or stood up to let a woman sit down would be a "sexist". OR, similarly, any woman who asked a man to help her open a jar with a lid that was screwed on too tight could also be labelled a "sexist". Again, clearly not the case.
I think that sexism mainly involves stereotyping, and the best definition I've been able to find is "the behaviors, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex". In other words, automatically assuming that one member of a sex possesses the same qualities as most average members of his or her sex.
I think men are unfairly ganged up on concerning this topic because i think they experience a great deal of sexism as well.
i have experienced sexism a lot in my job. I work in the construction field as a roof sales rep/claims specialist. Adjusters are often shocked to get to a home and find a female waiting to guide (usually) him through the inspection. They are often VERY shocked when i climb up on the roof ahead of them. But i've learned to make the most of it and in most cases it ends up working in my favor.
I agree with Danielle that sexism has to do with the social roles that society has set down for men and women. These preset social roles determine how men and women are perceived, treated, and accepted by others. It also influences the clothes we wear, the way we talk, the activities that we engage in, and even the types of jobs we apply for.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I hate to admit it, the strongest sexism influence that I have experienced is in my own family. My dad's side of the family is extremely sexist (thankfully my dad is not as bad as the rest of them). To my grandpa and my uncles, the woman's place is in the home cooking, cleaning, and raising children and no where else. A woman should always be dressed in nice clothes and should never leave the house or be seen without makeup on. Women are helpless when it comes to cars and are not reliable sources of information. The women in my family are slowly beginning to change things since my mom and I are now the major sources of medicinal knowledge in the family. But that is their mentality and I despise being thought of in that way simply because i'm a female.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what Lauren and Danielle are saying (for the most part). Sexism has a lot to do with social roles. I may be going out on a limb here, but I don't actually think it's possible to sexist towards men (the same way I don't think it's possible to be racist towards white people). "Isms" and "Ists" are a result of power and control. Women, though there are more of them as far as population is concerned, are a minority. Being a minority means that you lack power. It's all about power. Women have less power in relation to men and are therefore the minority. Are there social pressures on men? Yes. But let's think about what those pressures are. Men are called to be strong. They aren't allowed to show weakness, they aren't allowed to cry. Should they do so, they get labeled with terms like "bitch." But this isn't sexism towards men. This stems from the fact that women are inferior. When a man is told he must not cry, he's subtly being told that he must not lower himself to the emotional status of a woman. All pressures applied to men come back to making sure men do not behave as women who are inferior.
ReplyDeleteI would agree with Danielle and Lauren in that sexism is a stereotype with social implications. I disagree with Dani, though. It is possible to be racist and sexist to the corresponding majority groups. The minority will compare themselves against the majority as well as to the majority. In other words, a woman may say, "I may be (x), but at least I'm not (y)." That negative quality is sexist in that it is assuming that all men are unemotional, or sexist, or idiots (fill in the blank). The quality is assumed to be shared by all men--a stereotype, which we have defined as part of what sexism is.
ReplyDeleteAs for using comparisons to define men against women, Dani is forgetting that there are two sides to the coin. Society is defined by comparison. It would be impossible to create a stereotype unless there were something to define it against, so the fact that men are compared to women is not sexist in and of itself, but a trait of reality. Men can be shortchanged as much as women, the biggest example of this being custody cases. Women are statistically more likely to win custody of their children, because women are perceived as more nurturing. Many good and caring fathers have lost the right to see their children, even in extreme cases in which the woman was shown to be a bad mother.
I would have to agree with Samantha. Having taken many sociology courses it is extremely evident to me that any race and any gender can be "discriminated" against or made out to be inferior or superior to another. There are many disparities in society. As far as race and gender go, however, simply by "being" one gender allows for the possiblity of sexism to occur toward any gender. Same goes for race. By "being" a race (which we all are associated with at least one), regardless of the minority or majority status of the race, we are therefore subject to superiority, inferiority, or stereotypes just by simply "being".
ReplyDeleteMany of the examples of sexism that I have seen in society are often based on stereotypes. Women being gauked at when walking into mechanic shops, men being snickered at when purchasing items from a specialty lotion shop. Sexism thrives on stereotypes. I believe that much of sexism is due to labels people put on each gender in society. This observation, however, is not meant to belittle the many true and statistical findings of injustices against men (following Samantha's custody battle example) and women (making 70-80 cents a man's dollar).
Sexism is the valuation of one gender over the other; it involves a belief that one gender is superior to another.
ReplyDeleteI have been a patron of one particular pet store for over 15 years. During this time, I have seen over a dozen male employees hired (the owner is also male, and he purchased the business from his father). In this same time, I have only seen one female employee. She quit after only a month or so. The male employees are very knowledgable and friendly toward customers, but do have a sense of humor that is pretty crude and can be degrading to women. This was one of the reasons that the female employee left.
Sexism is discrimination on the basis of sex, especially the opression of women by men.Sexism is based on traditioonal stereotypes and roles of men and women. Sexism can be seen in restricted jobs, salary, government positions, sports and just about everything you can possibly think of. I agree with every post on here and believed that everyone has experienced some sort of sexism in their life time. :)
ReplyDeleteSexism is discrimination or behaviors that promote stereotyping of social roles based on gender.
ReplyDeleteObviouly, the gender most discriminated against is women. I haven't had much experience with any sexism in the workplace of in school. This may just be because I'm not really looking for it. However, its easy to spot in the way society sterotypes males and females.
One example I have is about how my dad and my older brother have strong views on how a guy should act. My younger brother who is 20 has never really been like that and doesn't mind doing things that most men think it too girly to do. For example I got him to watch musicals and he loves the show GLEE. I even got him to get a pedicure one time (who doesn't like clean feet?) But my dad and older brother had a field day with that. For some reason, they believe these things are feminine and make you less of a man. Anyway thats just an example of how I think society puts too much emphasis on male and female stereotyped roles.
Sexism is experienced on almost an everyday basis. I experience sexism in my family. An example of this is when I get hurt during a sporting event my Mom and Dad say to walk it off. I remember one time when I was in a soccer game I went up for a header. I head-butted the other guy. I bent over and held my face and my Mom and Dad yelled onto the field to get back on defense. When I had my hand over my face, my Mom and Dad didn't know the whole situation until the blood from my eyebrow had overrun my hands and onto the ground. Then we knew it was serious. Well to fix the cut across my eyebrow, I got a butterfly band-aid. I was still told that I was fine. I would have kept playing but they wouldn't allow me back on the field because of the blood. The sexism is just instilled in you from birth.
ReplyDeleteSexism can be described as the prejudice attitude or discrimination against those of a different sex. Although this is most common, both throughout history and worldwide, with women as the victim, men can be discriminated against for their sex as well. I grew up in a very conservative family where my mom does all the housework (in addition to working a full time job) and my dad does nothing around the house other than complain when his dinner is late. I have honestly never classified his behavior as sexist for a few reasons. First of all, this is the way it has always been and I didnt realize that there was any other way of doing things until I went to friend's houses when I was older. By then I was so used to it that it didn't bother me. Another reason is that that is the way that both my mom and dad were raised and it is all they know. Probably the most important reason I dont consider this to be sexist is that my dad respects my mom otherwise and doesn't think that she is incapable of working outside the house or doing other important jobs. Whether it is because he truly thinks housework is a woman's job or because he doesn't think that he is capable of doing it I don't know, but I definitely would not classify it as sexist. However, my siblings and I have always said that our households will be much more balanced and we will not have housework diveded the way my parents do.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, I would say that the only real sexism I have ever encountered is from a female friend who is incredibly sexist toward men. This friend has not had many good relationships with men in her life and it is possible that this is the reason for her distaste. However, she will not be friends with men, listen to male musicians, read books written by men or anything else related to men. She talks constantly about how men are pigs and are not worth the trouble. Honestly, this sexism bothers me more than any sexism towards women I have encountered. I feel like we have worked so hard over the past decades to level the playing field between men and women and that this type of treatment of men is not helping but hurting the cause.