Sexism: what it is, how to recognize and combat this prejudice

Sexism is an issue that has gained notoriety in social, political and economic debates with the feminist movement in recent years and social media has played an important role in addressing this issue. Although hotly debated, its concept is still a bit of a misrepresentation out there. Check out our ultimate guide to sexism, what its consequences are, and how to fight it.

What is sexism?

Sexism is nothing more than gender discrimination, that is, the prejudice that one has for someone simply because of their gender. In our society, machismo is the greatest exponent of gender prejudice.

In sexist society, for example, gender inequality is visible from the childhood of individuals, when girls are introduced to domestic and maternal life through toys such as dolls and kitchen utensils, while boys are encouraged to be soccer players, astronauts and scientists.

With this visible inequality between genders, sexism continues to present itself in all spheres and stages of a person’s life, with direct reflections on society.

sexist society

The society we live in is sexist and naturalizes acts of gender prejudice. Many of these acts are performed passively, without the person realizing the sexist content present in this action.

Some of these sexist acts present in our society can be perceived when we take a more critical look at them and, consequently, we will realize that they happen routinely and with people very close to us.

One of the examples that we live in a sexist society is when we talk about the pay gap between men and women. You may wonder if this distinction is real, but we assure you it is!

To confirm this information, a survey carried out by the American Association of University Women (AAUW) shows that nowhere in the world do women earn more than men, even with superior academic training and professional experience. In this way, when we reflect more on these data, we realize that the labor market in which we are inserted brings an institutionalized sexism.

Another example of sexism present in our society is when institutions perpetuate stereotypes that ignore the personal choices of each one, as when a kindergarten asks parents for blue materials for a male child.

Sexist beliefs have been endorsed by our society for centuries and are reflected in various situations ranging from raising a child to female employability in the job market. Our society perpetuates sexism for generations.

sexist behaviors

Sexist behaviors are based on gender discrimination. They are repeated by men and women without them realizing it and contribute to the reinforcement of sexism in our society.

These behaviors can be identified as machismo, femismo or even transphobia and LGBTQphobia. They are present in different areas of our lives, such as at work, at home, with friends or in relationships. It is still possible to identify sexist behavior in TV shows, soap operas, movies and more.

Some sexist behaviors are known as benevolent sexism. They are part of our habits and are considered natural. An example of this benevolent sexist behavior is when a man pulls out a chair for a woman to sit in at a restaurant or pays the bill at a dinner party. These are habits considered by society as innocent and that benefit women.

However, these behaviors are rooted in gender bias. When we think critically, we observe that the waiter, in most cases, gives the bill directly to the man, assuming that he will be responsible for paying it.

These are behaviors considered normal, but they represent the stereotypes present in a sexist society.

sexist relationships

Sexism is also present in relationships. Whether they are loving or not, it is possible to identify gender discrimination in some of these relationships. Some habits are perpetuated and end up harming their health.

In a love relationship based on sexism, it is possible to identify the imposition of one of the partners, being the person who controls the relationship. An example of this is when the man does not perform housework because he believes that the woman is better at doing this work.

In family relationships, it is also possible to identify sexist attitudes such as differentiation in raising children. Boys are raised one way and girls another. It is common to identify families that do not teach men to contribute to household chores, for example, assigning this task to women, from childhood.

Opinions from those in the know

Sexism has been a much talked about agenda on social media. Influencers are increasingly bringing this topic to the forefront. That’s why we’ve prepared a list of videos from youtubers that explain what sexism is and bring a lot of information on the topic.

What is sexism? Know this and other terms:

In this video, Aline Paes, from the channel “Não Me Poupe”, talks a little about the terms that have generated controversy in recent years. She explains clearly and concisely what sexism, feminism, misogyny and femicide are all about. It is a very didactic and easy to understand video. It’s really worth watching!

How not to raise sexist children

In this video, the subject covered is how to raise your child in a non-sexist way. The YouTube channel Soltos counts with the participation of Babi Thomaz to talk about how society encourages creation in the binary model, in which there are pink toys for girls and blue toys for boys.

Sexism against black women

The video talks about how the rate of femicide against black women has increased in recent years. In addition, the video explains a little about the absence of black women in the job market and the lack of opportunities offered to them. They still address the issue of prejudice against lesbian and trans black women.

The sexism present in several situations: even in the cinema!

Film is considered a very sexist medium. In recent years, actresses like Meryl Streep have used her voice to criticize the machismo present in the film industry. To make it even clearer, the video above addresses how cinema can be sexist through characters, award nominations, and more.

This selection of videos will give you a clear picture of what sexism is and where it can be noticed.

13 sexist situations that happen in our daily lives

Almost all of us have experienced sexist situations in our daily lives. Whether at work, with friends, at home or on the street, it is possible to identify some situations in which gender prejudice is present.

As an example, let’s illustrate 13 sexist situations that happen in our daily lives. Some of them go unnoticed and are considered natural, as we said above. Check out:

sexist language

Within our Portuguese language, we find the presence of sexism through some details. When referring to a general term, we use the masculine article. For example, when we talk about a woman and a man who work in architecture, we say “the architects”. Even though it is a group in which most people are women, the masculine article is used to refer to everyone.

It is in this context that language can be considered sexist, since it generalizes the genders into one, the masculine gender.

Sexist education and socialization

Education is the act of offering training and development to human beings in the physical, intellectual and moral spheres. Socialization, on the other hand, is the introduction of human beings into a collective so that they acquire common habits and beliefs. Both education and socialization can be considered sexist, as they perpetuate some values ​​that exclude or enhance a particular gender.

For example, let’s talk about school education. In a subtle way, the separation of sports activities between genders carries a sexist charge in itself. It became natural to separate activities between boys and girls.

In the case of sexist socialization, social roles are based on a duality between genders that has been established over centuries. In this sexist socialization, it is possible to identify some situations, such as “a woman was born to be a mother”, even if it is not her will.

Paternity Leave x Maternity Leave

Of course, a woman needs an extended time after having a baby, as most of the time she needs to recover from childbirth and also breastfeed the baby. But the differences stop there (and if the baby doesn’t breastfeed, the differences end even earlier). Have you ever stopped to think about why paternity leave doesn’t accompany mothers’ leave? Why is it that, for society, parents are providers of the family and cannot participate in the first care of the child?

Sexism is more latently perceived when research shows that many women leave their work to dedicate themselves exclusively to raising their children, while men, for the most part, are restricted to helping with raising or just supporting the home.

binary toilets

This issue is still quite delicate and divides opinions. Binary toilets are the separate toilets for the female and male genders, forgetting the gender diversity that exists.

The polarization between men and women implies that other genders are not welcome, excluding the possibility of choice when using the bathroom.

Labor market

The job market is still quite sexist, especially sexist. It brings with it a range of situations that corroborate the devaluation of women’s work.

Brazilian women earn about 30% less than men in the labor market. Even with greater experience and more studies, women have not yet achieved equal pay. In this way, it is clear that there is still a large presence of gender discrimination in the labor market.

Division of domestic work

The division of domestic work in Brazil is still very unequal. In most households, women are responsible for most of the household care. A survey by the IBGE shows that women perform 10 more hours of housework than men.

However, it is important to emphasize that this overload of housework for women is the result of centuries of sexism and that men end up reflecting this behavior without being aware that it is harmful.

mansplaining

The English words “man” and “explaining” together form the term mansplaining. This term represents the way men tend to explain to women something obvious that they often already know about.

An example of this situation is when a man tries to explain to you, a woman, about abortion or menstruation, two subjects belonging to the feminine universe. They explain as if you didn’t know the…