Sexism

{{gender}}{{cquote|So yeah, it's just a shirt. And it's just an ad. It's just a saying. It's just a TV show. It's just the Internet. Yes, but you ''almost'' make as much as a man does. It's just a catcall. It's a compliment! It's just that boys will be boys. It's just that she's a slut. It's just that your dress is too short. It's just that we want to know what you were wearing at the time, ma'am. It's just it's just it's just. It's just a death by a thousand cuts. No one cut does the deed. In the end, they all do.|||[[Phil Plait]], astronomer <ref>http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/11/17/casual_sexism_when_a_shirt_is_more_than_a_shirt.html</ref>}}

'''Sexism''' is discrimination against people due to their perceived [[gender]], [[biological sex]], or both. Sexism can take the form of blatant discrimination such as only assuming men are qualified to do particular work, or thinking women are best at home with the children, or far more subtle views about the value of particular genders as friends, co-workers, or simple humans.

==History of sexism==
What is labelled today as "sexist" has been "just the way things are" for the majority of history and across the world.  Women's roles have been almost universally limited to [[Kinder, Küche, Kirche|hearth and home]] in historical society, even in societies like the Hopi, Jewish, and Okinawan, where women held the family name and property, and were considered an important source for leadership.<ref>Contrary to the "Man The Hunter/Woman The Gatherer" [[false dichotomy|dichotomy]] in which Ugg the Caveman went out hunting for mastodon while his wife ran the daycare cave, sexual division of labor and gender roles were sometimes more complex and fluid in prehistoric and hunter-gatherer societies. See, e.g., Frances Dahlberg's [http://yalepress.yale.edu/book.asp?isbn=9780300029895 ''Woman the Gatherer''].</ref> In most societies, limits on women's freedoms were common, though those limits could range from not being able to leave the home, to not being able to own property to simply not being accepted as equal in [[business]] relationships to men.  In many societies - including all of the so-called Western societies - men institutionalized sexism against women.  Until the so-called modern era, women in the West received limited [[education]], were not considered acceptable in academic circles, were not considered valuable within business; though they were, of course, important commodities. Women in most Western countries did not have the right to vote until the 20th century.  In the most extreme scenarios, women themselves, once they married, became legal property like children, a status known as coverture.<ref>{{wpa | coverture}}</ref> The narrator of Thackeray's 1848-1850 novel ''Pendennis'' suggests: "These women were made for our comfort and delectation, gentlemen, —with all the rest of the minor animals." It is these very patterns of institutionalized sexism that are the hardest to break out of.

The concept of actual ''equality'' between the sexes begins in the early 20th century, when writers such as Simone de Beauvoir begin to challenge the notion of women's inferiority and non-personhood. Scientists like Marie Curie and Margaret Mead, as well as other figures like Eleanor Roosevelt and [[Amelia Earhart]], made inroads on what it means to be a woman and what limits a woman must face.  And [[Margaret Sanger]] argued for the right to plan when to have children, and for a woman's right to control her own body.  Of course, such equality has not been achieved everywhere and even in more progressive nations it is still opposed by some [[conservative]]s, even by those who have benefited from increased equality such as [[Phyllis Schlafly]], [[Ann Coulter]], and the "Roe" in [[Roe v. Wade]], who later became a pro-life protester.

==Common conservative views==
Many conservatives constantly make two points: sexism isn't real, and that men are sexually discriminated against too.

People taking this line of argument will generally argue that pay discrimination and glass ceiling are not a factor of sexual discrimination, but are in fact a reflection of women's own choices to work for less, their choices to put family first, as well as their choices to take time off to have those silly babies of theirs. This argument has been fully dispelled,{{fact}} however, by looking at women in legal and medical positions who have chosen not to have children, or have chosen to only take time off for the 2 months of birth and recovery — equivalent to men taking off for a long holiday sabbatical. In the medical field, specifically, female residents are more preferred to joining lower paying specialities, while male residents are more preferred to joining higher paying specialities.<ref>https://wire.ama-assn.org/education/how-medical-specialties-vary-gender</ref> Even when choices exactly the same to their male counter parts are made, women are still making 20% lower salaries, and do not achieve partner as fast if at all.<ref>http://www.law360.com/employment/articles/163381/women-attys-face-2m-lifetime-pay-disparity-study</ref> Still, conservatives persist in arguing that such discrimination isn't happening.{{better source}}

On the other hand, they do argue that men are constant victims of discrimination. [[Conservapedia]], for example, has an article about [[cp:sexism|sexism]] and sexual discrimination, which lists only examples of perceived discrimination against men. This includes a rant that women-only spaces are accepted and encouraged, while men-only spaces are almost universally abhorred as sexist. Equally, [[men's rights movement|men's rights groups]] argue that men do not have a fair shake against women; they are considered rapists and abusers without trial; they are mistreated by the courts; and are forced to pay overquoted sums of child support instead of given the option to care for their own child. Other arguments include skepticism in the perceived gender-pay gap, arguing that the pay-gap is an effect caused by freedom of choice rather than any large factor of discrimination.<ref>https://www.forbes.com/sites/karinagness/2016/04/12/dont-buy-into-the-gender-pay-gap-myth/#4b86e52b2596</ref>

==Sexist discriminations against men==

*According to Pew Research, Americans view men less positively when it comes to most moral traits relating to leadership, with both sexes favoring women and women in particular having a bias towards their own sex. For example, 80% of Americans believe women are more compassionate than men, versus only 5% believing men are more compassionate. However, for unknown reasons this doesn't translate to Americans preferring women as leaders. <ref>http://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2010/10/gender-leadership.pdf</ref>
* In the [[United States]], men are required to register at the Selective Service System (so that they can be called to compulsory military service if the need arise) within their 18th birthdays,<ref name="must">[https://www.sss.gov/Registration-Info/Who-Registration Who must register?], [http://www.sss.gov/when.htm When to register], Selective Service System.</ref> while women are not.<ref name="Women">{{cite web|url=http://www.sss.gov/FSwomen.htm|title=Women Aren't Required to Register}}</ref> Legally speaking, men who do not register can be punished by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000, albeit the last legal prosecution of a non-registrant has been in 1986.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hasbrouck|first1=Edward|title=Prosecutions of Draft Registration Resisters|url=https://hasbrouck.org/draft/prosecutions.html|website=Resisters.info|publisher=National Resistance Committee}}</ref> Non-registered men can be ineligible for federal student financial aid, federal job training and federal employment, and - in some states - state employment and driver's licenses.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415015849/https://www.sss.gov/FSbenefits.htm|title=Benefits and Programs Linked to Registration|date=December 21, 2010|website=Selective Service System|publisher=Office of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs}}</ref>
* According to a 2012 paper, men receive prison sentences that are on average 60% longer than women's for the same crime<ref>[https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2144002 Estimating Gender Disparities in Federal Criminal Cases]</ref> and women are twice as likely to avoid incarceration if convicted.<ref>[https://www.law.umich.edu/newsandinfo/features/Pages/starr_gender_disparities.aspx Study finds large gender disparities in federal criminal cases]. Michigan Law. November 16, 2012.</ref>
* In several European countries (e.g., in [[Albania]],<ref name="vik">''Інформація про поточний пенсійний вік у різних країнах'', Консультаційна компанія "Стратегія Лайф" [http://strategy-life.com.ua/articles_detailed.php?id=32]</ref> [[Austria]],<ref name="etk.fi">{{cite web|url=http://www.etk.fi/fi/service/retirement_ages/1601/retirement_ages|title=Etk.fi - Avain asiantuntijan työeläketietoon|publisher=etk.fi|accessdate=23 July 2016}}</ref><ref name="vik" /><ref name="report">''2009 Ageing Report: Economic and budgetary projections for the EU-27 Member States (2008–2060). Joint Report prepared by the European Commission (DG ECFIN) and the Economic Policy Committee (AWG)'', [http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/publication14992_en.pdf], p. 78.</ref> [[Belarus]],<ref name="infos">[http://parl.sejm.gov.pl/WydBAS.nsf/0/D8FD27CD446CB5DDC12573E800318FA1/$file/infos_027.pdf Kłos B., ''Wiek emerytalny kobiet i mężczyzn'', "infos", 7.02.2008]</ref> [[Bulgaria]],<ref name="etk.fi"/> [[Croatia]],<ref name="etk.fi"/> [[Czechia]],<ref name="cssz.cz">http://www.cssz.cz/en/pension-insurance/old-age-pension.htm</ref> [[Italy]],<ref name="DL201">{{cite web|url=http://www.inps.it/portale/default.aspx?itemdir=5742 | title=Età pensionabile}}</ref> [[Lithuania]],<ref name="etk.fi"/><ref>{{cite journal | first = Audrius | last = Bitinas | first2 = Alessandro Fiori | last2 = Maccioni | title = Lithuanian Pension System’S Reforms Transformations and Forecasts | journal = Universal Journal of Industrial and Business Management | volume = 2 | issue = 1 | pages = 13–23 | format = pdf | publisher = Horizon Research Publishing | url = http://www.hrpub.org/download/20131215/UJIBM3-11601929.pdf | accessdate = 11 March 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first = Milda  | last = Seputyte | title = Lithuania Raises Retirement Age to 65 to Help Narrow Budget Gap | newspaper = Bloomberg | location = Vilnius | publisher = Bloomberg L.P. | date = 9 June 2011 | url = https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2011-06-09/lithuania-raises-retirement-age-to-65-to-help-narrow-budget-gap | accessdate = 11 March 2015}}</ref> [[North Macedonia|Macedonia]],<ref name="vik" /> [[Moldova]],<ref name="vik" /> [[Poland]], [[Romania]],<ref name="cjpensiiarad.ro">{{cite web|url=http://www.cjpensiiarad.ro/pensii6.php|title=Casa Judeteana de Pensii Arad|publisher=cjpensiiarad.ro|accessdate=23 July 2016}}</ref> [[Russia]],<ref>{{cite news |url=http://rt.com/politics/251677-russia-pension-age-communists/ |title=Communists oppose government initiative to raise pension age |newspaper=RT |date=22 April 2015 |accessdate=23 April 2015}}</ref> [[Serbia]],<ref name="vik" /> [[Slovakia]],<ref name="report" /> [[Switzerland]],<ref name="infos" /> and [[Ukraine]]<ref name="vik" /><ref name="voxukraine">{{cite web|url=http://voxukraine.org/2015/06/09/ukraine-needs-a-smaller-and-more-humane-state/|title=Ukraine Needs a Smaller and More Humane State &#8211; VoxUkraine|publisher=voxukraine.org|accessdate=23 July 2016}}</ref>) the retirement age for men is up to 5 years greater than the retirement age for women, despite the life expectancy for men in those same countries being up to 11 years less than that for women.<ref>{{cite web|url=|title=Life Expectancy at Birth, by Gender, 1970 and 2014|website=Population Reference Bureau}}</ref>
* In the United States, breast cancer research receives about twice as much funding as prostate cancer research ($88,348,750 vs $44,185,252 in 2017<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cancer.org/research/currently-funded-cancer-research/grants-by-cancer-type.html|title=American Cancer Society: Current Grants by Cancer Type|date=2017}}</ref>), although there is a similar probability that a woman will die of breast cancer and a man will die of prostate cancer (respectively 2.64%<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cancer.org/cancer/breast-cancer/about/how-common-is-breast-cancer.html|title=American Cancer Society: How Common Is Breast Cancer?}}</ref> and 2.43%<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/about/key-statistics.html|title=American Cancer Society: Key Statistics for Prostate Cancer}}</ref>). This is despite the fact that male cancer researchers are much more likely to receive grants than women (3 times more likely based on one UK study).<ref>[https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/8/4/e018625 A systematic analysis of UK cancer research funding by gender of primary investigator], Charlie D Zhou et al, ''BMJ Open'', 8:4 (2017)</ref>
* In the [[United Kingdom|UK]], 99.2% of refuge places for victims of domestic violence are reserved for women, although men constitute 40% of domestic violence victims.<ref>{{cite news|journal=The Guardian|title=More than 40% of domestic violence victims are male, report reveals|author=Denis Campbell|date=September 2010|url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2010/sep/05/men-victims-domestic-violence}}</ref>
** On a related note, a 2006 survey conducted in Glasgow found that 60% of women surveyed found domestic violence against men acceptable, while 35% actually admitted abusing their male partners.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/glasgow_and_west/5092100.stm|title=Survey finds male abuse approvable|date=June 28, 2006|website=BBC News}}</ref>
* A 2015 study, conducted on 873 tenure-track faculty at 371 universities/colleges from 50 US states and the District of Columbia, showed that female applicants for assistant professorships in biology, engineering, and psychology are preferred  over identically qualified males with matching lifestyles (single, married, divorced) at a rate of 2:1.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Williams|last2=Ceci|year=2015|title=National hiring experiments reveal 2:1 faculty preference for women on STEM tenure track|url=https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1418878112|journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America|volume=112|issue=17|pages=5360-5365}}</ref>
* According to a U.S. court {{Wpl|Hermesmann v. Seyer|ruling}} from 1993, a woman in [[Kansas]] can sue a man for child support even if the "man" was underage at the time and/or was the victim of a crime the woman perpetrated on him. The ruling extends to all sex offences perpetrated by the woman, essentially meaning that female rapists can sue their victims for child support.
* In India, it is legally impossible for a woman to be charged with rape<ref>{{cite news|title=Only men can be booked for rape|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/delhi/only-men-can-be-booked-for-rape/story-qQNnSnT8lzd1QOCsansK1H.html|journal=Hindustan Times|author=Nagendar Sharma|date=6 March 2013}}</ref> or for men to be a victim of it, even if their rapist is a man.<ref>{{cite news|journal=Women's Web|title=Men Are Raped Too, But Apparently Not, According To Indian Rape Laws|url=https://www.womensweb.in/2021/08/indian-rape-laws-men-can-be-raped-too-aug21wk4sr/|author=Sophiya Chaudhary|date=30 August 2021}}</ref> While male-on-male rape is punishable as an "unnatural offence" and carries a hefty prison sentence,<ref>[https://www.indiacode.nic.in/show-data?actid=AC_CEN_5_23_00037_186045_1523266765688&orderno=434#:~:text=India%20Code%3A%20Section%20Details&text=Whoever%20voluntarily%20has%20carnal%20intercourse,Explanation Section 377, Unnatural offences]</ref> these laws do not cover heterosexual vaginal intercourse.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blog.ipleaders.in/unnatural-sexual-offence/#Types_of_unnatural_sexual_offences|title=What is an unnatural sexual offence?|date=24 January 2023|author=Sukhmandeep Singh}}</ref> This seemingly results in a legal loophole where a woman can get away with sexually abusing a man as long as they only have vaginal intercourse with him.

==Sexist discriminations against women==

* In some countries whose laws are based on [[Sharia|Islamic jurisprudence]], women have less rights than men. In Algeria, the sharia-derived family code treats women as minors under the legal guardianship of a husband or male relative.<ref>{{cite web|title=Algeria – Constitution and Laws|url=https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/171731.pdf|publisher=U.S. State Department (2011)|accessdate=3 October 2014}}</ref> Under Saudi Arabia's male guardianship system, adult women need permission from a male guardian to travel abroad, marry, or leave prison. Women also face difficulty in renting, filing legal claims, opening a bank account, starting certain businesses, and receiving health care.<ref>[https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/01/18/saudi-arabia-repression-overshadows-womens-reforms Saudi Arabia: Repression Overshadows Women’s Reforms]. Human Rights Watch. January 18, 2018.</ref><ref>[http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42668841 Saudi Arabia allows women at football game for first time]. BBC. January 12, 2018. {{quotebox|There are many things that Saudi women are still unable to do without permission from the men in their lives, including: 
*Apply for passports
*Travel abroad
*Get married
*Open a bank account
*Start certain businesses
*Get elective surgery
*Leave prison}}</ref> In Tunisia, inheritance laws entitle female heirs to only half of the share of property of their male peers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Will Tunisian Women Finally Inherit What They Deserve?|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2014/02/07/will-tunisian-women-finally-inherit-what-they-deserve/|publisher=Foreign Policy|accessdate=10 January 2015}}</ref>
* In China, a preference for sons has existed for centuries and has resulted in {{wpl|sex-selective_abortion||,}} neglect, abandonment and {{wpl|Female infanticide in China|infanticide of female infants|.}}<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/02/chinas-great-gender-crisis China's great gender crisis]. ''The Guardian''. November 3, 2011. {{quotebox|China's preference for sons stretches back for centuries. Infanticide, the abandonment of girl babies and favourable treatment of boys in terms of food and health has long produced a surplus of men. In the past two decades, the gap at birth has soared: the advent of ultrasound scans has allowed people to abort female foetuses, even though sex-selective abortion is illegal.}}</ref><ref>[http://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/10/31/policy-or-disaster Policy or a disaster?] The BMJ. August 29, 2006.{{quotebox|The [[One-child policy|policy which limits couples to one child]] has caused a disdain for female infants; abortion, neglect, abandonment, and even infanticide have been known to occur to female infants.}}</ref>
* Health insurance plans sometimes cover Viagra so older men can still get their penises hard,<ref group=note>But surely this is of some benefit to women too, right?</ref> but do not cover [[birth control]] or necessary medical procedures such as emergency abortions.<ref group=note>In the new "[[Obamacare]]" policy, birth control and annual visits to prescribe that birth control must be covered starting in 2012.</ref> Accordingly to some feminists, this is a big issue.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-cover-viagra-if-contraceptives-arent-covered_us_5963eceee4b0deab7c646b13|journal=Huffington Post|title=Why Cover Viagra If Contraceptives Aren’t Covered?|author=Georgette Bennett|date=October 2017}}</ref> Of course, this is because this is what the policyholders want rather than what's best for the patient; many plans also cover Supplemental Complementary Alternative Medicine, because it attracts more customers.
* Even in progressive and liberal nations, the average wage of women is less than the average wage of men. In STEM jobs, a study showed that sexism plays a role in explaining the difference in wages of men and women. In the study, two versions of a fictitious resumé were produced and the only difference was the name at the top ("Jennifer" and "John"). Despite having the same qualifications and experience as John, the scientists in the study were less willing to mentor or hire Jennifer, and offered her a salary that was, on average, 13% less than John.<ref>[http://gender.stanford.edu/news/2014/why-does-john-get-stem-job-rather-jennifer Why does John get the STEM job rather than Jennifer?] The Clayman Institute for Gender Research. June 2, 2014.</ref> Of course, there are an abundance of ''apparently biological'' explanations why the women aren't worth as much as the men in these positions, and thus the man ''should'' earn more than the woman, but to be fair, these apologist arguments are typically only presented by the most dedicated of anti-feminists.<ref group=note>There does, however, appear to be an age-related bias in gender pay inequality (c.f. [http://www.catalyst.org/publication/217/womens-earnings-and-income]). Younger women tend to make nearly as much as men of the same age for the same work, while older women tend to make less. This may be because the older women were hired at a time when sex discrimination was legal, and the standard of pay raises as strict percentages thus limits their income; or for all we know, it may be because they're being discriminated against based on their youth and beauty.</ref>
* Published material by female [[academic]]s is less frequently cited than comparable publications by male academics.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2013/10/01/how-to-reduce-the-gender-gap-in-one-relatively-easy-step/ How to reduce the gender gap in one (relatively) easy step] {{quotebox|Crunch the numbers in different ways and the results are always the same: articles written by women in IR [international relations] are cited less than men, all else equal.}}</ref>
* Women have historically not been allowed to serve in combat infantry in the US, a position that has never been considered by the [[Supreme Court]].<ref>See ''Schlesinger v. Ballard'' and ''Rostker v. Goldberg''.</ref><ref group=note>In peace time women suffer disproportionately from sexism, in war time men are pressured or conscripted to fight and die.</ref> The US Military also has different physical fitness standards for males and females, both of which the US Marine Corps is starting to undo. In 2016, the government announced women would be allowed to serve in all roles, including regular combat infantry.<ref>http://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/2012/11/marine-corps-requires-pullups-for-womens-fitness-test-pft-112712</ref>
* For many diseases research and treatment concentrate on male subjects, with women sometimes excluded entirely from studies and treatment guidelines often focusing on men.<ref>[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1761670/ Gender bias in research: how does it affect evidence based medicine?], Anita Holdcroft, J R Soc Med. 2007 Jan; 100(1): 2–3.</ref>
* With about 90%, the predominant victims of domestic violence are women <ref>{{cite journal |author=EIGE |year=2012 |title=Review of the Implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in the EU Member States |url=https://doi.org/10.2839/612 |journal=Publications Office of the European Union |doi=10.2839/612}}</ref> and domestic violence against women is typically more severe.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rogers |first=Kenneth |year=2010 |title=Clinical manual of prevention in mental health |location=Washington, DC |publisher=American Psychiatric Publishing |page=245 |isbn=9781585623471}}</ref>
* When in pain, women are less likely to receive adequate care due to biases against perceived "feminine" traits.<ref>[https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20180518-the-inequality-in-how-women-are-treated-for-pain The inequality in how women are treated for pain]</ref>
* A study conducted on the popular development platform GitHub has shown that code from women is considered as less valuable, but only when the gender is disclosed. <ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/12/women-considered-better-coders-hide-gender-github Women considered better coders – but only if they hide their gender]</ref>

==See also==
*[[Cognitive differences between sexes]]
*[[Homophobia]]
*[[Men's rights movement]]
*''[[Fundies Say the Darndest Things#Spin-offs|Sexists Say The Darndest Things!]]'' (SSTDT)

==External links==
*[https://www.theguardian.com/science/grrlscientist/2014/jun/04/hurricane-gender-name-bias-sexism-statistics Is widespread sexism making hurricanes more deadly than himmicanes?]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}

[[Category:Discrimination]]
[[Category:Gender]]
[[Category:Sexism| ]]
[[Category:Social justice]]

Categories: Discrimination, Gender, Sexism, Social justice