Gender Bias in Everyday Life

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Recommended: Introduction of sexism in media

In the modern United States, biases are found in almost every social institution. These discriminatory practices hurt everyone involved. One of the more evident of these is discrimination based on someone’s gender. Gender bias, also known as sexism, refers to a full range of attitudes, preferences, laws, taboos and behaviors that differentiate and discriminates against the members of either sex. These may be the position of male dominance and female subjugation in modern society. It may also be in the form of sexual stereotypes between men and women, which are commonly experienced or encountered in employment, especially on the positions they occupy and their earnings or income. A final instance where discrimination is faced is within the academic environment where in certain programs and courses, the male to female ratios are out of sync, therefore pressuring women and men to go into certain fields of study instead of doing as they please.

Patriarchy, the social system of male supremacy, is prevalent in every facet of daily life. Most advertisements use some sort of sexually charged image with a female as a star. Women are to be for the pleasure of men, and nothing more. If one delves outside of the box, she is labeled a slut, dyke or worse. Each image we see has undergone some sort of photo enhancement, yet tells girls everywhere that by buying this, or wearing that, they too can be perfect. (Independent.co.uk). This is causing an ever growing epidemic of girls developing eating disorders. (Costin, 182) Men are also perceived to be stronger, and therefore the breadwinners and head of each and every social ladder. Very seldom do women get the position of C.E.O, or any equivalent position. Women are seen as too emotionally we...

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...e mild forms of gender bias on a daily basis and are judged on everything from how they handle situations, to how they look and dress.

Works Cited

Crane-Seeber, Jesse, and Betsy Crane. "Contesting Essentialist Theories of Patriarchal Relations: Evolutionary Psychology and the Denial of History." Journal of Men's Studies (2010): p218. Web. 20 Feb 2011.

"Airbrush warnings Could help fight anorexia."Independent.co.uk Tuesday, 23 February 2010: web.

United States. Sex Discrimination: Overview of the Law. , 2004. Print.

Greenberger , Marcia, and Neena Chaudhry. “Sex Discrimination in Education: Miles to Go Before We Sleep." Human Rights Magazine. 2005: 19-21. Print.

Goldberg, Steven. Why Men Rule: Theory of Male Dominance. Peru, Illinois: Open Court, 1994. 10. Print.

Costin, Carolyn. The Eating Disorder Sourcebook. Los Angeles: Lowell House, 1999.

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