2. Using information from the appropriate reading, describe some forms of subtle sex discrimination. List and discuss some examples of each that we commonly see in society. In the article "How Subtle Sex Discrimination Works", author Nijole V. Benokraitis discusses eight different types of subtle sex discrimination. Although this type of sexual discrimination may go unnoticed and considered normal behavior by the general public, feminists believe this behavior is having a negative impact on the equality of the female sex in the United States. We are going to take a closer look at a few of these more subtle ways women endure discrimination within our current culture. The first form of subtle sex discrimination we will look at is friendly …show more content…
We see subjective objectification everywhere within our society. Female strip clubs, bikini car washes, and hooter restaurants are all perfect examples of this degrading form of subtle sex discrimination. Watching the nineties television sitcom, Married with Children, is a great way to see women endearing subjective objectification in many ways. Al is a working husband who insults heavy women while fantasizing over blonde bombshells. His wife, Peggy, is a mindless stay-at-home mother who wastes her entire day watching soap operas from the living room sofa and being too lazy to fix Al his dinner. His daughter Kelly is portrayed as brainless high school floozy who uses her sex appeal to get by in life. The youngest child, Bud, is a teenage boy who continuously pursues sexual adventures with beautiful big breasted young women dressed in skin tight miniskirts. This television show is wrong in so many ways; it 's amazing that it is presently allowed to air reruns on cable and satellite …show more content…
This form of subtle sex discrimination can possibly be thought of as the origin of all sexually based discrimination. Considerate domination is contained in the wording of our country 's laws and even within our own language. The word "man" is used in our laws to refer to the entire human race to show men 's dominance of women. This can also be seen in a wife 's wedding vows to obey her husband in their marriage. This can also be seen during the Apollo 11 moon landing. When Neil Armstrong became the first human to step foot on the moon, he is quoted as saying, "That 's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." This quote is the perfect reference to considerate domination of women. By leaving out the female sex and referring to mankind as the entire human race, this quote really depicts the way men exclude women, leaving them to believe they are second-class humans contained by our
Unfortunately, gender discrimination starts as early as birth and becomes more evident with time. Men are expected to be independent, competitive, dominant, confident, and aggressive. That is their manhood and what is acceptable to society. He made her feel valued, gave her love and security.
Sexism is the ideology that maintains that one sex is inherently inferior to the other. Sexism or discrimination based on gender has been a social issue for many years; it is the ideology that one sex is superior or inferior to the other. Sexism does not only affect females, but also males. Men are very often victimized by social stereotypes and norms based on gender expectations. Sexism has appears in almost all social institutions including family, the media, religion, sports, the military, politics, and the government. However, although both genders are affected, men have benefited from sexism the most (Thompson 300-301.)
As stated, Benokraitis and Feagin examine multiple forms of sexual discrimination. These different types included, blatant sex discrimination, subtle, and covert. Within each realm, the authors reviewed the steps of each discrimination and gave real life examples for each. Along with blatant,
Blatantly sexist laws and practices are slowly being eliminated while social perceptions of "women's roles" continue to stagnate and even degrade back to traditional ideals. It is these social perceptions that challenge the evolution of women as equal on all levels. In this study, I will argue that subtle and blatant sexism continues to exist throughout educational, economic, professional and legal arenas.
While both race and gender have very real societal and, in some instances, personal consequences which enables both to be categorized as real neither race nor gender is more real than the other. Both of them faced and still face overt and covert discrimination, and both of them are built upon a mountain of logical fallacies that are able to ultimately be reduced down to societal standards and obligations forced upon them by the dominant group. Since they are also both deeply embedded in our culture they have become integrated into our sense of who we, as humans, are and in our perceptions of other people and situations.
Gender discrimination is defined as prejudice against an individual due to his or her gender or sex. Discrimination against women has been occurring for years and continues to pose an issue today, especially in institutions such as the workforce. In the past, women were limited to very few rights; they were not permitted to vote and were considered as “property”. The only real jobs they had were housewives.and only a handful of women were in the labor force. In today’s society, women compose more than half of the workforce, yet they earn a significantly less amount compared to their male counterparts for completing the same tasks. Due to the subtleness of the issue, many still continue to be unaware of the discrimination which occurs. Though the issues regarding gender discrimination have gone through improvements recently, the issue at hand
Huebner, D. M., Rebchook, G. M., & Kegeles, S. M. (2004). Experiences of harassment, discrimination, and physical violence among young gay and bisexual men. American Journal Of Public Health, 94(7), 1200-1203.
Gender discrimination is the action of being treated worse than others, simply because of your gender. It can occur once or continually over time, by the opposite or same sex. It is an illegal practice here in the United States, based on laws enacted in 1963-4.
Prior to reading the excerpts dealing with gender discrimination from Race, Class, and Gender in the United States by Paula Rothenberg, I thought that gender discrimination was becoming a thing of the past. In today’s society, I felt that we were more aware of how huge of a gap there is between men and women, and that we were constantly working to change that. However, after reading the following passages I can clearly see that this was a misconception.
Women have been discriminated against since the beginning of time, as early as the first people, Adam and Eve. Eve was called the evil one, who ate fruit from the tree of knowledge. Once she had the knowledge to know right from wrong, she chose to do wrong and give the fruit to Adam. Examples like these can be shown all over history books, in stories, tales and legends across the entire world. Women have been subordinate to men in virtually all societies throughout history.
Women whom are considered second class citizens are cast in ghetto settings, or music videos that glorify instances of men sexually objectifying them. This form of microaggression applies to settings that man is dominate, and gender is the microaggression in a subtle form of sexism on women (Lewis, 2012). Jobs that exclude promotion of women, or require woman can not advance to leadership positions within the company is an example of workplace gender sexism. The combination of gendered racism is the simultaneous experience of both racism and sexism (Lewis, 2012). Further consideration of Wendy’s situation and story will either rule in favor or rule out the occurrence of these oppressive practices.
These ideals have been reinstated in the most familiar creation stories, in government policies throughout history, and are now being continued in camouflaged customs like benevolent sexism. Some women are contributing to the discrimination against themselves and other women. The prevention of equality between men and women has had many faces throughout our history but recognizing the current problems in our culture and making changes is our best chance for true equality.
Gloria, DeSole, and Dora Odarenko. "Notes toward an Analysis of Discrimination." Women's Studies Newsletter 3.3/4 (1975): 1-10. Web. 14 Oct 2009. .
While discrimination may seem unimportant, many scholars and icons believe it is a prominent factor of gender disparity: an environment which typically favors males, a hostile or “toxic” atmosphere, and repeated stereotypes all manifest certain behaviors of both genders that can cause
In conclusion, male discrimination has become a very subtle but more prevalent part of today's society, and it isn't being given the attention it deserves. People need to realize that men’s rights need just as much attention as women’s. Men are being portrayed terribly in the media, not being given a fair chance to receive custody of their children, are being treated unjustly by today’s justice system and sometimes even being mocked for their choice of careers. If gender equality is to be achieved then male discrimination must be taken as seriously as sexism against women.