Sexism

(Gender discrimination)
Introduction
• Sexism or gender discrimination is prejudice or discrimination based
on a person's sex or gender. Sexism can affect any gender, but it is
particularly documented as affecting women girls and transgender.  It
has been linked to stereotypes and gender roles, and may include the
belief that one sex or gender is intrinsically superior to another.
Extreme sexism may foster  discrimination, sexual harassment, rape,
and other forms of violence
Discrimination in Social/Cultural Domain
Women are frequently treated as property, they are sold into
marriage, into sexual slavery. Violence against women frequently
takes the form of sexual, physical and emotional violence. Victims of
such violence are often accused of promiscuity and held responsible
for their fate, while infertile women are rejected by husbands,
families and communities.
• Divorced women
Transgender
Domestic Violence
• Although the exact rates are widely disputed, there is a large body of
cross-cultural evidence that women are subjected to domestic
violence mostly committed by men. In addition, there is broad
consensus that women are more often subjected to severe forms of
abuse and are more likely to be injured by an abusive partner.
• Practices such as honor killings and stoning continue to be supported
by mainstream politicians and other officials in some countries as well
• Dowry deaths are the result of the killing women who are unable to
pay the high dowry price for their marriage.
Female infanticide /Girl Child
• Female infanticide is the killing of newborn female children or the
termination of a female fetus through selective abortion is an
extreme form of gender-based violence. Female infanticide is more
common than male infanticide, and is especially prevalent in
Southeast Asia, such as parts of India and China. Recent studies
suggest that over 90 million girls and women are missing in China and
India as a result of infanticide.
Child and forced marriage

• A child marriage is a marriage where one or both spouses are under

18, a practice that disproportionately affects women. Marrying girls
under 18 years old is rooted in gender discrimination, encouraging
premature and continuous child bearing and giving preference to
boys' education. Child marriage is also a strategy for economic
survival as families marry off their daughters at an early age to reduce
their economic burden.
Legal justice and regulations

• Many countries are still fighting with the basic rights of genders
specially in case of female and transgender
• Very low or zero right of testimony
• No specific implications on the laws of protection and custody
Education
• Women have traditionally had limited access to higher education. In
the past, when women were admitted to higher education, they were
encouraged to major in less-scientific subjects
• No specific information related to specific gender protection
rights/laws
Language Sexism
• Sexism in language exists when language devalues members of a
certain gender. Sexist language in many instances promotes male
superiority. Sexism in language affects consciousness, perceptions of
reality, encoding and transmitting cultural meanings and socialization.
Researchers have pointed to the semantic rule in operation in
language of the male-as-norm. This results in sexism as the male
becomes the standard and those who are not male are relegated to
the inferior.
Gender-specific pejorative terms

• Gender-specific pejorative terms intimidate or harm another person

because of their gender. For example, one may refer to a female as a
"girl" rather than a "woman" or a male as a "boy" rather than a man,
implying that they are subordinate or not fully mature. Some words
are offensive to transgender people, including , "she-male", or "he-
she". Intentional misgendering (assigning the wrong gender to
someone) and the pronoun "it" are also considered pejorative.
Occupational sexism
• Occupational sexism refers to discriminatory practices, statements or
actions, based on a person's sex, occurring in the workplace. One
form of occupational sexism is wage discrimination. In 2008, the 
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
found that while female employment rates have expanded and
gender employment and wage gaps have narrowed nearly
everywhere, on average women still have 20% less chance to have a
job and are paid 17% less than men.
Con….
• Studies have found that male students are much more likely to be
hired, offered better salaries, and offered mentorship.
• However, unequal treatment also measured in particular situations,
for instance when candidates apply for positions at a higher
functional level
• when apply for male/female-dominated occupations
Wage gap
• Studies have concluded that on average women earn lower wages
than men worldwide. Some people argue that this is the result of
widespread gender discrimination in the workplace. Others argue that
the wage gap is a result of different choices by men and women, such
as women placing more value than men on having children, and men
being more likely than women to choose careers in high paying fields
such as business, engineering and technology.
Weight based sexism

• studies stated that the discrimination/sexism on women's

advancement may reflect not only general negative stereotypes about
the competencies of women, but also weight bias that results in the
application of stricter appearance standards to women.
In Advertising
• While advertising used to portray women in obviously stereotypical
roles (e.g., as a housewife), women in modern advertisements are no
longer solely confined to the home. However, advertising today
nonetheless still stereotypes women, albeit in more subtle ways.As
well as it is also linked to negative body image and the development
of eating disorders.
• Studies argue that some fashion trends have been oppressive to
women; they restrict women's movements, increase their vulnerability
and endanger their health. The fashion industry has experienced
various criticism, as their association of thin models and beauty is seen
as encouraging bulimia and anorexia nervosa within women, as well as
locking female consumers into false feminine identities.
• The assignment of gender specific baby clothes from young ages can
be seen as sexist as it can instill in children from young ages a belief in
negative gender stereotypes.An example of this is the assignment in
some countries of the color pink to girls and blue to boys