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Aneirin -> Sexism ? (10/10/2008 3:06:08 PM)
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Sexism, as defined by the Merriam-Webster Online dictionary ;
1: prejudice or discrimination based on sex ; especially : discrimination against women
2: behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex
My interest in sexism is based on number 1: prejudice or discrimination based on sex.
The sex we are, our gender we have no control over, but what exactly is the difference between the sexes aside from biological, are we that different ? Different thought patterns you might say, but then a woman brought up by and around women will be different, she has had a female upbringing. But there are 'tom boys' and women not brought up around women, their thought pattern might be different, and has been different in some cases. The same with men, a man brought up by women and around women might very well be different from other males, so our difference is upbringing and biology, nothing more.
So aside from biology and upbringing, are we that different, male and female is human, both sexes are human, so it stands that if a human is to be able to do something, then that means either sex.
In the Western world, we have laws against discrimination because of gender, and quite rightly so, but sexism, or discrimination based upon gender still exists, bold as brass in the society we live. If it is not female employees getting paid less for the same job, it is discrimination in other ways. So laws we have, but in reality, are they toothless laws ?
My recent interest in this has come about by myself wishing to learn to dance, but have so far been excluded from classes due to my gender, not because males cannot dance, but because the majority who are females are not happy having a male in the class, something about, they feeling vulnerable as it is doing something they are not used to, and some with poor body image, others saying historically, males don't dance, which is complete bollocks as I know the history of my chosen dance form, the historian history, not the goddess babble made to suit, I know that too, but I er on the side of intellect, not fantasy. So, the women who dance feel insecure about themselves, so deem to exclude males, well, I wonder how they would feel if they were the only one of their gender in with lots of the opposite gender, body image does not even come into it.
Some might say the experiences I have had are not sexism in action, but from my point of view, it sure feels like it, and there is nothing I can do about it. Laws it seems only seem to exist as something to write on paper and the not involved to babble about.
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