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Gender discrimination, also known as sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on a person's gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it mostly affects women and girls. Throughout the twenty-first century, sexism has expanded to include intersexual and transgender individuals. Sexism is also considered to be a belief that one sex is superior to another with the main purpose to increase “male domination” across the world. A male-dominated society or area of activity is one in which men have most of the power and influence. This view assumes that women are the weaker sex and are less capable than men.
Examples of sexism
Sexism is a form of oppression that is experienced by many on a daily basis. For example, catcalling and sexual assaults are both big issues for women living in cities. Being out in public seems to give men (and sometimes women) the right to comment and touch women’s bodies. According to futurewomen.com, a survey the Not-For-Profit Stop Street Harassment conducted that found that over 81% of women have been catcalled, yelled at, stared at, intimidated, followed, or harassed online.
For many women, sexism is prevalent at home too. From their twenties onward, people constantly ask women about when they will get a boyfriend, get married, and have children. Some People assume the purpose of a woman is to have a life with a husband and take care of the children. According to Pan MacMillan, on average, women all around the world spend more than twice as many hours as men doing unpaid work. What is meant by unpaid work is work performed at home, such as childcare, cooking, cleaning, collecting water, and gathering firewood in communities without electricity and running water.
Another important example of sexism is forced marriage and child marriage. Forced marriages are marriages conducted without consent from both parties. Child marriages are marriages in which one or both partners are under the age of 18. Many child marriages and forced marriages are arranged by parents or family members without the consent of the child. Female minors or young adult women are the main victims of forced marriages, but sons who resist arranged marriages or have a partner that the parents disapprove of can be tricked into a forced marriage. According to the Asian Pacific Institute on Danger-Based Violence states that in 2016, it was estimated that 15.4 million people were in forced marriages, and 88% of these victims were girls and women. 37% of victims of forced marriages were under 18 at the time of the marriage. Of these, 44% were under 15 at the time of the marriage.
Finally, the last example of gender discrimination is unequal opportunities in school and work. In undeveloped countries, for every 100 boys who continue their education past high school, only 55 girls can do the same. Also, 113 countries around the world do not have laws to ensure equal pay for equal work among men and women. 104 countries make certain jobs off-limits for women and 36 countries limit what wives can inherit from their husbands. 29 countries restrict the hours women can work. 18 countries allow men to prohibit their wives from working. Finally, 17 countries limit when and how women can travel outside their house.
How to improve sexism in the future
There are many ways in which you are able to help out to close the gender gap. In order to take action or to donate to improve sexism, this website helps educate people about different types of sexism that occur in the present. People have the choice to sign up for free and take action for different causes and even donate to facilities that help improve gender equality across the world. This website is a good way to learn about what is happening around the world and what we can do to create a change.
From closing the gender pay gap to giving all women access to education, there are still many inequalities that need to be eradicated. Although it is important to fix the big issues of gender inequalities, it is still important to address the smaller issues as this can also help close the gap of inequality between men and women.
Aditi Pant wrote an article stating some of the things you can do in order to support Gender Equality. By using this website you can learn more about how you can support gender equality at home, in the workplace, and in other places. One example that Aditi mentions in her blog is encouraging children to play with toys of his/her desire. When buying toys for the little ones, people typically ask for gender-specific toys, like toy guns or race cars for boys and princess dolls and vanity sets for girls. Instead, allow children to buy toys of their desire rather than forcing them to pick out one primarily based on their gender. Another way to help out is to talk about income inequality. People should be aware that guys get paid more than girls over their lifetimes. Voice your opinion against this injustice, and support equal pay for the same work.