Sexism is prejudice or discrimination typically against women. Sexism is basically stereotyping of females and it supports patriarchal norms. It is simply a disease that is persisting in our society. It is present among us in so many ways like a family being identified by a male and not a female and the concept that a man is supposed to work outside and be a breadwinner for the family while a woman should work inside and take care of the household. Women are not being recognized for their efforts in the workplace and not accepted as a leader/bosses.
In a household when a boy is born, he is expected to take an interest only in sports or careers like engineering, piloting, finance, etc. However, when a girl is born, she is likely to focus on learning how to cook or clean which sets a base that when she grows up all she has to do is work in the kitchen, take care of her family, and do household chores. Even if a girl is allowed to work outside it is limited to a certain parameter. She is stated to pursue teaching, nursing or to work in an environment where there is hardly any encounter with males. She is considered “too emotional and sensitive” for hard work. Similarly, when a boy wants to pursue higher studies, he has no restrictions in choosing his subjects or institution but with regard to a girl, it becomes a matter of debate whether or not she will be allowed to study further and even if she’s allowed where she will study so that she remains behind the curtains of the societal judgment. When it comes to the workplace, sometimes there are traces of women falling prey to misogyny. When men witness women doing better than them, they hardly accept a woman’s leadership and as a result, she is required to work in a tactful environment where her opinions do not matter as much. We often hear statements like “you’re a woman, so sit straight, talk politely, dress properly, don’t put your perspectives because nobody is going to listen to it” and what not! Women are considered either “too young or too old” for most things, for instance, a marriage where a man can decide whenever he wants to get married and nobody will judge him but when a woman decides to marry late, she gets a label. Women still have a night curfew and are expected to complete all the tasks before sunset because it is a preconceived notion that women cannot protect themselves and there’s an underlying stigma of being sexually assaulted if she stays out late for work or anything else. Sexism is everywhere, from your household to your workplace. Sexism is spread like a disease that we often ignore. Sexism is a dangerous disease to our society and it can only be treated if the society works together to make this world a place that believes in equality and empowerment of both genders uniformly.