Sexism is a word most people avoid, it is common
knowledge in today’s world that sexism is not something one should indulge in
but it continues to exist in a nuanced form and packaged form even today.
Subtle sexism still exists in ever nook and cranny of the society, it finds
it’s way into our conversations and the content we produce and propagate. Most
of the times it goes unnoticed, sexism and discrimination is rooted very deeply
in our heads since we were kids.
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We see a lot of popular comedians taking up the
issue of sexism and making jokes about it. Most memes on the internet too are
centred around women and feminism. These jokes look harmless but contribute to
the woman-hating culture of violence. Most commonly, go-make-a-sandwich jokes
and jokes against women drivers are considered perfectly normal and common
however, they are very sexist in nature and establish the fact that both
men and women are only meant for certain specific activities. Moral policing of
women in temples, colleges and workplaces is also fairly common and the fact
that there are lesser rules for men is disturbing and discriminatory. Hostels
rules and curfews also only seem to be applicable to female students. The
recent VIT hostel rules asking girls only to wear sleeved clothes and Indian
formal wear are preposterous and unfair, the fact that the hostel wardens are
making these decisions on their own accord and enforcing them is worse. In
another recent article, the principal of Mumbai-based Government Polytechnic
college, claimed that PCOD and a reduced desire to have babies may be caused by
women thinking like men and wearing pants. These
comments only come up because we allow the propagation and normalisation of
sexism in the society without even realising it.
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Women also face a lot of sexism at their
workplace. Workplaces usually have a very strict dress code in place. Women are
also mostly assigned administrative duties inspite of being in high posts.
Bosses too sometimes end up asking their female subordinates to fetch coffee
and do these tasks because of set gender criteria in their head. Moreover, in a
bid to keep themselves safe, women end up losing out on opportunities which may
involve late night shifts.
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Most of these criterions and do’s and don’ts
find their way into a child’s life right from the beginning. Boy’s rooms and
items are supposed to be blue in colour and girls are supposed to have pink
rooms and clothes. Boys are expected to be violent and tough, boys are not supposed
to play with girly things, girls are expected to be more interested in playing
with dolls and learn how to cook so that it helps them in the future. Girls end
up looking at these dolls as the ideal woman hereby buying into society’s
standards for women which build their insecurities and make them believe they
are not good enough. Moreover, girls are always asked not to use crass language
as that doesn't suit them. Girls are asked to sit properly because sitting with
their legs parted is manly and invites trouble. When they start seeing people,
girls are told that if a guy is being mean to them, he likes her. When this
seed is sown in their heads, they end up staying in abusive relationships where
they are not respected. Most expletive too insinuate women and are directed
towards one's mother or sister.
This discrimination and sexism is not just
limited to women and hurts men as well. Boys are expected to be masculine and
tough. Boys are expected to hide their feelings and emotions, if they cry they
are weak because that’s what girls do. Effeminate men are labelled as
homosexuals or transsexuals. Moreover, men who wish to pursue professions that
were traditionally segregated and performed by women are discouraged and are
asked to do something manly.
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Sexism is also subtly promoted by pop culture -
mainly films, TV shows, books and art works. Art should promote feminism
instead of reinforcing sexism and gender disparity. Bollywood especially needs
to eliminate the justification of stalking culture and eliminate it in their
films and songs. Marketing companies too feed on people’s insecurities in order
to market their products and services. Girls and boys are made to feel like
they are not good enough externally and need particular products to be better.
Advertisements too heavily objectify women.
We see how sexism is something which troubles
both men and women hence we should work hard and weed every bit of sexism and
discrimination out of our system and society. People need to collectively work
on this and understand that doing away with sexism only makes way for a fairer
and a better society. If people are happy, the country would also do well
economically. Due to it’s deep rooted existence, men and women need to
continuously fight this phenomenon at various grounds. We need to mobilise
ourselves and stop this in order to make this world a better place. We must
learn to identify and call out this subtle sexism and put a stop to it.
Content Writer: Anuckriti Garg
Content Writer: Anuckriti Garg
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