Sexism_Essay

Since the beginning of history, sexism has always been a prominent barrier between sexes. The notion that women are not on the same level as men has always been in existence. We see that even during the book of Exodus this belief stems from the creation of Eve, through a rib of Adam. From scripture, Eve's roll was to be considered as a servant and a temptress, the sole reason why Adam ate the apple. Consequently Eve is blamed as being the reason mankind is not living in a paradise. Sexism has continued throughout ancient history and continues to occur in our own environment to this day. Sexism is defined as the discrimination or hatred against people based on their gender rather than their individual merits. This is shown though a common modern day event; a girl cannot perform certain jobs in the military because of her gender, and similarly a male cannot be a part of many feminist groups because of his gender. There are many groups and movements that make this more aware to the public eye and help bring light to these issues but sexism will continue in our world as it has since the roots of mankind's creation. Sexism in its general usage is directed against females. A poll taken from a University in the States reported that 66% of the student body believed that males were the superior gender. Perhaps the grounds of this biased thinking are derived from older customs. In ancient Greece, dating back over twenty-five hundred years ago, women were born as property of their fathers. This ownership shifted to the husband as the woman grew older. Women were also seen as not worthy of male accompaniment. In older days women were to bring dowries to their husbands. These dowries would often be gold, valuables or even livestock which were used as "payment" for marriage. This is a prime example of how many sexist laws, beliefs or teachings would have been rooted from ancient and cultural pasts. In its extreme form sexism towards females is known as misogyny. There are many different forms of misogyny. In its most fierce form, a misogynist will openly hate all women simply because they are women. Some cultures or religions are very misogynist because they demand a different set of expectations from women. In the Middle East where the Islamic religion is very prominent women are required to be almost completely covered in black clothing and not make any eye contact with a male superior to them. Although most societies have changed their viewpoints towards female rights, some are still heavily based on older beliefs (both religious and political).Even today in North America there are countless cases of sexism or misogyny. Although sexism is often seen as opposing females, it is not the only type of sexism. Misandry which is described as the hatred of males also exists in modern society. While misogyny was more rooted in the past, misandry is seen as a more modern issue. According to some researchers misandry is used as a scapegoat by feminists in order to create a more ideological world. They believe that feminists, who blame males for the persecutions of misogyny, must be punished collectively as a whole for the crimes against women throughout history. Another common area of sexism is known as gender bias, thinking that a certain gender holds a large advantage over another gender in one or many areas. Of course there are obvious differences between males and females however gender bias is a common ethical issue. It is most definitely incorrect to say that women cannot compete at an athletic level equal to men or that a certain sex is smarter than the other. Many studies have discredited these finds due to facts. Everyday you will see people who use ideas or theories from gender bias in games, articles or even a simple conversation. People tend to have different opinions on the varying degrees of sexism. Many different routes are taken when analyzing sexism or identifying it. However, in reality it comes down to personal responsibility; the responsibility of parents to teach their children correct attitudes toward the opposite sex, of peers to encourage positive behavior, and for those in leadership positions to do the same