Sexism is a type of prejudice or discrimination based on beliefs about a persons sex or gender. It can manifest in various forms, including:
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Hostile sexism: This involves overtly hostile attitudes about women, such as the belief that women are manipulative, sinful, weak, or resentful, or that they owe men sex. Hostile sexism is dangerous and fuels gender-based violence.
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Benevolent sexism: This is based on the idea that women are pure, nurturing, and in need of protection, and it can take the form of chivalry, paternalism, or romanticizing women. Benevolent sexism can be just as harmful as hostile sexism because it reinforces gender stereotypes and limits womens opportunities.
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Institutional sexism: This occurs when institutions like the media, healthcare, law enforcement, education, religion, and banking reinforce sexist ideology. Institutional sexism can be hostile, benevolent, or ambivalent, and it can range from disadvantaging certain groups financially to blatantly punishing people for expressing their gender.
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Interpersonal sexism: This type of sexism occurs in everyday interactions with partners, friends, family members, co-workers, and strangers. Examples include making derogatory comments about someones appearance, expressing judgment of a womans character based on how she dresses, and vilifying behavior thats not traditionally feminine.
Sexism is often embedded into laws, company policies, hiring practices, media representation, and other aspects of society. It affects every level of society, from institutions and governments to personal relationships. Sexism affects females and other genders, and it creates inequity between different sexes and genders. It also fuels gender-based violence and hate crime.
