Sexism in Society
by Chiara Boglione
Chiara is a 15 year old Italian British student. In her spare time, she does gymnastics, tennis, guitar and scouts, but also enjoys reading and listening to music. She has a passion for journalism and take great interest in philosophy. She recently took part in a journalism work experience program, as well as a course at Stanford University, exploring philosophy in terms of science-fiction. She is intrigued by significant issues that our society has to deal with, especially to do with diversity and inequality.
Sexism, the issue that any woman will undoubtedly face in her life. Can any one of us really say that we have never been portrayed as the “girly girl”, the maternal, gentle figure in a family, the cook, the cleaner, the artist, among a society of manly, sporty scientists? Still now, these primitive values hold strong in society, imprinting damaging ideologies on young women like myself, putting us behind in life through work, salary, expenses and social expectations.
Social expectations can be really damaging to young peoples’ futures and it's shocking how early children are affected by them. Toys, as innocuous as they may seem at first glance, can greatly influence a toddler’s mind and impact their views and preferences as they grow older. With companies like John Lewis, Lego and Argos enforcing these stereotypes, this steers children towards certain careers from the get-go. By marketing things as “gifts for her” with unicorn pyjamas and baking games and “gifts for him” with astronaut shirts and construction activities, it allows children to grow up with set expectations and preferences, which really affect their choices in later life.
Women still have to suffer extra expenses for essentially nonexistent differences in products. The Pink Tax, generally unnoticed, makes victims of us all, altering the price of something based on the person who is to use it. This is present everywhere, with merchandise varying from healthcare to school supplies being more expensive if ideally used by women. Anastasia Proudnikova, a 14 year old girl, says “it’s definitely a huge issue. I remember being in reception and having the building blocks and trucks separate from the dolls and mini kitchen sets - and of course, I didn’t understand back then but now I can look back in disappointment. It’s so awful that children are taught to fit society’s expectations of gender roles from such a young age. It’s really harmful and can impose dangerous stereotypes on young children.” Similarly, Valentina Minetti, a mother of three, says “as a maths major, I believe that there should be more role models in society to inspire young women to set goals for themselves and challenge the stereotypes that pressure them daily. They should pursue whichever career path they enjoy and create their own likings and opinions. We need more members of society that can bring out this confidence.”
Out of the five best paying college majors: petroleum engineering, mathematics and computer science, aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, and pharmaceutical sciences, only one of these is dominated by women. Likewise, out of the five worst paying college majors: counseling and psychology, early childhood education, human services and community organisation, social work, and theology and religious vocation, only one of these is dominated by men. A major part of these decisions relates to societal beliefs with women being seen as caring and maternal, supposedly excelling at humanities and creative subjects, whereas men are seen as the providers, supposedly excelling in scientific and mathematical subjects.
This being said, there is hope from around the world. Scotland has recently declared all period products as free, hugely reducing the added expenses a woman must pay. In 2000, Iceland passed a law on parental leave legislation, stating that mothers and fathers alike were entitled to at least 3 months of paid parental leave each, easing the strain on new mothers and allowing them to split their time at work. These countries set an example of what should be the basic laws of every country, though we are so behind that they seem extremely innovative and incredible. This is what we should all expect, rather than what we should wish for. Encouraging the production of gender-neutral products and urging equal roles within society is something that much of the world needs to do too.
There are obviously some major issues that need to be fixed in the business world and society as a whole, and there is still an extremely long way to go. The fact that many high-ranking companies are yet to change their marketing strategies and realise the havoc that they cause indicates just how long it will take to get us out of this mess.