Chapter Summary: Sexism

Rachel Young
Intro: Sexism has been present in our country for many years
against all sorts of different kinds of people. Oppression can come
from many things, but involves a dominant group (the group
possessing societal power) exerting both ideological and structural
control over a subordinate group (the group without societal power) in
order to benefit the dominant group (Adams). This has come through
the act of gender roles or stereotypes set up for men and women.
Gender roles can be defined as the categories that define what is
feminine and what is masculine. These categories and stereotypes
are made by the dominant group, and kept in place through
socialization. The second characteristic is the basis on which these
norms are built: heteronormativity. The Third is that masculinity and
feminism are exact opposites. And the fourth is the use of violence to
keep the status quo.
Essay 60: Gender is not talked about, because we dont
consciously acknowledge it until we dont know what to classify a
person as (we always want to place people in a gender status)
(Adams). The author likes to think of Gender as a social institution.
Meaning, gender is one of the many ways human beings use in order
to organize the human race. Some societies want to increase their
physical appearance to look more like the gender they are, or identify
as. However, Lois Gould called for an experiment where they placed
children in non-gender specific clothes and didnt imply to the child
what gender they biologically were. Most ended up being/acting as
their actual biological sex. Once a gender has been established it
seems that the social, family, friends, education all plays a big part in
establishing the gender roles that the child learns and understands. As
a process, gender builds the definition of feminism and masculinity.
Essay 61: Manhood is not a biological trait one can detect; it is
socially constructed from the influence of society around them. The
definition of manhood can be found by opposing the definitions of
racial minorities, sexual minorities, and women. Manhood must be
granted by other men, through wealth, power, status, and sexy
women, men can get approval from other men. Men fear to be
humiliated, so they remain silent. This silence allows the persecution
against women, gays/lesbians, and minorities to continue happening.
Men will do a lot of things to prevent anyone thinking they are gay
when they are not. Women feel they have no power in society because
men hold all of it. However most men do not feel they are powerful
because of all the rules set to become a real man (Adams).
Essay 62: Oppression does not exist because there are evil
people in this world. The system has been set up this way, oppression
seems normal, so people can do nothing, and it still continues to

happen (just because our system is oppressionistic, does not mean the
people are). A patriarchal culture is all about dominance: over women,
minorities, etc. This society that we live in has fully embraced this
patriarchy by accepting the stereotypes such as: women are weaker
than men; women are objects only used to satisfy sexual desires; men
are unemotional; men love violence; etc. Patriarchy puts issues of
power, dominance and control at the center of human existence
(Adams). We all participate in this system; therefore we have to take
part in the consequences. Men often feel they should not be blamed
for oppression upon women because they do not participate in it but
they arent really doing anything to stop it either. The privilege is set
in society; its not something that is inherent.
Essay 63: The definition of feminism has never been fully stated.
And because of this ambiguity, many dont take this movement
seriously. Many women dont want to be involved in the movement
because they dont know what it means. If feminism were to take a
stand, race and class oppression would also be included in the
movement. It is important that the definition of feminism is presented
so the direction of exploration and analysis can occur (Adams).
Essay 65: The media constantly presents a false and unrealistic
body image that many women and girls try to attain. The media
presents through magazines and advertisements that womens bodies
are objects for others to visually consume (Adams). W.E.B. Dubois
defined self-objectification as a sense of always looking at ones self
through the eyes of others (Adams). This is why women try so hard to
stay fit, or buy expensive make up, so they be of more worth to men.
Self-objectification has been seen to effect academic performance, and
political efficacy. In some ways, women promote this behavior for
wearing clothes that poke fun at feminist movements.
Essay 66: It seems that equality in the workplace is increasing
for women, but really women make about forty-four percent of what
men make in their careers (Adams). Many employers see women as
the primary caretaker of the children, so they dont put as much
responsible jobs in their position, so most women receive the less
paying jobs. Although many women resort to half time jobs, and less
paying jobs, more women, than men, are graduating from college.
Essay 67: This woman attended an all girls school and didnt
learn much about being a woman. She turned to magazines and the
media for her information. Through high school she developed an
eating disorder; she had to attend three months of hospitalization and
two years of psychotherapy in order to become and develop a healthy
lifestyle. Her illness, anorexia, gave her a sense of power and control.
However she began to realize how much she had missed in her life.
And she discovered, I observed a woman held up by her culture as the
physical ideal because she was starving, self-obsessed and powerless,
a woman called beautiful because she threatened no one except

herself (Adams). Every body is different, and every person is beautiful

the way they are.
Essay 73: This woman was adopted in to a white family. As she
was growing up she felt a sense of discomfort knowing she was not
white and did not truly belong to her family, but she realized that her
identity was being created by the society around her. Many women
dont want to participate in feminism because they believe it is a white
person thing. Colored women feel racism is still occurring today, so
they feel they cannot participate in this cause with white women.

Sources:
Adams, Maurianne. Readings for Diversity and Social Justice. New York:
Routledge, 2000. Print.