Sexism is discrimination based on gender and the attitudes, stereotypes and cultural elements that promote this discrimination.
No matter what your profession is, where you live, your cultural background; everyday sexism exists. It occurs, as the name suggests, in both the formal and casual interactions between people.
They are sometimes the little things, said or done in a moment, that play into stereotypes of gender. Perceived as too small to make a fuss about, they can be let pass. At other times there is no question that it oversteps the mark. Everyday sexism is
frequently invisible and often accepted. Because it is hard to speak up when it occurs, it continues unchecked.
A major research study has uncovered some concerning attitudes held by young Australians. The National Community Attitudes towards Violence against Women Survey (NCAS 2017) Youth report released by Australia's National Research Organisation for Women's
Safety (ANROWS) and VicHealth has found nearly a third of young men aged 16-24 years believe many women who’ve said they’d been raped had instead led the man on and then had regrets. Young people were also confused about the sharing of nude images,
with over a quarter blaming the woman for sending the image instead of her partner for sharing it without her consent. In partnership with R4Respect, the following video was developed. This video shares some more of the findings from the
research and provides some suggestions regarding what young people can do as active bystanders.
Standing Up: Findings from the 2017 NCAS Youth Report (02:30)
Examples of everyday sexism
Evaluating women less positively than men in the job application and promotion processes.
Ignoring and talking over women in meetings.
Sidelining women in social and work networks.
Calling women 'girls' but not calling men boys.
Seemingly positive comments about gender stereotypes such as women are naturally better at collaborating, detailed work, child care or shopping
Not offering women work opportunities out of misplaced concern that they may not be able to manage it (e.g. assuming that women can't travel due to childcare requirements or work in heavy industries)
Choosing women for stereotypical assignments or tasks such as taking meeting notes, getting coffee or cleaning up after a meeting when it's not their role.
Unwelcome remarks about a person's body or clothing.
Other examples of sexism include being insulted, called derogatory names or slurs because of your gender, or hearing hostile remarks about people of a certain gender, or gender identity.
Such experiences of sexism can have immediate negative impacts on wellbeing and feelings of safety, and also contributes to the wider societal issue of the acceptability of sexism in different settings. Sexism limits job opportunities for all genders,
restricts caregiving options for all genders, can impact mental health and self-esteem, results in higher tariffs for women's goods internationally and higher prices for women's products and services - known as the 'pink tax' - and so many other harmful repercussions.
