Psychology of sexism: 5 sexist ideas that are still prevalent today

Five sexist conceptions that, despite advances, are still very much present in the West.

Feminist movements have traditionally been a symptom of social, economic and political inequalities between men and women.

However, once women's right to vote and own property was achieved, the task of feminism is not over. There continue to exist sexist ideas and ways of thinking which, far from being remnants of earlier stages of human development, seem to be adapting to the new times and taking root in soil no less fertile today than yesterday. These are some of these sexist assumptions.

Hidden sexism (5 sexist ideas in the 21st century)

1. Each sex has its tasks, and they are these.

This is a myth that anthropology has already refuted, inasmuch as, although all societies distinguish between men's and women's tasks, the assignment of gender to these jobs is arbitrary: what in one culture belongs to men, in another is done by women, and vice versa.

In our context, this conception serves to justify the idea of the wage glass ceilingthat is, the difficulty women have in moving up the career ladder.

2. Women's attachment to the private - domestic sphere.

Traditionally, women have been defined by the private sphere, as opposed to the public sphere, the latter being the field in which politics, associations and, in short, the social sphere are developed.

The private-public distinction is, therefore, very forced, but it only exists to justify the existence of the private-public sphere. it exists only to justify the existence of women's own space, in order to separate them from the centers of decision-making.. Today, women are often defined basically by their role as housewives and mothers, functions that, as they see themselves, are at the center of the nuclear family and detached from public life.

3. The naturalistic fallacy points to the place of women.

It consists in the moral assignment of "good" only to elements that are replicated in nature.. For example, monogamy could be considered natural if it occurs in many primate species. The same fallacy that is used to charge against homosexuality can be used against women who choose not to have offspring, partners, etc.

However, even choices that are believed to be "natural" are not, since in arguing in this way a bias cannot be avoided by highlighting cases where nature acts in the way we consider "appropriate" and discarding the rest where the opposite is the case.

4. The empowered woman is one who ascribes to male roles.

This can be seen, for example, in the characterization of fictional heroines: cold people, who demonstrate their physical strength and are never too talkative. The renunciation of the feminine understood as a step towards fullness implies that the values that today are considered feminine are bad.

Since the idea prevails that each sex corresponds to a particular gender, women who tend to "masculinity" will be less able to assert themselves than men who are ascribed to masculine roles. In this case, sexism entails the appropriation of some clichés to the detriment of others..

5. Women like to have judgments made about their appearance.

This idea is based on the assumption that all women have in common their practically expressed need to know the opinions of third parties in order to shape their identity, improve their self-esteem or please others. In short, the need to be defined by men.

More sexist ideas that still remain immovable?

If you can think of more gender stereotypes that are still valid in the 21st century, we invite you to share them with us in the comments section or through our social networks.