Subtle Sexism

Sexism is discrimination or prejudice typically directed toward women and girls. Oftentimes, sexism is connected to stereotypes and gender roles and presupposes that males are superior to females. Psychologists Janet Swim and Laurie Cohen identified three types of sexism: (1) overt, (2) covert, and (3) subtle. Overt sexism is clear and obvious discrimination directed toward women (e.g., sexual harassment at the workplace, rape, or sexual violence). Covert sexism exemplifies unequal and harmful treatment of women in a concealed way (e.g., stating that one believes in equal pay for equal work but then implementing a lower pay scale for women). Subtle sexism is discrimination directed toward women in elusive and abstract ways. This type of sexism is much more difficult to detect because it can manifest ...