Sexism

Sexism, Patriarchy, and Feminism

Understanding sexism begins with understanding patriarchy, the context in which sexism occurs. In The Gender Knot, Allan Johnson explained that a patriarchal society is one whose power structures, values, norms, and institutions are specifically male-identified. In other words, positions of power and authority tend to be occupied by men, important resources are generally controlled by men, values tend to reflect stereo-typically masculine strengths and characteristics, norms are shaped around the ways that men live their lives, and institutions and their procedures tend to advance and promote the needs and success of men. In a patriarchy, the privileged status of men is rooted deep in society's subconscious, so that well-intentioned men and women who would oppose outright gender discrimination often unintentionally hold and perpetuate sexist stereotypes. American society's continuing patriarchal nature can be seen in such realities as the nearly all-male makeup of the nation's chief executive officers (CEOs) and legislators, as well as the vast gap between the amounts of income and wealth accruing to men and women. Patriarchy places men at the center of American cultural expression, whether in music, literature, or the movies; important contributions by women film directors or composers are often singled [Page 1314]Sexism out as being noteworthy on that basis alone. Patriarchy explains the fact that, whereas assaults against individuals on the basis of most group memberships merit special designation and prosecution as “hate crimes,” violence against women does not capture people's attention in the same way.

The movement to end sexism is called feminism. Feminism is frequently characterized as having evolved in three “waves.” The first wave took shape in the late 1800s and focused on securing fundamental legal rights for women, culminating in the right to vote for women in 1920. Second-wave feminists moved beyond these basics in the 1960s and 1970s to work for broader personal, political, social, economic, and sexual equity among men and women. The objectives that second-wave feminists took on were, therefore, not only conceptually more complex but also more controversial: Whereas the double standard involved in disenfranchising half the American adult population was relatively clear-cut, the deconstruction of deeply held beliefs about conventional gender roles and relationships presented a much more complex challenge to mainstream understanding. Second-wave feminists elucidated and confronted sexism as manifested in such important issues as sexual harassment, images of women in the media, violence against women, pay inequities between men and women, limits on women's reproductive freedom, and the oppressive underpinnings of conventional heterosexuality.

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