Sex Discrimination

Institutional Sexism

Sexist discrimination occurs throughout societal institutions. Due to its ubiquity, unequal relations between men and women are often perceived as a natural part of the human condition. This attitude presupposes a strict dichotomy between the two sexes, each with an inherent set of characteristics determined by biological factors that govern their behavior. The promotion of the idea that there are essential differences between males and females not only justifies the unequal and often aggressive treatment of females, but precludes any attempt to examine this treatment as wrongful.

This attitude has promoted a segregated workplace, where women are accorded lower status, reduced opportunities for advancement, and lower pay than their male counterparts. Women generally earn two thirds of the salary of men in comparable positions and are often herded into gendered employment roles that hold less prestige and power in society. Not only are women routinely paid less than men, they are also more likely than men to be laid off or fired, less likely to be promoted, and less likely to have adequate health insurance and other benefits, such as vacations, even when number of hours worked are taken into account. This inequality is even greater among women of color, where racial and ethnic discrimination intersects with sexism. In the fields of business, medicine, law, government, the military, science, education, and technology, fewer women (than men) are represented in positions of management and administration. Even in traditionally female professions, such as teaching and social work, men hold the majority of administrative jobs and earn more than women in their fields.

This discrimination against women is replicated in other societal structures as well. Organized religions tend to relegate women to inferior positions, even while extolling female virtues. Laws designed to protect women and their fetuses are often designed to limit women's full participation in society and to [Page 643]control their reproductive lives. Social customs create separate and unequal roles for women that often include a double day of employment and housework for women and almost exclusive responsibility for family care. (Even women working outside the home report twice the number of hours spent on housework than their husbands.) Gender roles tend to leave women in positions of economic dependence and vulnerability that result in poverty when marriage is unavailable or unstable. Current welfare regulations do little to assist women (and their children) who cannot be self-supporting.

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