Essay About Subtle Sexism And Blatant Sexism

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Louis Scott
Fresh. Comp
10-25-06
Sexism In America:
A Common Prejudice
Whether you agree or disagree its a harsh reality that our society falls
victim to the most wide spread prejudices; that has existed just as long if not longer
than racial prejudice; each and everyday. This prejudice is sexism. Sexism is one of
the most difficult bias to avoid, because of the early role men played in society and
its natural to favor or sex rather than your counterpart before actually getting to
know them. Many people are encounter sexism without really knowing it, because it
is rarely taken into consideration and nothing has to be said or done to an individual
to be the object of sexism
Sexism is a form of essentialism, that implies that people can be
understood and judged based on their sex. It is commonly considered to be
discrimination and/or hatred against people based on their sex rather than their
individual merits, but can also refer to any and all systemic differentiations based
on the sex of the individual (Wikipedia encyclopedia). Subtle, blatant, covert are the
forms of sexism commonly encountered (Benokraitis & Feagin, 1999).
Blatant sexism is unequal and unfair treatment of women other than men,
covert sexism is defined as unequal and unfair treatment of women that is hidden
from view. Both blatant and covert sexism are intended, but only covert sexism is
hidden. When comparing these two forms, subtle sexism represents unequal and
unfair treatment of women that is not recognized by many people because it is
perceived to be normative, and therefore does not appear unusual. Like covert
sexism, subtle sexism is hidden but unlike covert sexism, subtle sexism is not
intentionally harmful. Subtle sexism is particularly interesting from both theoretical
and practical perspectives because it may be quite popular (Benokraitis &