...Sexism in the Political Arena: How Gender Alters Political Representation Sarah Moore University of Pittsburgh Abstract: This paper explores the topics of sexism in politics- more specifically, how the underrepresentation of women has resulted both from differences in the genders (internal/psychological variances), and also circumstances that exist in the current political climate. It is important to note that there are two different sources of this problem, if not more. Internal characteristics that lead to the underrepresentation of women include how they perceive their environment compared to men, the fact that women believe they are less qualified than men, and that they are less competitive in a political environment than their male counterparts. In the external sphere, this paper examines how the facts that women partake in more household activities than their male spouses do and that they are less likely to receive political nominations from any of their peers affects their likelihood of campaigning for office. Sexism in the Political Arena: How Gender Alters Political Representation Since the birth of the American political system in 1789, the question of representation has always been one of the most significant topics in political discourse. This According to Gail Baitinger, Jennifer Lawless, and Richard Fox, “when the 111th Congress convened in January 2009, 83% of its members were men. Men occupy the governor’s...
Words: 2946 - Pages: 12
...Sexism Sexism plays a role in every country across the globe,some more prominent than others. What is sexism ? Sexism is the discrimination and the view of one sex greater than the other.Even in the modern world today,sexism is in the judicial system,in religious sects,workplaces and relationships.Society has stereotyped gender to what individuals view as the “norm” for a certain gender. The term sexism was established in the 1960’s feminist movement portraying particularly to women's rights but has grown to a more modern term. Sexism in the judicial system has been an underlying problem in our society that many do not wish to talk about . Many studies have proven that in the area of sexual crimes...
Words: 690 - Pages: 3
...They didn’t”. Day expounds on the low number of women compared to men in the film industry and asserts that it is due to the fact that most of the people who make the decisions in the film industry are men. She mentions famous women in the film industry who claimed to have experienced sexism in one way or another such as Geena Davis, who said she experienced sexism on set but it was not directed towards her, and Anne Hathaway who said that she was treated differently because she was a woman. She refers to a research conducted by Dr. Stacy Smith at USC Annenberg which stated that from 2007 to 2014, women were merely 30.2% of the characters in the 100 top-grossing films distributed in the US and very few of those 30.2% were directed by women (Day). She compares this percentage in the film industry to other fields like law, art, politics and journalism in which women are not more than 20%. In addition, the disproportion is even worse in the off screen roles in 2013 which women were 2% of composers, 4% of sound designers, and 2% of supervisors in the 250 top grossing film (Day). She stresses that it is even worse for black women according to the same research which states that out of 565 top grossing films only two were black women (Day). Day also writes that there is an incredible amount of pressure...
Words: 1220 - Pages: 5
...we can compare and contrast on the topics of sexism in the media & gender presentation of these two females. Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton both experience sexism in the media in different ways. Both are being persecuted in different way, Palin even though she is a politician is being treated as a " flower" - beautiful and delicate w/o acting as a true politician with a mind. Hillary is being persecuted for being a true politician, speaking her mind, and for looking tougher- qualities that a woman shouldn't have. But both of these politician are being treated as women as opposed to politicians. Palin is not being allowed to speak her mind. On the contrary, Hillary was being mocked for her wardrobe and appearances . They claimed that because she is being a true politician with this tough look she would be like a "nagging wife ." In both situations when women are mentioned , their physical appearance and clothing are commented. Also, they are being portrayed negatively. Women should be looked as with a mind not be judge for the profession especially if this profession has been ruled by men for centuries. The media has awaken me to the reality that sexism exist to such a degree. Even though I am not into politics, I must confess that I commend any woman including Palin to have the courage to face these scrupulous individual and to illustrate that they are simply individuals engaging in politics and not females who are trying to rob the men...
Words: 438 - Pages: 2
...play. Therefore, sexism will be defined as a social construct that promotes the discrimination of individuals based on an individual’s gender. Sexism arises from stereotypes that define the roles of both sexes, therefore having issues when the gender roles are performed by the opposite sex. This social construct mainly affects the minority group identified as women and girls. Sexism is recognized in all aspect of life, and it’s not strange to identify it in the technology industry. The male figure has always identified its gender role as the provider. This social construct originated from the nature of man been the hunter who provided his family with their daily meal. Therefore relegating the women to the role of caretaker and this aspect has kept its hold over the society. In the 21st century, sexism has been a covert and subtle process that tries to establish an environment that is less friendly and less accessible to women. It’s clear that sexism is evident in the Silicon Valley and beyond. We also identify that the technology aspect has always been associated with male perspective. Therefore, it has become common to hear a conversation about women who have suffered sexism and sexual harassment in their digital related jobs. Women have also been identified to facilitate this occurrence by been timid when it comes to technology in the workplaces. Therefore, the actions that sideline women from important decisions at the workplace can be seen as sexism in play. Rudman...
Words: 3045 - Pages: 13
...Deaf 404 2, March 2016 Sexism Sexism is something that greatly impacts me on a daily basis. It is something I can never escape from. I never want to be anything other than a woman; however, I do want our society to change. There is so much sexism everywhere we look: in schools, in the workplace and in politics. My personal experiences with sexism is something I never want other women to have to go through and I think that it is so important for men to understand that sexism is real. In my personal experiences I have been through verbal abuse from my ex boyfriend and it has really changed my view on sexism. Due to the fact that he was a man, he felt that he was superior to me and could treat me however he wanted. Meaning, he thought it was ok to raise his voice at me and yell whenever he felt like it. He felt like he was able to talk to me in any way that he wanted and it really left a huge impact in my life. This happens all the time to girls just simply because men feel that they are more dominant and can take charge over women. That is simply not the case and women need to stand up for themselves and use their voice! In classroom settings, sexism is seen most often when there is a male teacher and a female student and male student raise their hands at the same time. The male teacher is more likely to choose the male student who is raising their hand due to the sexism that lies within the male privilege. It is noticed that most often a male is chosen over a female...
Words: 606 - Pages: 3
...-Sexism in the 2008 Election The 2008 election was a historical election in which the first black president was elected president of the United States of America. The 2008 election had four candidates that the media mainly focused on; Senator Joe Biden, Senator Obama, Governor Sarah Palin and Hilary Rodham Clinton. During the election process, the media had an abundance of racist remarks and sexist/gender comments. Surprisingly enough, the sexist/gender comments that were geared toward Governor Palin and Hilary Clinton outweighed the racist remarks about Senator Obama. Culture has shaped our expectations to not be used to seeing women in the upmost power in politics. Women have gender norm qualities that they are expected to keep up but men can easily learn them for political reasons. The negative connotations that come with being a woman hold them back in the political world. In the process of electing president for 2008, the media hashed out a lot of negative press on the female candidates of this race. Sarah Palin received the light end of the allegations. She wasn’t really called out of her name much but there were a few provocative cartoons or photoshoped images of her circling around. (Erbe 2008 ). There was one in particular of a model in a red, white and blue bikini while holding a rifle with Governor Palin face pasted on. Senator Clinton, on the other hand, sexist/ gender comments from the media were remarkably higher. Sheehy stated, “ I think Hillary Clinton...
Words: 561 - Pages: 3
...to partake in politics due to stereotypical images of White womanhood (Crenshaw, 1989, p. 153). The speech perfect-ly introduces the problem of intersectionality as early as in 1851. Since then changes have been made, the situation of Black people in the United States now differs greatly from the Post-civil war period of the 19th century and even from the 1950s, which were marked by Jim Crow and wildly accepted racism of that time, as well as an atmosphere of violence and oppression. For women as well things have changed, the suffragette movements of Europe and the United States established political...
Words: 444 - Pages: 2
...common interests and lead the country they live in. Sexism is defined as, “The systematic oppression of women and the prepetition of violence against women because of their gender” (Womens International Network News, 1993). The ideology of sexism is based on the idea that men have more natural rights and are superior to women from birth. There is much debate on...
Words: 922 - Pages: 4
...The United States prides itself on being the beacon of equality around the world, especially with regard to politics. With the addition of the Fifteenth and Nineteenth Amendments to the constitution, every citizen has the right vote. Furthermore, everyone and anyone who meets the requirements can run for office. The election of President Obama was symbolic fulfilling these creeds. Why is it then that women are excluded from the conversation and politics at-large? What are the factors that deter women from running for public office in the United States? This paper examines the attacks made on then-candidate Hillary Clinton relating to her husband as a representation of the gender imbalance in politics in order to argue that societal perceptions about women and power prevent women from entering the American political landscape. In turn, women are underrepresented in government and therefore, struggle to change the very institutions that oppress them. The 2016 presidential election featured Donald Trump, a businessman without government experience, and Hillary Clinton, a former Secretary of State, United States Senator, and lawyer. Clinton was widely considered to be the most qualified person to run for the job on her own merits. All of...
Words: 1520 - Pages: 7
...FEMINISM IS FOR EVERYBODY Passionate Politics bell hooks South End Press Cambridge, MA CONTENTS Copyright © 2000 by Gloria Watkins Cover design by Ellen P. Shapiro Cover illustration by Laura DeSantis, © Artville Any properly footnoted quotation of up to 500 sequential words may be used without permission, as long as the total number of words quoted does not exceed 2,000. For longer quotations or for a greater number of total words, please write to South End Press for permission. INTRODUCTION Come Closer to Feminism 1. 2. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hooks, Bell. Feminism is for everybody: passionate politics / Bell Hooks. p.cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-89608-629-1 - ISBN 0-89608-628-3 (pbk.) 1. Feminist theory. 2. Feminism - Philosophy. 3. Feminism Political aspects. 4. Sex discrimination against women. 1. Title. FEMINIST POLITICS Where We Stand 1 CONSCIOUSNESS-RAISING A Constant Change of Heart 7 3. SISI:ERHOOD IS STILL POWERFUL 4. Vll 13 00-036589 South End Press, 7 Brookline Street, #1, Cambridge, MA 02139 06 05 04 7 8 9 Printed in Canada 19 OUR BODIES, OURSELVES Reproductive Rights 25 6. HQl190 .H67 2000 305.42'01 - dc21 FEMINIST EDUCATION FOR CRITICAL CONSCIOUSNESS BEAUTY WITHIN AND WITHOUT 31 7. FEMINIST CLASS STRUGGLE 37 8. GLOBAL FEMINISM 44 5. 9. WOMEN AT WORI( 48 10. RACE AND GENDER 55 ...
Words: 37459 - Pages: 150
...Feminism is known to be the belief of equality between the sexes and also the movement created around belief. In relation to equality, it is the idea to end sexism and to end a patriarchal society. The word feminism was created in the 1880’s in France and the Netherlands, which only connects to Caucasians (Hobbs, Rice 1B). Feminism started with Caucasians before it got established to people of color. The Feminist Movement is entirely about the change for women but the movement consists of only a White women’s viewpoint, which they view the male as the enemy. Reading about feminism only makes references to European men and women but not people of color. During the Feminist Movement, three waves were created; the first wave was women’s suffrage, the second wave was the women’s liberation movement, and the third movement was centered on sexuality (Hobbs, Rice 23). The movement was focused on women and poverty, women and education, violence against women, women in the economy, and women and politics. These were standard movements that were fought for but it was the perspective of the White women but it may have applied to all...
Words: 1255 - Pages: 6
...Tehla Gibbs 12/3/15 Ms.Sibley Analytical Analysis Analytical Summary Without a doubt, similar to shake and move, hip-bounce in some cases makes you think our men don't care for ladies much by any stretch of the imagination, but to generalize them as trophy pieces or, as contemporary vernacular orders, as infant mommas, chicken heads, or bitches. Be that as it may, pretty much as it was out of line to deride men of shading in the 60s singularly as wild-peered toward radicals when what they needed, in the midst of their wrath, was a little opportunity and a little power, today it isn't right to completely release hip-jump without taking into genuine thought the financial conditions and the numerous record names that anxiously endeavor and profit by the lack of awareness of a considerable lot of these youthful craftsmen that have prompted the present situation. Alternately, to summarize the late Tupac Shakur, we were given this world, we didn't make it. Kevin Powell, Notes of a Hip-hop Head. In addition to hip-bounce's defenders, you were given this world and you laud it. You were given this world and you secure it. You were given this world and you profit by it. You were given this world and even in your most extravagant fantasies you decline to envision whatever else however this world. Furthermore, any individual who assaults your sexist dream and offers an option vision is a hater, or more regrettable, an adversary who simply doesn't get it. What is there to...
Words: 1554 - Pages: 7
...Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. Crenshaw describes several employment discrimination-based lawsuits to illustrate how Black women’s complaints often fall between the cracks precisely because they are discriminated against both as women and as Blacks. The ruling in one such case, DeGraffenreid v. General Motors, filed by five Black women in 1976, demonstrates this point vividly (2013). The General Motors Corporation had never hired a Black woman for its workforce before 1964 which is the year that the Civil Rights Act passed through Congress. All of the Black women hired after 1970 lost their jobs fairly quickly, however, in mass layoffs during the 1973 to 1975 recession. This was such an extensive loss of jobs among Black women it led the plaintiffs to argue that seniority-based layoffs, directed by the principle “last hired-first fired,” discriminated against Black women employees at General Motors, re-enforcing past discriminatory practices by the company. However the court refused to allow the plaintiffs to combine sex-based and race-based discrimination into a single category of discrimination. Making the voices of Black women continue to be unheard (2013). Mignon Moore argues that Black women are discriminated against in ways that often do not fit clearly within the legal categories of “racism” or “sexism”—but as a combination of both racism and sexism. However, the “legal system has generally defined sexism as based upon an unspoken reference to the...
Words: 473 - Pages: 2
...Alexandra Vilents May 22, 2012 Final Paper Homophobia in the Black Communities. Homophobia, just like racism and sexism, is a sign of ignorance. Most people who hate or fear gays have either never met a gay person or simply do not understand what homosexuality is. In the black community, masculinity is considered to be the most important feature of a man and if a man is a homosexual, this is not just a matter of his sexual preference, being gay automatically labels you as a “fagget”, a “sissy”, or basically less of a man. Many black families traditionally attend church and thus tend to be very religious. To them homosexuality is a sin. Procreation is highly valued in African American families. Since gay men cannot produce children that makes them an “unwanted” part of this community Metrosexual is a term that can be used to describe a heterosexual urban male who tends to be very considerate of his appearance and has a defined taste in fashion. Metrosexual guys are often called “Fags” because their style and interests may be somewhat different from those of a “manly man”, but this in no way makes them a homosexual. When most men in the black communities think of a gay man this image of a very feminine, metrosexual guy comes to mind. What they do not take into consideration is that one's sexual preference is what makes them gay, not what they are wearing or how they are acting. Black men see homosexuals as a threat to their masculinity. They often think that just because...
Words: 1325 - Pages: 6
