EVERYDAY SEXISM

SEXIST SITUATIONS WOMEN FACE EVERY DAY

It’s hard to be a young woman in society today. Many people would rather see you as an object than a human. It’s embedded in us that girls are raised to be cautious and afraid. Meanwhile boys are brought up to be strong, independent and to have more freedoms than young women. Double standards stem from childhood. From a young age, girls are taught to accommodate men, dress conservatively, don’t be provocative, don’t get drunk or stay out too late. We are taught it’s our fault, it doesn’t matter what happened, there’s always something you shouldn’t have done. Society thinks it’s telling girls how to be safe but really it’s saying, make sure you’re not doing something that will get you attacked.

Maybe instead of teaching girls how not to be provocative, why don’t we raise boys against violence?

‘Man up’ is a phrase we have all heard.

Tag ‘21 interviewed several guys about their experiences with the concept of masculinity. They told us that being manly suggests you can’t be soft or emotional, you must be strong and predatory; that showing emotion makes you, weak, feminine or gay. They experienced that when guys express themselves, they are being “dramatic” or “extra,” invalidating their emotions. On the flip side, young women are told “don’t make a fuss”, to become smaller and to compensate for men. Girls must be ladylike while boys will be boys. Sexism is everyone’s problem though.

Here are some startling facts. More than two women are killed every week by a current or ex-partner, according to the Office for National Statistics. 400K women are sexually assaulted annually claim END Violence Aagainst Women. One woman is raped every six minutes (source: The Guardian). A phone call is made about domestic violence every 60 seconds. These are not random occurrences, they are daily. We need to recognise that abusers are not always a stranger in the dark but are often friends and family. 97% of women have been sexually harassed, according to openaccessgovernment.org - that is almost all of us. Sexism really is everyone’s problem.

A perception of the police is that they are far from helping. In 2021 Sarah Everard had been walking home from a friend’s in South London when she was attacked and killed. Public outrage kick-started the second women’s movement in the last four years. Women all over the world identified with Sarah, sick of the way we have to alter our behaviour to stay alive. Before this, the Me Too movement had accelerated into action following sex abuse allegations against US film producer, Harvey Weinstein.

Many women do not trust the justice system. According to The Independent, only 1.7% of reported rapes are prosecuted.

Jess Scrivener Design: Damien Fox Photography: Oscar Tarbox

And when women report abuse or assault, half felt no safer and many felt extremely afraid to raise the alarm again once the police are involved. But possibly the most shocking is that one in four women who called for help – due to sexual assault or partner abuse – were arrested or threatened with arrest themselves. These are the facts, yet talking about it makes you a crazy feminist. Equal pay is still a pipedream - 78% of companies still pay men more than women for doing the same job, ITV found. We live in a world where what you wear takes away your basic human rights. The media objectifies women while preaching about how we should look, which is full of contradictions: make your legs thinner, you’re eating too much, hey do you ever eat? Be a size zero, have sex, protect your virginity. Inequality is everywhere. We can keep ignoring these issues but they aren’t going away. What do you choose?

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET INVOLVED IN MAKING LIFE FAIRER FOR WOMEN AND GIRLS, AND THEREFORE EVERYBODY, CHECK OUT THESE ORGANISATIONS:

fawcettsociety.org.uk ukfeminista.org.uk avaproject.org.uk