The Golden Trident

By Morgan Cranford and Lila Qualteri

It is almost 2025 and women and people of gender minorities still feel the impacts of institutional sexism every day. It seems on the surface that we’ve moved beyond this place where females are treated as less than their male counterparts simply based on their gender, but things like pay inequality, sexual harassment, and underrepresentation are still very prevalent issues. According to aauw.org, women working full time only make about 84% of what men are making in the same jobs. Of all sexual harassment charges filed from 2014-2021, 78% of them were made by women against men, statistics which only account for reported circumstances of sexual harassment. More often than not, men in positions of power are able to get away with taking advantage of women because, culturally, they are not nearly as respected.

That being said, sexism doesn’t always look like outright harassment. It can also present as little digs over time intended to undermine authority and respect. Admittedly, this treatment isn’t exclusive to females, but it is far more prevalent than with males because of the problematic way our society runs. We have normalized rampant sexism that is so subtle it is difficult to detect as an outsider. This way, men get away with treating women like they are less just because of their gender identity, and facing no punishment for their behavior. 

Gender stereotyping is a similar problem that often flies under the radar as a harmful issue. While it can be assumed that the majority of men don’t want women to get back in the kitchen, they also commonly have some brand of deep seated sexism that is as a result of their upbringing and the behavior that was normalized for them their whole lives. On some level at least, it seems that a lot of men subconsciously subscribe to the stereotypical perceptions of how women should act within a society. These stereotypes are based on nothing but cultural and societal expectations instead of actual ability and individual characteristics that each person has. Just because a woman is a woman, doesn’t mean that she fits the mold of the stereotypical female. People should be treated equally, regardless of their gender (or race, sexual orientation, or political persuasions, for that matter). An oversimplified view of the world is one that relies on stereotyping and conventional wisdom and is very harmful to the functioning of society. 

One of the greatest setbacks placed on current society is the mockery of the Feminist Movement. With young boys thinking that it is okay to joke about the rights of women and overall equality, we are setting the movement back farther and farther every day. The movement has become a source of comedy to young boys and when women say anything to stand up for it they are labeled as feminists, as if that has some sort of negative connotation. Women are constantly being subtly made fun of for standing up for themselves. Every issue they point out is simply unimportant to others and a laughing point. We have minimized the feminist movement and because of that we are losing equality and respect amongst all in the workplace. 

Just because sexism isn’t something you hear about everyday because it isn’t as outwardly aggressive as it once was, doesn’t mean it isn’t still a prevalent issue. Women have to work twice as hard as men do for the same positions, pay, and respect, and that still comes with the reality that some people will never look at you the same way they would a man. It is a constant uphill battle for women and other minorities because we live in a society where it is considered okay to treat people differently because of their identity, regardless of the work that they accomplish. Even things that are passed off as jokes are often incredibly harmful because they mock people just trying to live and reinforce outdated gender roles. When sexism appears in the form of a “joke”, it subtly normalizes disrespect to the point where others see the example being set and follow suit, creating a hostile environment for everyone involved. 

An isolated instance of subtle sexism in the workplace isn’t necessarily a big deal, but it builds upon itself and creates a worse situation in the long run. In this day and age, sexism typically won’t present as blatant harassment and violation of respect, but that makes it harder to detect and handle. Women need to understand how to stand up for themselves against men (and other women disrespecting them) because their role will always be more difficult in minority fields. Conversely, men need to understand that women are no less intelligent, no less ambitious, no less accomplished than they are. The odds are simply stacked higher against them because of the cultural expectations and norms that our society expects of women, regardless of if they work or not.