Laura La Bella - Confronting Sexism

CHAPTER 1:
WHAT IS SEXISM?

CHAPTER 2:
RECOGNIZING SEXISM

CHAPTER 3:
CLASSIFYING SEXISM

CHAPTER 4:
SEXISM IN SOCIETY

CHAPTER 5:
LEADING THE FIGHT

I n March 2014, administrators at Haven Middle School in Evanston, Illinois, sent a memo home notifying parents that female students were banned from wearing shorts, leggings, and yoga pants. These items of clothing were deemed too distracting to male students.

The memo ignited protests and outcries from female students and their parents. In a letter to school administrators, one students mother wrote, This policy clearly shifts the blame for boys behavior or lack of academic concentration directly onto the girls ... This kind of message lands itself squarely on a continuum that blames girls and women for assault by men. It also sends the message to boys that their behaviors are excusable or understandable given what the girls are wearing.

Many parents and students reasoned that instead of asking girls to modify their wardrobe choices, school administrators should focus on teaching boys to stop objectifying young women and educate them on the potential harms of sexist behavior. As one female student said, Not being able to wear leggings because its too distracting for boys is giving us the impression we should be guilty for what guys do.

Haven Middle School isnt alone in singling out female students and blaming them for the behaviors and attitudes of male students; schools in California, Minnesota, and Vermont have also banned shorts, leggings, tank tops, and other clothing for similar reasons. The idea that women and girls must modify what they wear, say, or do to avoid distracting, drawing the attention of, or enabling men and young boys to act in inappropriate ways is an example of sexismthe idea and belief that one gender is superior to another. Sexism includes the attitudes, beliefs, stereotypes, and biases that promote the idea that women are worth less than men. And everywhere we turn, sexism is present.

A student wrote the hashtag #iamnotadistraction on her arm as part of her protest against the dress code policy at her school, which has directed female students to wear what the district has defined as "more modest clothing choices.

On the red carpet, actresses are asked what designer they are wearing, while actors are asked what motivated them to take a particular role. In schools, boys are given preference in science and math courses. According to Time magazine, two studies on gender bias in education found that teachers spend up to two-thirds of their time talking to male students and that teachers are more likely to interrupt girls in class. In video games and comic books, women have historically been illustrated with unrealistic figures wearing minimal clothing while male characters are drawn to be strong and athletic. In home and work environments, women who speak up or voice concerns are defined as bossy or hysterical.

These comments and attitudes feed into sexism, impacting how women feel about themselves. Sexism inherently demeans womens contributionsto their schools, workplaces, and communitiesand can make them feel depressed, angry, or anxious. They also undermine gender equalityor, encouragement of equal treatment, rights, status, and opportunities for all peoplewhich has an effect on society as a whole.

Combating sexism begins by learning what sexism is, how to recognize and confront sexist situations, and where to turn to get help if you find yourself at the receiving end of it.

S usan J. Fowler joined the transportation company Uber in 2015. After her initial training, she chose to work on a team where she could use her expertise in reliability engineering, an area that focuses on the dependability of a product. Once she began work, Fowler started receiving chat messages from her team manager requesting that she engage in an inappropriate relationship with him. Fowler saved the messages and reported him to human resources.

A companys human resource (HR) department oversees different aspects of employment, such as health benefits, recruitment, and dismissal. Its also the department an employee turns to when something inappropriate occurs on the job, from sexual harassment to racial discrimination. An HR employee at Uber informed Fowler that her manager was a high performer for the company and this was his first offense. Uber would give him no more than a warning. They also gave Fowler an option: she could stay on this mans team and expect a poor performance review from him in the futurewhich they told her they could do nothing aboutor she could find another team to work with in an attempt to avoid working with him. Fowler chose to leave the team.

Uber, the ride-sharing company, found itself in the news again in June 2017 when a top executive of the company tried to use a womans confidential medical history to discredit her claims of rape.

Over the next few months, Fowler met other female employees and learned that this man had behaved the same way with them. With each complaint these women made to human resources, the response was exactly the same. Each was told it was the mans first offense. Fowler and a group of women all went to human resources to demand that something be done about the mans behavior. In private meetings, each woman was told that no one else had complained about him and that no further action would be taken.

Fowler continued to encounter sexism at Uber and was even threatened with termination for reporting these instances to human resources. She eventually left the company to pursue other opportunities. Fowler wrote about her experience online. The post caught the attention of Ubers CEO, Travis Kalanick, who ordered an investigation into his companys practices. Kalanick told Tech.Mic.com, There can be absolutely no place for this kind of [sexist] behavior at Uberand anyone who behaves this way or thinks this is OK will be fired.