Recently, I have heard many statements being said about the issue of sexism in America. These statements say we are making progress towards a more equal country for men and women of all kinds and identities. Although many leaps and bounds have been made within our communities and country, we are still in desperate need for reform and change. The big issues that we seem to face when it comes to mending problems that are blatantly sexist and morally unjust, seem to boil down to controversy faced in daily living. Problems faced within daily living are of course, problems of equal treatment, or issues that make doing what you want to do ridiculously difficult or frowned upon. So, when somebody makes a statement that everything is fine, I have a hard time agreeing with them, because everything is absolutely not fine. I will explain this through an example of how somebody’s educational experience was ruined by sexism.
I see problems of inequality daily as I’m sure many of you do, while I’m sure the rest of you also experience it. My girlfriend is studying to become a welder. Let me say it again, my girlfriend is studying to become a welder. I’m saying it twice because the reaction I receive when I tell people always warrants me saying it again. The reactions are typically of confusion and questioning, laughter, ridicule of her, ridicule of me, and underhandedly sexist remarks. Questions like, “Why though? Why would she want to do that,” or, “Wow, it must be tough for her, doing a man’s job and all.” I would be hard pressed to find somebody ask me why she would be studying something more ‘traditionally feminine.’ Why? It’s simple. That’s what she wants to do and that’s what she enjoys; simple as that. It’s the same reason anybody really does anything. Just because she challenges a traditionally masculine field does not mean she is out to necessarily prove anything, she is studying her field because she wants to.
My girlfriend is also the only female in her class. Within her classes, she has encountered an incredible amount of unequal treatment as well. She is called pet names: “sweetie,” “babe,” “doll,” and “honey,” just to name a few. These names are not only given to her by her peers, but her instructors. That is incredibly unprofessional and very deplorable, which makes her overall experience an unpleasant one. She is bothered consistently by her peers trying to do her work for her, just because they feel she needs the “help.” However, nobody really seems to be “helping” anybody else. She is there to receive an education that allows her to properly do her job later in life. It is absolutely infuriating to her when she feels as though everybody is trying to do her work for her, as if she can’t do it herself, while simultaneously robbing her of her education and experience.
The comments that the instructor would share with the male students about women were just as charming as you’d expect. When confronted about the situation by his superiors, still nothing was fixed, despite this happening many times. My girlfriend was still treated unfairly, she still had to put up with his comments and his treatment of her, while facing everybody else in the class as well. My girlfriend is strong. She is one of the most self-respecting and hard-headed people I know. She does not back down from a fight and she will fight hard for others and what she believes in. However, this experience crushed her. It ruined her overall experience in her field and turned something that she enjoyed into a nightmare. It takes a lot to break her spirits, so I know the severity of the situation.
Sexism is still very much alive and thriving. It has the capability to mangle somebody's dreams and ruin their experiences. It can turn something amazing into a living hell. So, when we say that we are making progress, we must realize that we cannot truly improve the situation of those that are affected. We cannot fix their long term memories of what they had to go through, or how difficult the situation was. It’s evident that not everybody is willing to view everyone as equal, and it’s probable we will never truly reach perfection, however we can still make changes for the better. There is still tons of work to be done, so we shouldn’t pat ourselves on the back just yet and say we’re close to fixing things. We need to understand that everybody has the right to experience what they love and not be treated unfairly while doing it.
