Knowra Sexism Sexism Sexism is prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination based on sex or gender. It can be expressed through individual actions, cultural norms, and institutional practices.
Gender stereotypes : Widely shared beliefs about traits, roles, or abilities associated with women and men. They supply assumptions that can justify unequal expectations and treatment.
Gender pay gap : The difference in average earnings between women and men in a population. It records economic disparities shaped by occupational sorting, caregiving, and discrimination.
Patriarchy : A social system in which men hold disproportionate power in family, political, economic, or cultural life. It describes a broad structure that can sustain gender hierarchy.
Misogyny : Hatred, contempt, or entrenched hostility directed toward women. It is a hostile form of sexism, but sexism also includes neutralized stereotypes and institutional patterns.
Implicit bias : Unconscious associations that influence judgments and behavior toward social groups. Automatic gender associations can shape decisions even when people reject explicit prejudice.
Occupational segregation : The concentration of demographic groups in different occupations or levels within occupations. Gendered assumptions help channel people toward unequal kinds of work.
First-wave feminism : A nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century movement focused largely on women's legal and political rights. Its campaigns challenged laws that treated women as subordinate.
Gender essentialism : The belief that women and men have fixed, innate characteristics that define their roles. It can underpin sexist claims that social inequalities reflect natural differences.
Gender discrimination : Unequal treatment of people because of their sex or gender. It is a direct behavioral expression of sexism in decisions and access.
Glass ceiling : An unseen barrier that limits advancement into senior positions for women and other groups. It names a career consequence that can persist despite formal equality.
Show all 22