Have you ever faced discrimination? Well, a lot of women in D.C. have! Discrimination against women is when a person has a prejudice against women because of their gender. Women should not be objectified by anyone in their community, but instead informed at a young age about sexism and how it affects them. Parents in the community should teach their children what sexism looks like and how they can face it. Specifically, sons need to learn how to be respectful to women and avoid sexist behavior. I believe no woman should be objectified based on the way she presents herself.
One way discrimination happens is by objectification, or considering women only in terms of their sexual attractiveness or availability. According to MoreThanABody.org, “Girls and women across the world are raped and assaulted and hollered at while wearing flannel pajamas and cold-weather running gear, dresses, and everything in between.” This is a problem because I believe no woman should be objectified based on the way she presents herself. According to the University of Melbourne, “65% of women in our study were personally targeted by sexually objectifying behavior at least once during the monitoring period.” That is 65% out of 268 women. Most of the time, the person who is told about this experience usually blames it on the victim’s clothing. In conclusion, women should not be getting objectified by men just because of their clothes and looks.
All women, regardless of age, should be informed about sexism and respect at home. Families don’t have conversations with their daughters about sexism because sexism is not talked about in a lot of households, and often, because most of the time it manifests in subtle and subconscious ways. This does not mean that you should stay silent and give in to an unjust problem in our society. Here are some ways we can fix it. First, inform and educate, so you know what it is and how sexism works in subtle ways, such as protesting and posting, when you post on social media or protest about sexism and objectification. You can also call out instances of sexism. Boys and young men need to be respectful when entering a relationship; just because you are a “nice guy” does not mean you should have any expectations. We should teach boys (and men!) that being a nice guy does not mean you do something nice and get something in return. We should not support the notion that violence is caused by mental illness, lack of anger management skills, alcohol and drug use, stress, etc. Violence is a choice, and it is preventable.
Overall, girls don’t want to grow up in a society that does not respect them because of race and gender. Women should not be objectified by men in their community and should be informed at a young age about sexism and how it affects them. Parents in the community should teach their daughters how sexism works and how they can face it, and teach their sons how to be respectful to women without being sexist. Ultimately girls and women should be informed about sexism and respect, and that violence is a choice, and it is preventable. If you are a woman or a girl who has ever faced discrimination, you can always report it to the higher powers (principal, HR, family member, etc.). That’s how we can stop discrimination against women.
