A Checklist Of Everyday Sexism That Only Women Seem To Notice

Sexism is no news, it is observed in almost all the sectors of the everyday world. However, while some are fairly prominent, some just pass the gaze of the layman, wether it be man or woman. It becomes difficult to comprehend where exactly this sexism comes into play since it goes unnoticed due to our internalised misogyny. Here’s a list of sexism which is observed in the day to day life of every woman:

The Male Gaze

Staring, although disrespectful on its own, there is an infamous male gaze which hold a special position. Male gaze is encountered by every single woman out there, no matter what. It is quite discomforting because it feels like you could lose autonomy over your body with just one gaze. Wether on the street, at work, in school, you see it everywhere, females being viewed as sexual objects.

“Man at work”

Even though there are a lot of women in manual labour jobs, all you see is ‘man at work’ signs. Even though it doesn’t imply anything, it is the question of representation that becomes an important one. If there has to be change in this institution of patriarchy, it has to be from the grass root level.

Household hierarchy

Every girl notices this unsaid hierarchy that exists in the house. This undenied hierarchy exists as evident by the fact that the men in the house won’t be expected to cook or clean as much as it is expected of the women. Even little girls are brought up by the belief that only the women are supposed to be in the kitchen and tend to the men’s needs.

Walking alone

The discomfort of being in a room full of men is unnerving for any woman. While walking alone at night, or even in the daylight followed by the male gaze. It becomes impossible to feel like a respected individual when you do not have autonomy over your own body. The male gaze, however, unaccounted for, can make a woman feel unsafe in a second.

These are, to list a few, ways in which a female living in any society feels unsafe and not respected. It takes years for females to learn to be comfortable in their own skin and even then it is not always the case that they are. However, noticing these traits and making active effort to break the hierarchy is one way to go around, making sure that sexism doesn’t stick around.