What is Subtle Sexism?
As per an article published in the Psychology of Women Quarterly, “Subtle sexism is characterized by the openly unequal and harmful treatment of women that goes unnoticed because it is perceived to be customary or normal behavior”. It is hard to call out and even harder to wipe out. It is often disguised as friendly banter but is equally damaging as overt sexism and even more at times.
7 Ways Subtle Sexism Exists in the Society
Believe it or not, subtle sexism is more common than you think. Here are 7 ways through which it still lingers around us and how you can cope with it. Take a look:
- Being Interrupted While Talking
As if mansplaining was not enough, women are often interrupted mid-conversation in both work and personal conversations. Men are most likely to cut off women and undermine their stance in a conversation. It is a way to reinforce the notion that a woman’s opinion is irrelevant and not worthy enough to be heard and acted upon.
Solution: Next time a man tries to interrupt you and tries to mansplain instead, ask him to wait until you finish your point. Call him out for this and ask your colleagues to back you up there.
2. Lower initial salary offers for women
The gender pay gap is a problem common in all professional industries. Women are offered low salaries when they start a job and are promoted based on their performance. However, men enjoy higher salaries and move up the ladder based on their potential. They are naturally perceived as leaders, whereas women are denied important projects most of the time.
Solution: If your workplace indulges in any form of sexism, it’s high time you call it out with the help of your colleagues. Stand up for yourself and demand what’s your right.
3. Not getting enough credit for your hard work
Women are rarely recognized for their work and ideas, especially in a team project. Their ideas are either not heard, and the good ones are not appreciated enough. They are considered incapable of coming up with unique and useful suggestions. Consequently, people often take credit for the work they didn’t do or present someone else’s ideas as their own.
Solution: If someone takes credit for your work/idea in a meeting, just thank them by saying “thank you for picking up my idea” when surrounded by everyone. Also, try your best to amplify the ideas of your female colleagues for their work to not go unnoticed.
4. Viewing other women as a competition
Even women participate in the subtle sexism by thinking of fellow women as a competition. Subtle workplace sexism negatively impacts the women employee equations. They feel undermined by each other’s success and positions at the workplace, which benefits neither one of them.
Solution: Address the conflicts calmly and work to solve them together. The fight is against patriarchy and inequality, and we need to become allies and support each other.
5. Being expected to do work unrelated to your actual job
Women often face friendly sexism at work when a superior politely asks them to do unrelated work to their jobs. The friendliness in the tone is a way to subtly manipulate them into doing the said work. It could include asking them to fetch coffee, planning holiday parties, taking meeting notes, etc. This is referred to as “office housework,” and women are expected to devote extra time to these unusual tasks that are irrelevant to their job description.
Solution: Simply say no to such tasks and if need be state, the reason for the person to understand their mistake.
6. Handing over the payment bill to the man at the table
Whenever a woman dines with a man, the bill is handed to the latter directly instead of the woman who is even reaching out to take the bill. This happens on a daily basis, which infuriates most women. They are thought to be incapable of paying their own bills and to be dependent on men for everything.
Solution: Next time this happens, we recommend asking them to hand the bill over to you or take it from their hand yourself. It might be rude, but at least now they know what they did wrong.
7. Being judged for not changing your last name after marriage
No matter what part of the world you reside in, a woman is expected to change their last name after marriage. The times might be changing, but some people still believe in the old customs that are beyond our understanding. They reprimand women for keeping their own family name and not embracing all the facets of matrimony.
Solution: Simply ask such people to mind their own business. Tell them it’s a choice you made and can happily live with it. So, they don’t need to worry about it.
Although we don’t realise it, we all indulge in subtle sexism in a way or other. The best thing to do is recognize the signs and refrain from saying or doing something wrong. If you notice it happening, call it out immediately and don’t tolerate it. As women, we need to support and celebrate each other.
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Originally published at https://www.fuzia.com.