Let's fight this "Everyday Sexism".

Everyday Sexism is a wide topic which is been discuss every since  the feminist movement has began. Initially women it were the ones who cried about how they face sexism on daily bases, but in past decade we can see rise in men movement, which unlike feminist movement is very subtle.

         Before moving further with this paper I would like my readers to understand some key terms which will then help us to come to a proper conclusion. Firstly the term Feminist, it's a range of social movements, political movements, and ideologies that aim to define, establish, and achieve the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminist theory, which emerged from feminist movements, aims to understand the nature of gender inequality by examining women's social roles and lived experience; it has developed theories in a variety of disciplines in order to respond to issues concerning gender. Secondly the Men's Right  Movement, the MRM in particular consists of a variety of groups and individuals who focus on general social issues and specific government services which they claim adversely impact, or in some cases structurally discriminate against, men and boys. Some scholars have described the men's rights movement or parts of the movement as a backlash against feminism. Claims and activities associated with the men's rights movement have been criticized and labeled hateful and violent. The movement and sectors of the movement have been described as misogynistic. Lastly  the Men's Liberation Movement, the modern men's rights movement emerged from the men's liberation movement, which appeared in the first half of the 1970s when scholars began to study feminist ideas and politics. The men's liberation movement acknowledged men's institutionalized power while critically examining the consequences of hegemonic masculinity. In the late 1970s, the men's liberation movement split into two separate strands with opposing views: the pro-feminist men's movement and the anti-feminist men's rights movement.

         So now the question is, if both the genders are struggling everyday then why are we still following these norms? Are these norms so rigid and so necessary that society cannot stand on its own without them? or Do we really don't know how to overcome it?

The answer to this is simple, when one tends to do something on a daily basis then he/she begins to feel that their actions are correct, natural and necessary and becomes indifferent to its consequences.

         Here is a list of sexist comments both the sex hear on daily bases :

Women

• Don’t be so open and outbound. Be more nurturing.
• You can’t go out alone, who will protect you?
• That’s too much body hair, you have to wax.
• You should wear more makeup and look like a woman.
• Don’t be the “feminist type,” no one will like you.
• If you go to work, who will take care of the house?

Men

• You want to quit your job? Who will take care of your wife and kids?
• Grow a beard. Puberty hasn’t hit you yet or what?
• You cry in movies?
• You drive worse than women.
• You got man boobs, dude. Where’d you leave your bra?
• You are not a man if you have no interest in sports.
• You’re scared of spiders? Stop being a chick.
• Pink shirt. What are you, gay?
• Why are you crying? Be a man.

         Apart from these comments forcing you to act in a certain manner, they also harm our society. As it's asking you to act in a very superficial manner, at times in very impractical.  Sexism affects one in the long run, as people feel they are entitled to have an opinion for the choices you make, hence giving a hard time to decide one's career, orientation, their needs and other small things that have a big impact on one's mental peace.

         Comments like “Pink is for girls” are very pointless because in spite of being a girl I never liked pink colour, but one of my guy friend would wear this colour (almost thrice a week) without any hesitation and it looked really good on him, also it didn't make him look less of a man.

         Secondly when society assigns a task base on your sex, here again society fails to realise the difference between sex and gender. In  general terms, “sex” refers to the biological differences between males and females, such as the genitalia and genetic differences. “Gender” is more difficult to define, but it can refer to the role of a male or female in society, known as a gender role, or an individual’s concept of themselves, or gender identity. What I mean is a guy can be bold, and tough looking yet opt for a profession like teaching or chef. A girl can be shy and homely and yet have big ambitions. In simple words gender classifies one's role and quality they possess, whereas sex is a tag assigned at ones birth.

         Thirdly, when one wants the world to be a better place then one must start respecting others emotions. If a girl is saying that she doesn't like kids or dogs, then one shouldn't label her as insensitive. Same applies to a man when he is crying. One of the reasons for toxic masculinity is young boys not getting enough chance to portray their emotions, then resulting in them becoming an insensitive bully.

        We cannot change the world single handedly nor we can change it overnight, then how do we make the world a better place? The answer to this simple, as kids our home is our mini-world, try and keep a neutral and healthy atmosphere in your house, let your sons and daughters grow equally. Let them decide what kind of work they can do to assist their parents. Make them understand that they are completely free to express themselves at home, because if one lives such free life at home, it's only then they'll realise how wrong sexism is.

        I am not saying these things just because I'm writing this paper, but I say so because I'm fortunate enough to be born in a family which never restricted their kids on the bases of their sex. As in my family women are more educated than men, we have men who are open about their weaknesses, and wives who are earning more than their husbands. This thing didn't happen overnight, the credit for such an open mindset goes to our great grandparents. Maybe initially they might have found it difficult to fight social norms but when they did, they were able to enforce a safe, unbiased setting for people to live in. Hence by accepting people the way they are and by allowing people to explore their gender we can fight sexism.