8 December 2014
Sexism
According to Ira Horowitz in Sexism Hurts Us All, sexism is a pattern of behavior perpetuated by society through gender conditioning which equally dehumanizes both men and women. He contends that women are socialized to occupy the role of victim of the oppression and that men are socialized to occupy the role of perpetrator of the oppression. Neither role is freely chosen, and because both are learned, they can be unlearned. This seems to suggest that women are more on the receiving end of this behavior. This paper therefore seeks to recognize the existence of sexism in the society in general and in particular the writer tries to show instances where he has manifested this particular behavior. In addition the writer…show more content… She argues that to be a man or woman, are matters of societal reality. To be a member of a particular race or sex brings with it different opportunities, rights and constraints. In the society today, there varied manifestations of sexism cutting across different sectors. Areas like media, politics and even religion is full of varied manifestations of sexism. For example, in some religions, women still are not allowed to be ordained as bishops or church leaders. Furthermore, in extreme cases women are not even allowed to stand before congregations to speak especially if men are part of that congregation. In politics, both political leadership and the electorate demonstrate a level of this behavior. In the world today, it is a matter of record that there have been more men presidents and even prime ministers than women. Across the globe, feminist movements are calling on governments to adopt inclusivity in key government appointments, and include more women in public leadership. Most governments have gone further and adopted resolutions that dictate the number or percentages of women appointment to any position in comparison to that of men. These resolutions are also forming policies in the private sector where most women had been locked out of senior managerial…show more content… Higher level thinking or higher order thinking is where skills engaged include; critical, logical, reflective and creative thinking (King, Goodson and Rohani, n.d).
This higher level thinking is activated when individuals encounter unfamiliar problems, uncertainties, questions or dilemmas. The successful application of these skills results in explanations, decisions, performances and products that are valid within the context of available knowledge and experience and that promote continued growth in these and other intellectual skills. There is therefore a need to engage in and activate higher level thinking to deal with manifestations of sexism in an individual. Considering the fact that sexism as a behavior is learned, it is my strong belief that the same can be unlearned. In the society, all people are exposed to all manner of beliefs, philosophies and conditioning. Reflecting on the issue, for example, I have on several occasions manifested sexist behavior in my dealings. When I get to a clothing shop for example, and there two attendants, a male and a female, irrespective of what I am buying I find myself approaching the male attendant. This is out of a conditioning that no female understands men’s clothing. Another instance I have manifested sexism is when in need of taxi services. As a matter of fact, despite there being hundreds of female taxi drivers, I have never