Benevolent Sexism In the article, “The Problem When Sexism Just Sounds So Darn Friendly,” Melanie Tannenbaum explores how sexism is still prevalent in most societies today. Tannenbaum explains in the article what benevolent sexism is, why it is a problem, and how it affects society today. A discussion is necessary to analyze what the article is about, how one can relate to this article, if the arguments made in the article are agreeable, and if there is any bias present in the article. The article begins by explaining what benevolent sexism is; however, it should be noted that benevolent sexism is one of two categories under ambivalent sexism. The first category is hostile sexism, which is what the majority of people tend to think of when
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If a father wants to be a stay at home dad, he is looked down upon because that is a woman’s job, comparably to how a working mom is looked down upon for not being with her children. Companies can use benevolent sexism to help persuade people against hiring or keeping women in their company. Based on the example from the article, pregnant women should be fired when they become pregnant. Using hostile sexist statements such as, women are incompetent workers and unreliable because they have kids, will not get the task accomplished and will cause anguish for the company. However, it if is said in an easier tone such as “women are more compassionate than men and make better stay at home parents as a result, these remarks might actually lead these women to be less likely to fight an objectively sexist policy’ (Tannenbaum 4). This also affects men because this issue is seen as an issue for women, but what if the husband wanted to take paternity leave but the company did not allow it because it was a woman’s job? Much of benevolent sexism goes unnoticed, but one can find specific examples of how it affects his or her …show more content…
It is important to note that I am going to school to become a doctor, and it has been my dream since I was in grade school. Even though this is such a widely respected goal, I am frequently asked seemingly innocent questions that make me feel uneasy. I am questioned often with remarks such as, “Wow! You’re going to be in school for how long? When will you get married and have time to have kids?” When I answer these comments, I get even more criticized. My response is that I was raised in a way that my life long goal is not to get married and have children but to educate myself, reach my goals, and create the life I want before I get married and settle down. Even though these types of goals are becoming extremely common in our society, benevolent sexism is still
If a father wants to be a stay at home dad, he is looked down upon because that is a woman’s job, comparably to how a working mom is looked down upon for not being with her children. Companies can use benevolent sexism to help persuade people against hiring or keeping women in their company. Based on the example from the article, pregnant women should be fired when they become pregnant. Using hostile sexist statements such as, women are incompetent workers and unreliable because they have kids, will not get the task accomplished and will cause anguish for the company. However, it if is said in an easier tone such as “women are more compassionate than men and make better stay at home parents as a result, these remarks might actually lead these women to be less likely to fight an objectively sexist policy’ (Tannenbaum 4). This also affects men because this issue is seen as an issue for women, but what if the husband wanted to take paternity leave but the company did not allow it because it was a woman’s job? Much of benevolent sexism goes unnoticed, but one can find specific examples of how it affects his or her …show more content…
It is important to note that I am going to school to become a doctor, and it has been my dream since I was in grade school. Even though this is such a widely respected goal, I am frequently asked seemingly innocent questions that make me feel uneasy. I am questioned often with remarks such as, “Wow! You’re going to be in school for how long? When will you get married and have time to have kids?” When I answer these comments, I get even more criticized. My response is that I was raised in a way that my life long goal is not to get married and have children but to educate myself, reach my goals, and create the life I want before I get married and settle down. Even though these types of goals are becoming extremely common in our society, benevolent sexism is still