Last week in my social inequality class we were talking
about the glass ceiling, sexism, and gender. My teacher was looking at female
dominated occupations compared to male dominated occupations. The first slide
in the power point gave examples of female dominated occupations: cashier,
teacher, and nurse. He asked what the similarities between these occupations
were. The class said that the majority of the jobs were care giving, and
service jobs. The next slide gave examples of male dominated occupations. Most
of the jobs were prestigious: lawyer, engineer, and doctor. When our professor
asked us what the difference was between the male dominated careers compared to
the female dominated careers a girl sitting in the front row raised her hand
and said, “these jobs actually require you to think.” Initially I reacted
angrily. I raised my hand and called her out on the comment she had made.
Despite her immediate attempt to back pedal it angered me that another woman
had made such a blatantly sexist comment and that my professor had not done
anything about it. However, as I thought about it more I realized that it was
not her fault. The reason oppression is so successful is because it is
internalized. As stereotypes of women are maintained in the media, in our
schools, at our jobs, and even in our own homes how could I expect anyone to
deviate from those beliefs? You see women making rules for other women; don’t
dress like that, don’t talk like that, act like a lady. With these rules coming
from the media, your family, and other women, breaking the cycle seems like an
arduous if not impossible task.
Observation: When my sociology teacher shows excerpts of
sitcoms demonstrating sexism on TV, the class will still laugh at the jokes.
