Women and Sexism”We [women] are, as a sex, infinitely superiorto men. ” Elizabeth Stanton (prominent woman suffragist) – (excerpted fromOne Woman, One Vote by Wheeler, pg. 58)”Frailty, thy name is woman. “William Shakespeare – (excerpted fromHamlet, Act I, scene 2)This quote made by Stanton in 1890 showsmany of the feministic beliefs held by the women of today. And the quotemade by Shakespeare holds many of the same thoughts shared by men.
Thebattle of the sexes is prevalent everywhere and is applicable to anything. From athletics to the military, men and women struggle to beat the other,but I find it to be particularly found in the workplace. Men and womenare extremely competitive with occupations, and men feel superior to women. They [men] know the statistics are more favorable to them and they wouldlike to keep it that way. If this is true, then how do women andmen share the world together without war between each other? I believethat for both sides to prevent this from occurring, they ignore many ofthe differences.
Many women choose not to see the statistics or they donot care and accept that men are more successful than women are. The storyTales Out of Medical School, written by Adriane Fugh-Berman, which is anaccount about a woman that chose not to ignore the differences that facedher, shows another side to the superficial harmony. Fugh-Berman faces sexism and discriminationat Georgetown Medical School where women are the minority. She sees thevarious examples of sexism from her anatomy instructors to the AcademicDeans. There were classes that were only offered to men, and when she triedto change that the whole course was put on hold. This of course causedextreme tension between the men and the women of this class.
“Just becauseyou can’t take this course, why do you want to ruin it for the rest ofus?” was one of the comments made by one of her male classmates. Subconsciouslythis man does not want this woman to succeed. Her classmates that are womenand are not bothered by the sexism also shock her. In reference to thisa classmate stated, “Oh, they’re just of the old school. ” (referring tothe doctors that ignored the women students) This account shows the sadtruth that some women are happy to accept sexism and discrimination. Forthe women that do not, there is a long struggle ahead.
Many do not makeit to the end, or they tire of the pressures put upon them. For example,Shannon Faulkner who wished to become the first woman in the Citadel wasmocked, ridiculed and harassed until she withdrew. And why wouldn’t themen of the Citadel want to see a fellow human being where they take somuch pride? The fact that she is a she and they do not like that a womanwould be on the same level. Hilary Clinton is yet another example of awoman put down for being in control.
The tabloids and newspapers tore Hilaryapart for trying to “take over” the President’s job. Why would it botherthem that she may have been helping out the economy? Once gain, the presidentis a man, and there is no need for a woman to help. Even in my personal everyday experiencessexism is everywhere. And sadly enough, it is accepted everywhere. In recreationalbooks women play passive roles, in movies and even TV sitcoms.
For examplein the sitcom Dharma and Greg, which is about a young married couple, theman is a successful lawyer from a wealthy family, while Dharma is a cutelittle blonde that cracks jokes. My own boyfriend will make wise cracksof how after he goes to medical school and becomes a successful doctorhe will provide for me, and I won’t have to do anything. Talking with somefriends in the Wharton school of business, I see more sexism than I thoughtexisted in the nineties. 78% of the Wharton undergraduates are men andthey believe this is so because the business world doesn’t need women. In my generation, there arise the samesexist beliefs held centuries ago.
It is scary to believe that men do notwant women to succeed. It is scarier to believe that women accept thisas reasonable.
