sexism

[ sek-siz-uhm ]

noun

1. attitudes or behavior based on traditional stereotypes of gender roles: Her husband saw their home life through a lens of sexism, and never once offered to help with the housework or the kids.

   the underlying sexism in the marketing of dolls to girls and trucks to boys;

   Her husband saw their home life through a lens of sexism, and never once offered to help with the housework or the kids.

2. discrimination or devaluation based on a person's sex or gender, as in restricted job opportunities, especially such discrimination directed against women:

   The investigation found that women face a culture of hostility and sexism.

3. ingrained and institutionalized prejudice against women:

   The idea that women are inferior to men is sexism at its purest.

4. hatred, dislike, or mistrust of women; misogyny.

sexism

/ ˈsɛksɪzəm /

noun

1. discrimination on the basis of sex, esp the oppression of women by men

sexism

¹

1. The belief that one sex (usually the male) is naturally superior to the other and should dominate most important areas of political, economic, and social life. Sexist discrimination in the United States in the past has denied opportunities to women in many spheres of activity. Many allege that it still does. ( See also affirmative action , Equal Employment Opportunity Commission , glass ceiling , and National Organization for Women .)

sexism

²

1. The belief that one sex (usually the male) is naturally superior to the other and should dominate most important areas of political, economic, and social life.

Derived Forms

• ˈsexist, nounadjective

Other Words From

• anti·sexism noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of sexism¹

First recorded in 1965–70; sex ¹( def ) + -ism, on the model of racism

Word History and Origins

Origin of sexism¹

C20: from sex + -ism , on the model of racism

Example Sentences

I will never get over the fact that his criminal convictions, hateful rhetoric, blatant sexism, despicable demonizing of fellow humans and trashing of democracy failed to turn more Americans away from him, but this should permanently end the tired and wrong notion that “we” are better than this.

From Salon

Maybe it was more true in the past, when deeply rooted sexism meant that women depended on men for many social goods.

From Salon

Yet, less than a year after Rolling Stone published “The Sheik” in 1972, Babitz fired off a pointed missive to Didion, taking her to task for her refusal to acknowledge the ways in which sexism had impeded the artistic progress of women.

From Los Angeles Times

"The border crisis is on their doorstep and they were begging people to care about it for years, and we need to take some lessons . . . The lessons are not misogyny and sexism!"

From Salon

We cannot and should not discount the pernicious effects of sexism and racism on this election, especially when those attitudes are often under the surface or largely unconscious, and are certainly not limited to white men.

From Salon

Related Words

• bias
• bigotry
• chauvinism
• inequality
• inequity
• prejudice