{"id":52,"date":"2019-06-05T01:45:56","date_gmt":"2019-06-05T01:45:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesecularcommunity.org\/blog\/?p=52"},"modified":"2019-06-05T01:45:56","modified_gmt":"2019-06-05T01:45:56","slug":"understanding-systemic-sexism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesecularcommunity.org\/blog\/2019\/06\/05\/understanding-systemic-sexism\/","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Systemic Sexism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Teresa Roberts<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s something about the concept of systemic sexism that causes\nconfusion. Just the mention of it can trigger anger. Even those with whom\ndeveloping self-awareness has been a goal are not immune. Individuals become\ndefensive, because they don\u2019t understand that systemic sexism isn\u2019t about them.\nIt\u2019s about the culture they inherited<\/em>. This misconception can lead men\nto feel like they\u2019re being attacked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Can we truly understand the day-to-day grind of thousands upon\nthousands of subtle messages experienced by those who have been cast in social\nroles deemed \u201clesser than\u201d and the many blatantly damaging repercussions of\nbeing assigned such a lot in life?<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can anyone fully appreciate generational pain, frustration and\nlack of opportunity that our grandmothers, mothers and daughters have endured\nwithout enduring it themselves? It seems unlikely that a person would be able\nto fully grasp how it feels unless they\u2019re living it. Just as a white person\ncan\u2019t know what it feels like to be black or a rich person can\u2019t fathom the\ndeep struggles of being desperately poor, even the best of men will not be able\nto fully appreciate how it feels to be a woman in a patriarchal society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because systemic sexism has been woven into our social fabric,\nit is passed on as a matter of routine to the succeeding generations.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We inherit our culture through the sheer lottery of birth. We\nare not taught to question what has been passed on to us. Thus, we\u2019re often\nunaware of the limitations our cultural heritage forces upon us let alone what\nharm it does to others. We’re essentially blind to many of the problems people\nface due to the fact that we see the world the way we were taught to see it, a\nworld view not of our choosing. This inherited world view defined what was\n\u201cnormal\u201d and acceptable long ago. If something is considered to be normal and acceptable,\nit goes largely unnoticed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although many things contribute to our cultural conditioning, I\ncontend that across the world, religion has been leading tribes down the wrong\npath for centuries.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever societies make a step forward, it has been in spite of\nnot because of these culturally sanctioned religions. The three big religions\nof the world \u2014 Christianity, Islam and Judaism \u2014 have cast women in a secondary\nrole. For the purposes of power, there are many who resist changing that model.\nWhen women suffer in silence, there\u2019s almost no chance that anyone in positions\nof privilege will take notice of their plight. Maintaining status quo becomes\nthe goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The world has only recently become interested in the notion of\nequality for everyone. In my lifetime, I have been fortunate to witness some\nmovement toward social change.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyone, however, who believes that it will only take decades to\nroot out systemic sexism, do not understand how these cultural systems work.\nThey have been around for centuries, supported by our parents, grandparents,\nteachers, preachers, bosses, holy books and religious practices. They have\ninfiltrated our government and monetary systems. They define our roles and\ndetermine our hierarchy of power. So much of what takes place between humans\nisn\u2019t even a choice. Instead, we are driven by subconscious motives and belief\nsystems that were predetermined long before we were born. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To listen to the hurt\nand suffering of others, to actually hear what they\u2019re saying, requires an\nenormous amount of awareness.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only those affected\ncan tell their stories. Only they know the entire story \u2014 all the sordid\ndetails, nuances and expectations that come from living the story. It’s hard\nwork to listen. It\u2019s even harder work to understand and then give full credit\nto what the less privileged have to say. If we want social change to become a\nreality, however, we need to accept the responsibility to do that hard work.\nSometimes, women are going to be angry. You\u2019re going to hear it in their\nvoices. Becoming defensive will be a natural reaction. Listen, instead! Listen\nwithout asking those who suffer to express themselves with less anger. Remember\nthat you haven\u2019t experienced the systemic subjugation that generations of women\nhave endured. Listen and believe them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With every step\nforward, societies tend to take two steps back. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, it begins\nto feel like the goal is to drag us all the way back to the Dark Ages. In\nmodern American politics, we\u2019re seeing evidence of that desire where women are\nconcerned. The current political movement is triggering fear and anger in many\nwomen. Some of these women won hard fought battles in the past. They\u2019re old\nenough to remember marching for women\u2019s rights back in the sixties and\nseventies. To feel the forces of the Christian right closing in all about them\nis terrifying. Let them speak their minds when they choose. Let them rail if\nneed be. Listen and then join their cause. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If we\u2019re ever going to\ncreate a secular world that honors women as equal to men, we must rid ourselves\nof systemic sexism. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teresa Roberts is an\nauthor, world traveler and dedicated myth buster. Her recent book – Have We\nBeen Screwed? Trading Freedom for Fairy Tales – can be purchased on Amazon.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n