Have you ever considered that the ways women treat men can also be sexist? We complain quite rightly if men treat us in a sexist fashion, but if we look at our own behavior we are often not guiltless ourselves. Here are some of the ways women treat men that we should be aware of …
One of the sexist ways women treat men is when it comes to careers. We complain that certain careers are male dominated, and yet regard others as something only women should do. If a man wants to be a nurse or look after children, for example, he is seen as less masculine and should do something more suitable for a man.
Women can also see men as essentially overgrown children who are incapable of looking after themselves. They can't cook, clean, mend their clothes, buy socks, or pick up the right groceries. But is this really true? Certainly some men aren't good at these tasks, but we shouldn't assume that no man is capable of doing these basic things.
Be honest - have you ever muttered "they're all the same" when referring to men? Because all men can fix the car, want to play the field, and like to get drunk at weekends, right? Well, no. Some only want a committed relationship, hardly drink at all, and have no idea about what goes on under the hood of a car. We don't want men to stereotype us, and we shouldn't do the same to them.
And how often do women assume that a man has no idea how to look after kids? Even mothers may be reluctant to leave a father in charge of his own baby. Many men are actually great with kids, including those that don't have kids of their own. And it's not because they're really only big kids themselves.
The popular image is that women get burdened with more of the household chores, even though they work full time. This may or may not be true. But how often do we treat men as if they can't do certain household tasks? Don't we also push them into doing strenuous jobs and leave the lighter tasks for ourselves? Girls, we have to do our share of mowing the lawn and moving furniture.
Advertising also treats men in a sexist fashion - it's not just women that experience this. Men are shown as helpless creatures and often ridiculed. They make a mess of the house and need a woman to rescue them. It's fair to assume that women are behind some of these commercials …
We think we know men and what they want from life. This isn't really fair, and is another example of how we put men into the same category. Men are just as complicated as women are. Don't assume anything about a man based simply on his gender.
We are doing men and ourselves a disservice if we assume that they never experience sexism. I haven't even mentioned examples like men in the media and law. Is it right, for example, that men are named when falsely accused of rape, yet the woman remains anonymous? How do you think we are sexist towards men?