Gender discrimination and sexism are prevalent issues, especially in the workplace. Even in 2022, there is lots of progress to be made.

Strictly traditional gender roles of history are irrelevant in modern day society. Women should be allowed equal rights as men both systematically and actively especially after centuries of being a constant step behind. 

As the Equal Rights Advocates’ guide towards dealing with sexism in the workplace explains in the article, “Gender Discrimination at Work,” “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 makes it illegal for an employer to discriminate against you based on your sex, race, color, religion, or national origin.” There have been endless amounts of adjustments and improvements made to defer the gender gap in several different categories that have strictly limited women to certain things for centuries, yet still women are being restricted.

Further demonstrating the prevalence of inequalities in the workplace, Equal Rights Advocates explains that women are often, “held to different or higher standards,” or are “evaluated more harshly, because… [they] don’t act or present [themself] in a way that conforms to traditional ideas of femininity,” possibly including being paid less, or being deemed unqualified because of gender. Even if some won’t admit it, unfair treatment of women at the professional level is more common than it may seem. The reason why certain issues aren’t addressed or punished is because they may not be direct or obvious to the average person. However, women are constantly fighting through obstacles just to achieve fair conditions, treatments, and earnings, which should never be justified. Even those who recognize this fact sometimes choose not to bat an eye either because it seems normal, or because there is rarely a punishment for ignorance.

Susan Madsen of Forbes Magazine further questions the duration of persistent gender discrimination in the article, “Why Getting Rid Of Sexism In The Workplace Is So Challenging,” by acknowledging that “sexism includes many underlying, often unconscious, assumptions that women are inferior to men.” Sexism is still persisting; mostly because it is secretly embedded in our long-lived views and actions. Even seemingly facetious remarks towards or about women are filled with deeper, more offensive meanings. Things like sexism, racism, ableism and other prejudices all come from blatant overgeneralizations that turn into forms of oppression simply based on opinion. If someone is taught to believe something based on a generational belief, they may believe it whether it’s logical or not. Old stereotypes, although everchanging in the present day, can take a major toll on the behaviors of people in society today. 

In certain situations there is a commonly believed idea that sexism against women doesn’t exist and that women have complete access to all the freedoms they deserve. While ideally it should be this way, and while in society it is projected that if something is put in place lawfully then it automatically applies to all real-life situations, realistically and historically the law hasn’t always put things into complete practice especially when it comes to subjects surrounding inequities. Even if it is less than conspicuous to some people, women being legally equal to men doesn’t mean they are given all the same freedoms and respects as men in all settings. 

There is no specific thing we as a society can do to completely diminish the problem, but instead of encouraging the issue, it should be brought out into the open. Challenging stubborn mindsets and willing to change is the only way to begin to create a different environment for women in the workplace. Educating young people about sexism and establishing rules and boundaries in the workplace would surely benefit those unfairly affected by the problem. Those who have authority being open and understanding would also help create a healthier working environment in places where maybe that wasn’t previously the case; purposeful or not.

Gender discrimination and sexism are issues that have not only been going on since the beginning of time, but are also issues that tend to go overlooked by many because of previously ingrained attitudes and stereotypes about women, especially occupationally. Raising awareness and deferring ignorance is the first step to eliminating any more retrogression as far as sexism goes, especially in a professional setting. It’s time for a change.