Being perfect gentlemen, whose intent to protect “pure and fragile” women, is universally regarded as a charming manner; nonetheless, it is a contributory factor in sexism. This is often called “Benevolent sexism”, causing plenty of controversy in recent decades all over the world.
To begin with, “Benevolent sexism” seems to be contradictory to the blatant sexism we usually face with. Unlike “Hostile sexism”, the sexist often present women pretty but backhanded compliments based on stereotypes. Although ambivalent sexism is delivered in a positive disguise, it is somewhat hazardous to certain aspects of our lives.
One of the biggest drawbacks of benevolent sexism is that it can lead to gender inequality. It is widely observed that a myriad of girls and women are suffering negative consequences of discrimination. In terms of occupations, women are usually underestimated; therefore, they are less likely to win promotion and become managers. The McKinsey study showed that compared to 100 males workers, merely 79 are promoted to manager female.
In addition, there is a significant gap in wages in workplaces. According to Equal Pay Day reported in 2019, women currently earn less than their opposite sex 80 cents on the dollar, making them painfully struggle to work in order to receive the same amount of money as men.
"Benevolent sexism" is just as dangerous as "Hostile Sexism"
A related criticism is that it may destroy the personal dignity of women. They might receive little attention and valuable feedback on their performance in schools and workplaces; thus, they encounter some particular difficulties in developing to their fullest potential. For instance, the total school enrollment of girls in Afghanistan in 2007 was low, just only 18 percent, resulting in the increasing illiteracy rate in girls. Furthermore, in work offices, females are often acknowledged for their beauty rather than critical comments about their performance.
Ironically, benevolent sexism that is supposed to exert adverse effects on only “weak and fragile” women has affected men badly. Men are typically distanced from their ability for emotion, parenting, etc owing to traditional stereotypes of the “so-called” roles of men and women in our lives. While women are normally said to be gentle, compassionate, intuitive, and nurturing, men are “forced” to be physically and mentally healthy and decisive. This sadly penalizes men on their individual rights.
Clearly, ambivalent sexism is undoubtedly a negative practice due to these detrimental effects on many aspects of our lives. Therefore, I sincerely hope that this type of sexism can be addressed adequately in the near future by virtue of proper education on sex and increased public awareness about sexism.