I'd just like to remind all us angry and (justifiably) fed-up girls that sexism works both ways. Girls in my class make stupid, insensivtive, hurtful remarks about guys who write poems being "gay" and about how guys are "stronger, but stupid". So keep that in mind.
~Samantha

I haven't experienced much sexism at school- which I am grateful for. The sexist remarks that I occasionally hear are usually meant to be jokes- which by the way ARE NOT THAT FUNNY. However, I don't think men are better than women and vice versa. So when arguments about who is the better sex comes up I usually stay out because I think both genders are equally dominant -or at least they should. I do feel however that girls should stand up to any sexist remarks because women in the past have worked EXTREMELY hard to prove that we are just as good and in some cases, better than men. I think it's a shame and a disrespect to all the women who have paved the way for equality to allow any form of sexism to exist.

The sexism that some, if not all, girls feel in and out of the classroom is a direct result of gender dichotomies within society (regardless of where you may live in the country). I am currently taking an Education and Diversity class in which we thoroughly discuss this topic at length. In fact, just yesterday I gave an hour long lecture about in within my class discussion section. After researching, I came to realize that the sexism that is within the classroom links back to society's tradtitional values on masculinity, femininity, aggressiveness, passivity, and other such characteristics. What seems to be a major misconception is that sexism is one sided: boys only do it to girls. Contrary to popular belief, it moves in both directions and has no biases on race, socio-economic status, etc. People often as what we can do about this issue. Many answers come back sounded the same: tell the teacher, tell a person of authority. This, however, has been proven (through years of studies) more ineffective than effective. You see, the issue of sexism is very controversial and many schools feel it is easier to ignore and temporarily bandage than tackle head on. This is a major problem! Girls and guys alike need to speak up and raise hell. The fact of the matter is, is that right now America says it offers equality within schools and from the looks of schools across the nation, it most certainly does not! Sexism needs to be addressed and normalized within school curriculum... not just when it occurs. Girls, society expects us to sit quietly and be more reserved. Screw that! Speak up and don't be afraid to give the wrong answers. Boys (not all, but most) aren't necessarily being sexist.. they've been programmed to be more aggressive within the classrooms. Times have changed. We need to start admitting to ourselves and others that gender roles need to be revised in America. When the lines are erased and/or when it becomes normalized that people can and do cross over those lines, sexism will be less prevalent in society. It's an extremelt difficult topic to tackle, but change can occur if we (males, females, and everyone in between)speak up and demand justice, awareness, and understanding.

I don't know where you people are that people are so sexist. I live in Texas and down here, I've only had a couple of the incidents mentioned previously actually happen. I remember specifically walking home, and our track team (girl's) was out jogging around the block--some random guys sitting on a porch cat-called and made obscene remarks---I remember being very startled, because I've never seen such outspoken sexism. The awesome thing is that the girls' track coaches-a man and a woman-jogged over there and gave them a lecture that they will remember for the rest of there life. I don't know if this is because we have a 3:2 ratio of girls to guys in our schools, but I enjoy the freedom of equality, and it's horrible that ya'll can't enjoy the freedoms entitled to all american women.

At the time I created this topic, my younger sister told me that she'd been getting a lot of crap from the guys in her history class, especially from this one boy in particular. I know this guy, BTW... he's a short little weenie (take what you want from that remark... hee hee). He's really popular, and so most of the guys supported him. The girls just sat there and looked at the ground, because they like him too, and were afraid of looking stupid in front of him. My sister was practically the only one how challenged him everytime he opened his mouth (I'm so proud of her... ). Sometimes the teacher (who was male) would agree with him!

I think that this kind of behavior in the classroom is unacceptable, ESPECIALLY when the teacher engages in it. It should be brought to the attention of the administrators as a form of harassment, since it disrupts the learning process by making many female students unable to do their best in class. This may sound extreme, but think about it: what if there was a class discussion on slavery, and one student said that black people should've remained slaves, and that they should know their place. And what if the teacher agreed?! The administration would not tolerate that crap; the student would be punished and the teacher might even be fired. Sexism is another form of discrimination, and should be treated as such.

One thing that happened to me that was really eye-opening, and that I wish would happen in more classes, was a discussion I took part in a U.S. history class, where the teacher (who was male) said that only the female students were allowed to speak, and the male students had to wait until the end to talk. Even he, the teacher, couldn't talk! It was very liberating and almost like a power-trip... girls who never spoke in class before actually spoke many times! At the end, one of the girls stood up for the guys and insisted that they speak (like the guys would ever give us the same courtesy...). Most of the guys said that we were generalizing men too much, but that they were appreciative of what they learned. One jerk was really angry at everything we said; he went off on a rant as to why guys like girls for their breasts, and why women should care for the children and stay at home, and he tried to justify it. That really set everyone off, even the other guys... Needless to say, I'll always remember that discussion. Part of me thinks that guys should stay quiet more often... bad me.

Gaz, you say "women are better men are just wanna be's". Aren't we going for equality here? I agree with redjill55 about the whole sexism in the classroom thing, but you're just as bad as the guys when you bash on males. If you want to be serious, you shouldn't say senseless things like that.

There is so much sexism in the classroom. Not only by students, but by teachers as well. Other students bluntly point out that women are weak, and should cook, clean, and do whatever the men ask. The teachers make casual jokes about sexism and calmly skip over important issues, like the ERA, stating simply there is not enough time. Enough is enough. We live in an era where we are called 'equal' but do not live as such. This is not fair.

in one of my classes man act like they are all that even the teacher does so we just stund up. in all the rest of my classes us women are the best except for that teacher. he knows we are smater he just doesn't care. he will say stuff like we should cook etc. and in s.s. we read that women did more work and did everything the men just bossed people and farmed. the women cooked, cleaned, made everything like clothes etc. and took care of the kids. women are better men are just wanna be's

I have to disagree with Holliewood. There is something we can do about it. We can tell them off or better yet prove that anything boys can do girls can do too. Tell them that at least you have the guts to stand up to them all by yourself. I armwrestled a boy and won just to prove that I was just as strong as him. Guys think that just because they're guys that they are better than girls,which is a load of crap! Almost every woman in the past three generations of my family worked outside the home. I am not trying to insult men in general I just think that women can do anything men can do and there is nothing they can do about that.

So I wasn't the only person that noticed that sexist guys are like that...that is really annoying. My heritage is male dominated so the belief that women should be at home and please men is almost cast in stone. For all the guys out there that believe this....Y'all need to get a grip. It's a women's choice whether or not she wants to stay at home and please her man. Not yours.

Start up a debate in history class (I did this... ) about why women are still treated as a slightly sub-human species. It works, and it opens a lot of eyes. I know I enlightened my whole history class. Some people thought none of the discrimination was still going on. Huh, imagine that!

Peace,

Birdy

Hopefully, these guys will never find a woman willing to be their servant. They'll be all alone to clean up their own messes and cook their own meals.

the next time you hear a guy say "women should be in the kitchen," beat him up. no, just kidding, you'd get in alot of trouble. instead, say if women were only allowed to be in the kitchen then there'd be no girl to put in the mags he was looking at last nite...oh, no, that's prolly not a good one either. i don't know. ooh! wish a curse on him: that the women he marries will be the one supporting the family and he'll be a house-husband.

*outspokenme*

It's one of the major perks of going to an all girls school, you don't hear all that crap.
KC

i know redjill it happens every week in a few of my classes. And no one says anything. We will be talking about history and how women were treated back then in different cultures. And guys will just say stuff like "i wish it was like that again", "i wish women were slaves again" and "they are only good for one thing" No one does anything, not even the teachers. I dont even want to deal with it. Usually, the girls will just stare at the ground and take it. Whats the use any way? Theres nothing we can do about it