Everday Sexism; Why it Matters
Alicia Thongbanthum | 24th October 2015
Image via Twitter
A few weeks ago, Laura Bates gave a Lecture at The University of Birmingham (which I attended) about Everyday Sexism. As the creator of the Everyday Sexism Project, she talked passionately of the ways in which Women aren’t allowed to complain about their experiences of everyday sexism in a society that largely accepts that women have achieved equality. Women who complain of inequality are branded ‘militant feminists’ or ‘bra burners’. When the reality is, that probably every women has been subject to sexism at some point in their life, whether on a small scale or large. You literally don’t realise it’s happening, until you realise that it is actually happening, if you get my jist.
Laura’s website- everdaysexism.com– allows women to share their experiences. What strikes me the most about this project is that it supports you in taking a stand against treatment which may now be considered ‘normal’…So normal that you don’t even really notice it. How many times have you been catcalled and heckled in the street? How many times have you been grabbed or touched inappropriately by a complete stranger on a night out? How many times have you brushed this off because it happens to most women, and happens frequently?
Now is the time to look at these incidents from a different perspective. This behaviour is not acceptable, and it not something women should have to deal with on a day to day basis. In the lecture, Laura discusses ways in which women can tackle sexist comments and behaviour in a non-aggressive and non-confrontational manner. This means effectively small rebuttals that can be made to help men understand the problem of inequality and to help change attitudes towards women. I decided to test these suggestions to see whether anybody actually gave a shit about me and my feminist views.
Emma Watson is a popular advocate for women's rights, image via Wikipedia
This week my female housemate has been bothered by construction workers on a site not far from our house several times on her usual walk in to Uni. She was asked ‘if she would like a job’ several times and leered at by workers who made suggestive comments about what she was wearing. Gross. When she texted me telling me she was considering changing her route to avoid them, it struck me as a good time to take Laura Bates’ advice.
Laura suggested calling the companies that these men work for so that a complaint can be made and implemented by people in a position of authority. Because who else cares if you’re being harassed on a daily basis, right? Well, much to my surprise the complaint was taken very seriously and the site worker has been removed from the site. The site manager assured me that all other staff will be subject to the same treatment and have been warned to treat local residents in a respectful manner. Basically, a 15 minute phone call has made a whole lot of difference for future women who would feel intimidated walking past this site, and for the worker himself who may now realise that his behaviour is not ok, not acceptable, and as a result might move him to change.
So, I guess my point is that Laura is right. Small changes can make a difference. Maybe if every man and every women made one small change like this women wouldn’t experience ‘everyday sexism’. Maybe the concept would not even exist. This project has inspired and influenced me in such a way that it is now impossible to be ignorant to everyday sexism. I come across it every day on social media, in comments made in my workplace, in my family and even my close female friends. It’s helped me to realise how important the issue is, and that the small stories of everyday sexism add up to a larger picture of a society in which men and women are not placed on the same pedestal.
Check out Laura’s website – everdaysexism.com