Sexism in the Media Toward Men- Research 2

#StopSexism #Media #MaleSexism #SexismAwareness

Biases in the news media are have been declining over the years as awareness has increased and as outlets are subjected to more scrutiny. Bias still exists in published media, and sometimes its centered around groups that in the past were not the victims of bias. Sexism has long been a problem in cultures around the world, including here in the united states. Women have historically been subjected to sexism in the workplace, in the traditional family structure, and in everyday circumstances like going to a car repair shop. Today men are subjected to sexism in the media as well. It may be warranted, but it occurs, nonetheless.

In this New York Times article about abortion, which has recently resurfaced in the news, men are generalized a ‘John’ and treated as one entity, without examining points of view from multiple ‘Johns’. The article addresses the idea of men being held responsible for helping a woman have an abortion if abortion were to become illegal again in certain states. The article makes blanket statements however like “Prosecution won’t deter men from having unprotected sex” which casts men as perpetrators that act on impulse and nothing else. Men should not be given a free pass on their decisions, but no group should be generalized or stereotyped.

An article titled More People Prefer to Work for a Male Boss has underlying biases that reflect poorly on men as well. The article states early on that “In a 2013 Gallup Poll that asked Americans, ‘"If you were taking a new job and had your choice of a boss, would you prefer to work for a man or a woman?"’ respondents who had a preference still preferred to work for a man.” It then goes on to add that this is based on a difference of 20% and 33% (female to male boss) or 13% while the plurality, 46%, say they don’t care. The article essentially implies that the workplace is biased in favor of men, which promotes the idea that women are still discriminated against in positions of power. This premise would be justified if the data were not manipulated, which in this example promotes biases against men and women.

Another article tells the story of a female marathon runner that was denied a Guinness World Record because she wore her scrubs and not a “traditional” nurse’s outfit. The article is addressing an important current day example of sexism toward women, but it included the line “I’ve certainly never seen a male nurse wearing a dress to work.” This quote, from the runner herself, implies that men would never be treated this way, and that the problem is still men in general, not possibly just an issue at Guinness World Records

Sexism toward men has not been an historically problematic issue, and it may not be very damaging toward men now. It is something that should be monitored though. Sexism will not benefit a society, even if it is directed toward men.