I was stumped today when my daughter who is in Grade 2 asked, “Daddy, what is sexism?”
I know what sexism is as an adult but how do I explain it to a child in Grade 2?
What are some real-world examples I can give her that she can relate to?
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Here’s an example:
Back in the 1900s, women were expected to take care of the house, and men were expected to work for money.
So, people assumed that women are better at taking care of the house and worse at working for money. This isn’t true, of course, but people used to think it is, and some people still do.
So, if a man and a woman both want to do the same job for money, some people might assume the man will be better at it, even though that isn’t fair because the woman is just as likely to be better.
Or, if a man and a woman are already doing the same job, some people assume that the man is better at the job, so they give him more money, even though this isn’t fair because the woman is just as good.
That’s what sexism is.
Sexism is any discrimination based on someone’s sex or gender according to the traditional, and most often patriarchal, rules of the society. Because society now is aiming for universal sex and gender acceptance, any behavior that calls back to the traditional norms of sex and gender can now be considered sexist.
Example: The men are traditionally defined as the provider of the family, the workaholic, the tough and impassive guys, while women are defined as the caregiver of the family, the kitchen-dwellers, the soft and emotional ones. We all know that there are househusbands, that men can cry and be in touch with their feelings, while women can be hard workers, can be tough and can control their tears. Therefore the traditional definitions of what men and women should be are considered sexist.
The idea that some people treat other people differently based on whether they’re a boy or a girl.
Sometimes it’s direct, “no girls allowed” etc
But sometimes it’s sneaky, like how a book might show a boy with a car and a girl with a doll, but never the opposite. And people tend to copy what they see around them, what they read, etc. so maybe it makes people think certain things that might not be true.
The key lesson is that boys and girls aren’t very different, at least not in the way that most people might believe. They’re not different in any way that really matters.
Some people think otherwise and will go around pretending boys must act one way, and girls another. You would call them sexist. Sexism would be believing or acting out on these ideas.
Do you have PBS kids online or on Roku? My 2nd Grader loves the show “Xavier Riddle” and they have a great episode on Bills Jean King that does a good job of talking about sexism that is appropriate for that age.
You should still have a talk about it, but I think it helps to get messages in from different angles
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