Why should I speak up? [View all]

[seabeyond]

Sexist comments are disrespectful to women and harmful to efforts to promote equality. And in our culture, language matters. What appears to be a subtle remark can have ramifications far beyond the current situation. When a supervisor suggests in a staff meeting, for example, that women are not as analytical as men, he sets the tone for how the women in his group will be perceived and treated by others. And when young girls and boys hear sexist remarks that go unchallenged, they will be more likely to believe the validity of those comments. The simple truth is that the more we challenge the use of sexist remarks designed to control or demean women, the less often they will occur.

Women also need to speak up for personal reasons. By remaining silent, they suffer the dual costs of absorbing the negative comment and feeling badly that they didn’t have the capacity to defend themselves. Responding to sexist remarks enables women to feel powerful about the control they have over such situations and to model that behavior (and how good it feels) for other women and girls.

Men have a particular responsibility to speak up in response to sexist comments because they face fewer risks than do women in the current culture. In many settings, men have more power than women similarly situated. That is, they are more likely to be in leadership positions, their opinions are given more weight, and their right to assert themselves is less likely to be questioned than if they were women. It also can be easier to speak up when you are not the direct recipient of an offensive remark.

Men can support women who are the targets of sexist remarks by either challenging the comment or supporting the woman when she does. By speaking up, men, especially those in positions of power, can help to create a culture in business and social settings in which sexist remarks are not tolerated.

http://stopsexistremarks.org/why-should-i-speak-up/