Sexism in Language
For this week’s discussion, please share your thoughts on sexism in language. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Discuss sexist aspects of our language that are in common usage. Whom do you hear using sexist language and in what contexts? Why does this usage persist?
Discuss the extent to which sex-linked phrases are trivial or important. For example, the significance of something like “manholes” versus “all men are created equal.” Are the so-called trivial sex-linked phrases harmless or do they affect thinking and actions?
Discuss the use of non-binary pronouns (e.g., they/them instead of she/her or he/his). How comfortable are you in using non-binary pronouns to address another person? What experience have you had with persons using non-binary pronouns?
Discuss sexism in religious language. Has sexist religious language interfered in any way with your own religious practice? How have efforts to replace sexist language in religious liturgies affected your religious experiences? Does the revised language sound strange to you?
Response Guidelines
Your Writing: Each post should be courteous, succinct, professional, well written and organized, using proper writing mechanics, grammar, and punctuation.
Your Post: Please post something to the discussion board related to the content covered this week. Do not create your post as a reply to the pinned post.
Responding to Peers: Respond to the posts of at least two of your fellow learners and continue the conversation. Some ways you could do that include sharing why you agree or disagree with their post, how their thoughts relate to your personal experience or work experience, or how they helped answer a question you had.
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Women: Equality and Discrimination
Use your Racial and Ethnic Groups textbook to read the following:
Chapter 15, “Women: The Oppressed Majority,” pages 322–343.
This chapter delves into gender roles; different perspectives on gender; the history of the feminist movement; the economic situation for women; the experience of women in education; and women in politics.
Use the Capella library to read the following:
Chira, S. (2019, February 16). Do American women still need an equal rights amendment? New York Times (Online).
This article explores the history of the Equal Rights Amendment and its relationship to the current experience and status of women today.
Guynn, J. (2019, March 20). Facebook vows to stop ad discrimination against African-Americans, women and older workers. USA Today (Online).
The author examines Facebook practices that allowed advertisers to exclude African-Americans, women, and older Americans from receiving certain types of advertising and a legal settlement that addressed those practices.
Mundy, L. (2017). Why is Silicon Valley so awful to women? The Atlantic Monthly, 319, 60–73.
This article examines the treatment of women in tech industries in California.
