UpDate - Vol. 11, No. 20, Page D3
February 20, 1992
Diversity
The role of sexism on campus

A female student walks down South College Avenue and a group of men
yell and howl at her. During class, her professor says, "When a
doctor needs assistance, he calls his nurse because she will help
him." After class, the she goes to work at a restaurant, where she
is encouraged to flirt with the male customers to get a better tip.
When she is there the manager calls her "Sweetie."

     Sexism is defined as "prejudice or discrimination based on
sex; especially discrimination of women." In its most common usage,
sexism refers to treating women differently from men, usually in a
negative sense. In the scenario above, the behaviors and responses
the female student experiences are sexist.
     According to Liane Sorenson, director of the Office of Women's
Affairs, the scope of sexist behaviors is wide.
     For example, Sorenson notes, "Some men in our society view
women as sex objects, so it's ok for them to rate a woman on a
scale of one to 10 as she walks by, to call her 'Sweetie' or pinch
her." This view of women is what often leads to sexual harassment.
Women also experience overt negative labels, such as "bimbo,"
"slut" and "bitch." There are few, if any, such negative labels for
men who are less intelligent, sexually promiscuous or lose their
tempers, Sorenson says.
     Sexist behavior also can be apparent in the classroom when
gender-neutral language is not used and sexist jokes are told.
Sorenson says assumptions often are made about female interests and
abilities. "Women are often assumed to be good in English and not
good with numbers." These assumptions, she says, can lead to
lowered expectations on the part of faculty, advisers, and even the
students themselves.
     To work on combatting sexism on the campus, the Office of
Women's Affairs provides training, solicits student reports of
sexism and racism in the classroom, produces publications and deals
with individual complaints.
     "Communication between the sexes needs to be improved,"
Sorenson says. "Men can be insensitive without knowing it, and
women often do not say what is offensive. With this lack of
communication, much of sexism is perpetuated." Sorenson also says
that the campus does have examples of men "who are models of people
who treat women with respect." But sexism, she adds, is a diversity
issue that needs to be addressed.
     "Women make up more than half of the student body on this
campus. Given their number, you would think they wouldn't have to
experience what they do every day."