Sexism - Social work - Essay Example

Religious writings the date back two thousand years ago illustrate how women were thought to be of no essence. 1 Timothy 2:16 “ I permit no woman to teach or have authority over men. She is to keep silent.” Thus, the term sexism has been far more associated with discrimination against females. When society began to depict the roles of men as heads of nations and kingdoms, pioneers of expeditions and discoveries, brave heroes of war, engineers of technology and infrastructure, great thinkers and philosophers, etc.

, it unconsciously instilled prejudicial thoughts -- that there exists an inferior gender, the female gender. In the years to come, the “battle of the sexes” would not be limited to the male and female genders but to the transsexuals as well. (Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, 2007) The rise of the feminist movement which began in the late 19th century of the western society was a result of years of suppressed freedom, restlessness, frustration and oppression. As women were labeled by men as the “weaker sex,” they were denied access to education, suffrage, political representation, employment and equality under the law.

The clamor for change and equality became a resounding battle cry of the feminist movement. They protested about double standards dictated upon by society in which, they argued, were exclusively favorable to men. It is not surprising then how the movement has evolved through modern times. When once their sole purpose was focused on creating equal opportunity for women, they became hungry for dominance and authority by suppressing men and propagating negative views about them and thus, have become instigators of sexism as well.

Transsexuals are also victims of sexism. They have been openly criticized as having gender identity disorders which are psychological in nature. They are often the recipients of verbal abuse and have been labeled as fags,