Guy here. I work in the tech industry, but a lot of my knowledge about equity comes from my time playing Ultimate Frisbee where there recently has been a very large gender equity push. I...
Guy here. I work in the tech industry, but a lot of my knowledge about equity comes from my time playing Ultimate Frisbee where there recently has been a very large gender equity push. I definitely think the tech sector which has historically been - and still is - largely dominated by men could use WAY more talk and discussion about these things.
I definitely agree with your feelings that people using "girl" to commonly refer to women is casual sexism, as "girl" often carries with it the connotation that "boy" does when referring to a man. Regardless of intent to discriminate or not, it's still sexism. Just because "there is no 'guy' equivalent" doesn't mean they have to use a word that has such a connotation. If that's the case, what's wrong with using "woman?" What's wrong trying to change your words when a woman tells you that it's something that's bothering them?
When it comes to how frequently this happens, it's due to inherent societal biases that have existed due to how patriarchal society has been. It's institutionalized, just as racism against people of color is still institutionalized. I am not a sociology major nor a feminist studies major, so I'm not even close to being the most qualified person to talk in depth about this, but I don't need to be either of those things to see the effects it has on the women around me.
I applaud you and your bravery for pointing it out. I'm sure it's difficult given the immediate dismissal of that idea of your peers, but I firmly believe you're in the right and that you're not alone in those thoughts. The more we point things like this out - especially to superiors - the faster I think the change will happen to fix this.
Guy here. I work in the tech industry, but a lot of my knowledge about equity comes from my time playing Ultimate Frisbee where there recently has been a very large gender equity push. I definitely think the tech sector which has historically been - and still is - largely dominated by men could use WAY more talk and discussion about these things.
I definitely agree with your feelings that people using "girl" to commonly refer to women is casual sexism, as "girl" often carries with it the connotation that "boy" does when referring to a man. Regardless of intent to discriminate or not, it's still sexism. Just because "there is no 'guy' equivalent" doesn't mean they have to use a word that has such a connotation. If that's the case, what's wrong with using "woman?" What's wrong trying to change your words when a woman tells you that it's something that's bothering them?
When it comes to how frequently this happens, it's due to inherent societal biases that have existed due to how patriarchal society has been. It's institutionalized, just as racism against people of color is still institutionalized. I am not a sociology major nor a feminist studies major, so I'm not even close to being the most qualified person to talk in depth about this, but I don't need to be either of those things to see the effects it has on the women around me.
I applaud you and your bravery for pointing it out. I'm sure it's difficult given the immediate dismissal of that idea of your peers, but I firmly believe you're in the right and that you're not alone in those thoughts. The more we point things like this out - especially to superiors - the faster I think the change will happen to fix this.