Do manners matter when it comes to sexism?
Is a male colleague holding open the conference room door for his female colleague polite … or sexist? How about your partner insisting on driving? A man giving up his seat on the Tube? At a party? In a meeting?
This question has prompted a rousing debate among the BritMums team — we want to know your opinion!
Some feel these actions — giving up seats, holding open doors, etc — however benevolent and well-meaning they are, treat women as the weaker sex and in need of being ‘looked after’. Others among us think they represent pleasant social scripts which people can enjoy without diminishing themselves or others. Still others believe the thing that matters most is the situation and context — they’re nice when you’re out on a date, but not when you’re walking into the boardroom for a negotiation.
It’s an age-old question – is chivalry merely politesse or is it sexism in a sugar coating?
We want to hear your ideas, conversations, stories and experiences as well as questions. What’s happened to you at work and in social settings? What do we teach our children? How do we act ourselves? How are these things portrayed in the media?
HOW TO TAKE PART AND JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Tweet on Friday 11 October 2019 between 13:00 – 14:00 BST about your experiences, stories and thoughts about sexism versus chivalry, using the hashtag #SexismOrChivalry and following @BritMums.
- #SexismOrChivalry
- Friday 11 Oct 2019 13:00 – 14:00
- Follow @BritMums, @tonihargis, @jhowze, @amodernmother
- Tweet your experiences, stories and thoughts about sexism and chivalry
More about sexism on BritMums:
- BritMums on the Gillette ad on masculinity and the backlash
- Personal story: Why I am reclaiming feminism for stay-at-home mums
- Are fathers frozen out of the parenting scene?
- Raising Boys & Girls in the MeToo Era
About
BritMums is the UK’s original collective of lifestyle bloggers and digital influencers, fueling the country’s most influential social content. We lead the online conversation with members who are parent social influencers creating content on topics ranging from food, parenting, travel, politics, style and more.
If a man wants to give up his seat for me on crowded public transport or wherever, I don’t care if it IS “sugar-coated sexism,” I’ll take it! 😀 I think any woman in business is smart enough to know whether a man is being polite or is doing a shady maneuver in the boardroom to diminish her. Most of the time, he’s just being polite. So let’s all just loosen up and find a more pressing matter to get in a snit about. (Fun topic – hope I can be there for the chat!)