Many female athletes and politicians are treated unfairly, and overall differently than their male counterparts.  However, gender shouldn’t be a deciding factor in an election or an excuse for people to treat others differently.  We are all human and we are all equal.  Nothing can justify the fact that some men act superior to women for no reason other than their gender.

An example of this is the fact that many female athletes are subjected to blatant sexism. Specifically, men are paid much more than women with the same job, and some men ask women personal questions that make them feel uncomfortable.  (BBC)  According to an article on BBC by Becky Grey, it states “Athletes said they did not know who to report it to, and that their mostly male coaches would not understand or take them seriously.  Women feel their chances of selection for teams or events would be harmed if they stood up and spoke out against sexism.”  The fact that women are disrespected like that but are taught they aren’t able to do anything about it is appalling.

Another example of this is in a video published by Bloomberg. One of the hosts, Shery Ahn, asks the guest, Kelly Dittmar “…If you were a political strategist trying to get Harris elected, how would you advise her to fight, say, characterizations like we have heard from investors, say, Jeffrey Gundlach, he recently said she’s a little too charismatic, that she’s a little bit too dominant with her personality.  Things that in male politicians you would think are assets”.  Many men see women as different than themselves and feel they should be treated as such.  Some men believe that women are inferior to them, so traits that men would view as valuable in men aren’t in women.  If Harris was a man, Gundlach would likely not have made that statement.

Finally, women in political office, like governors and senators, have gotten threats because some men believe that women shouldn’t have “too much power”.  As Nancy Kaffer wrote in USA Today, “For women, the threat of kidnapping is particularly visceral: Every few years, news breaks that an abducted woman has escaped some basement or attic, held in prolonged captivity by a man willing to do anything to curtail her autonomy and deny her personhood”.  In October 2020, the FBI brought six men to trial and ended up arresting them because they were planning to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer while she was in office.  This is practically unheard of, but the insane idea to kidnap a governor probably wouldn’t have even crossed anyone’s minds if the governor was male.  The fact that women have to worry about that every single day is not at all okay.  How many men are in this position?

However, some people might say that women aren’t threatened, or that sexism isn’t that big of a deal. But, the only people who really believe that are men who have never experienced it.  Women shouldn’t be afraid to walk the streets after dark because they might get kidnapped.  They also shouldn’t have to face death or kidnapping threats while they’re in office, or even be hesitant to report something that made them uncomfortable, scared, or hurt because they don’t want to receive hate for it.  

There are many things people can do to help prevent sexism, such as educate society on sexism and what is or isn’t appropriate, make it easier for people to be able to report sexism if needed, and just accept that all people are equal.   Many of these are easy enough for any regular person to do without even having to do much.  And always remember- we’re all human, and we’re all equal.