Quote:
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Sexism is commonly considered to be discrimination and/or hatred towards people based on their sex rather than their individual merits, but can also refer to any and all systemic differentiations based on the sex of the individuals. |
That's a poor definition.
According the the above definition, the statement "Men can't get pregnant, but women can" is sexist. It certainly qualifies as a systematic differentiation. So anyone who makes such observations is sexist? That doesn't align with common sense. Maternity wards would have to be considered bastions of sexism then.
You'll find more accurate definitions of sexism in standard dictionaries. Sexism has more to do with stereotyping of social roles than with observing obvious gender differences.
The word
sexism is typically used in a fear-based context anyway. It really doesn't help us much in the pursuit of conscious growth. It's better to bypass such labels when seeking truth. Otherwise we just run around in circles of worry, trying in vain to avoid offending each other's socially conditioned sensibilities.
There's no reason to fear an exploration of gender differences. Those who get offended can always bow out.