This article talks about how social construction of sexism has changed over the past half century. In this article, things are not the way they used to be fifty years ago, and the perception of sexism is also changing, because as males dominated the family, today its either women who dominate the family or both. Women are rising into powers, and their salaries are increasing dramatically while that of men remaining constant, meaning that women are learning to be independent. Therefore, women are proving to be who men think they are not, and do all that men can do, in similar manner or even better. In other words, women are doing all they can to prove themselves worth in the society.
Women’s education, financial experience as well as employment have been affected by institutional sexism. Women must get a higher education than men so as to get same employment position as men, or probably to earn as much as men with lesser educational achievement. This is because people are still consumed by the tradition that women are inferior to men, and therefore, they must do extremely better to prove themselves worth. This means that they get lesser earnings working in similar position with men, and they cannot be employed as fast as men, just because of institutional sexism.
Myth of the Male Mystique constrains men for who they are, as well as what they do. For instance, boys behave well in school and work hard because they do not want women to overtake them, but they are ridiculed and booed because the society believes its only girls who work hard and behave well in schools. Again, through the myth of male mystique, men who engage in housework or taking care of their children are ridiculed especially in their workplaces, because the society believes domestic responsibilities are meant for women only.
References
Coontz, S. (SEPT. 29, 2012).The Myth of Male decline. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/30/opinion/sunday/the-myth-of-male-decline.html?smid=fb-share&_r=1
