People Call Out 25 Everyday Forms Of Sexism That Slip Under The Radar

Social progress can feel agonizingly slow. When one Redditor asked, “What’s one ‘little’ form of sexism you notice all the time, but most people don’t even realise it’s sexist?” it brought out just how fragile and gradual cultural change can be. If you push too hard, you risk backlash, possibly undermining the progress you hope to make.

#1

Image source: CoolStatus7377, Ana Klipper

Toddler girls crop tops with tiny shorts, vs toddler boys t-shirts and knee length shorts.

-worryaboutyourself-:

This is my biggest issue. I have daughters. Why does my 10 year old have the option to buy a crop top?? And the popular shorts right now are cute and the legs are shaped kinda like flower petals BUT they’re so damn short I get frustrated! And don’t get me started on the homecoming dresses the girls wear. When they can’t even sit down without their legs and butt cheeks touching the chair it’s ridiculous.

#2

Image source: Creative_Class_1441, cottonbro studio

When I cut off all my hair and other women at work are impressed my husband is cool with it.

#3

Image source: pinksprouts, Curated Lifestyle

Doctor addressed my fiance about MY diagnoses at MY doctor appointment and then shushed me when I spoke up to answer.

I put in a complaint to clinic and found a new doctor immediately. Also didn’t pay the bill.

#4

Image source: aeraen, Anastasia Shuraeva

My husband notices this more than I do… I guess I’ve just gotten used to it. In any sales, or official situation, the person we are dealing with, whether it is a sales person, police, or any other person, most of them address him and barely glance at me.

We once witnessed a minor car accident. An older man hit a car a woman was driving. When the police arrived, the man was saying how the woman was speeding down the street. I tried to give my account of the accident, the cop completely ignored me and asked my spouse what happened. Fortunately, for the woman, my husband gave the same account I tried to give, that the woman’s speed did not seem excessive and it appeared the man pulled out without looking. I could tell the cop was looking for a reason to blame the woman.

It was my husband that mentioned to me, later, how rude it was for the cop to ignore me. Life had taught me to expect that treatment.

#5

Image source: Proof_Blacksmith_265, Ron Lach

I was trying to get a roof estimate a few years ago- the rep said I’d have to have my husband there for the estimate. I said, “I don’t have one of those”. Then he said well, your father then. “Well, that’s a tough one since I don’t have one of those available either. He past several years ago”
I go so pissed that I said I wouldn’t deal with your company after this conversation anyways.

#6

Image source: NewsSad5006, A. C.

Television commercials typically portray the husband or boyfriend as inept or dumb while the woman is portrayed as clear-thinking, wise, and competent.

#7

Image source: Nightgasm, eduardo199o9

People seeing a father with his kids and making comments like “oh you’re babysitting” or implying that he can’t handle it without mom. It’s called parenting and dads can parent too. These kinds of comments are derogatory toward fathers.

#8

Image source: Eddie_Farnsworth, Kampus Production

When I first started volunteering at church dinners, women thought they had to explain to me how to wash dishes by hand. None of the apartments I’ve had in the last 28 years had dishwashers in them. I wash dishes all the time. Also, it’s not that hard to figure out.

One time when I brought homemade cookies to work, I had this conversation with a woman:

Her: Oh did your wife bake those?

Me: I don’t have a wife. I baked them.

Her: Oh, so you bought a roll of cookie dough, sliced it up and put it in the oven?

Me: No, I made them from scratch with a Betty Crocker recipe.

#9

Image source: Earl_I_Lark, Aliona Barsukova

Car safety. Women are in general shorter and lighter than the default ‘safest’ position. Crash test dummies are not set up to test drivers who are ‘out of position’ – which is how many women have to drive because of their height. So when a woman is involved in a car crash, she is 47% more likely to be seriously injured, and 71% more likely to be moderately injured, even when researchers control for factors such as height, weight, seatbelt usage, and crash intensity. She is also 17% more likely to [be unalived]. And it’s all to do with how the car is designed – and for whom.

#10

Image source: tvish, Becerra Govea Photo

When we go to a formal event or check into a pretty nice Hotel, and the person looks at me (the man) and addresses me as “Doctor So and So”. I look at them and point to my wife. “That would be her, I barely graduated with a Bachelor’s degree”.

#11

Image source: flooperdooper4, Yan Krukau

Just a little one I’ve seen as a teacher: when faced with the prospect of contacting a child’s family, most teachers I know will just automatically call the mother. We do have contact forms on file with the primary contact listed, but not everyone has access to it. And even with the primary designated, there are still some who will start with mom without even checking who is the preferring contact person. Imo it’s sexist to assume that all child-rearing duties are managed by the mother – the father is just as much a parent as the mother. Realistically, most of the time it really is the mom who is managing these things, but not all of the time. Don’t assume, and contact the designated primary contact!

#12

Image source: silly_name_user, Roman Kraft

When there’s something in the news, let’s say a person is injured, the headlines often say “mother of 2 injured” or “grandmother injured” or similar. If it’s a man, it just says “man injured.”

With women the thing that makes it important is that they have offspring. With men, they’re important enough on their own. Once you notice it, you will see it a LOT.

#13

Image source: NephroNuggets, MART PRODUCTION

Not to be dismissive of the other comments here, but I have a less mainstream list from a masculine perspective . Apologies to OP who only asked for one…
1. Expected to hold doors but criticized as sexist if they do.
2. Expected to pay for dates; judged if they don’t.
3. Expected to compliment women’s looks but dismissed when they want compliments themselves.
4. Assumed to be incompetent with cooking, cleaning, or childcare (“bumbling dad” stereotype).
5. Expected to give up seats, walk on the curb side, or take physical risks for women.
6. Pressured to suppress emotions due to “toxic masculinity” (a sexist label all by itself), but also mocked when they show vulnerability.
7. Men’s struggles with body image or objectification often minimized or laughed at.
8. Male victims of domestic violence or harassment are less likely to be taken seriously.
9. Success or ambition in men sometimes framed as “toxic” when the same traits in women are praised as empowerment.
10. Expected to provide financial security, but criticized if they expect appreciation for it.
11. Male friendships often mocked if they’re too physically or emotionally close (“no homo” pressure).
12. Criticized for being short, balding, or not muscular, while body shaming of women is more heavily condemned.
13. Mocked if they enjoy hobbies considered “feminine” (baking, fashion, dance).
14. Less social acceptance of men wearing makeup, skincare, or aesthetic self-care compared to women (“trans” labeling).

#14

Image source: whiskers_biskers, cottonbro studio

Servers would usually place my and my ex-boyfriend’s drinks in the wrong place. They would put my beer in front of him and his fruity drink in front of me 😂.

#15

Image source: Poundaflesh, Andrea Piacquadio

Medical personnel dismissing the complaints of women, dismissing their pain. An obese acquaintance kept fainting and she was told to lose weight. She dropped dead from some kind of cardiac event, I wasn’t given the details. Drs do uterine biopsies, where they use a medical hole punch. No anesthetic, no pain meds.

#16

Image source: SpiritualGur5957, Thirdman

General conversation equity with most men. Taking way too many turns speaking without letting a woman get a word in, talking over/ interrupting women, not acknowledging them as people who are engaged equally in an interaction, be it personal or professional.

I’m not talking about people who do this to everyone, generally speaking. Im talking about men who do this disproportionately or exclusively to women. We can see the discrepancies in how we are treated.

#17

Image source: generic-David, Angelica Reyn

The pockets on women’s clothing.

#18

Image source: Donita123, Brandon Lerothodi

The way men simply…take up space. Women are always expected to walk around them, give way to them, give them room. Men just expect it without giving any thought to it whatsoever. Women do it without any thought. It’s kind of fascinating , actually, and sometimes I just experiment in the grocery store. Men will walk right in to you! Women never will. I became aware of this when a trans FTM was asked about the changes they noticed after their transition, and this was one of the most puzzling to them.

#19

Image source: Intelligent_Read_43, MART PRODUCTION

The price discrepancy in male vs female clothes. And the quality.

#20

Image source: nakedonmygoat, Mikhail Nilov

I used to do point of sale and sometimes a programming call was actually hardware, so I learned hardware too so I could serve the customers better. Once I got out my soldering iron and a WOMAN of all people asked if I knew what I was doing. I wanted to tell her to take a few steps closer and find out for herself! I was the best person at soldering in my small company. Never a cold solder joint. Never a sloppy job, and a lot of the men did very sloppy work.

When my husband accidentally clipped a data wire to our a/c unit and was on the phone with the company, I was out there splicing and reinforcing with shrink tubing and electrical wire. The man at the a/c yelled at my husband, “Don’t let your WIFE fix it!” My husband stood up for me and said I knew what I was doing. My splice held even during a hurricane. I stand by all my splice and solder work.

And don’t even get me started on how often men would tell me to smile. I’m not a d**n cheerleader. No one tells men to smile when out for a run. No one tells a man to smile when they’re programming a computer or doing some tricky task that requires concentration. But there’s a certain type of man who thinks every woman should be smiling at all times. I would never commit an act of violence, but they’ve sorely tempted me.

#21

Image source: LoreleiLeigh123, Gustavo Fring

A woman accompanied her husband to the doctor where he weighed in quite substantially over weight so the doctor turned his angry glaring eyes to the wife and demanded to know “What have you been feeding him?”.

#22

Image source: yearsofpractice, Kaboompics.com

Hey OP. 49 year old married father of two here. My wife is experiencing perimenopause. It’s *brutal*.

The sexism I’ve seen is from medical staff. She is simply not believed when she explains that her symptoms are dressing and she wants relief, particularly from (surprise surprise) older male doctors.

#23

Image source: writergirlATX, Anna Tarazevich

The way people gush over how “lucky” I am that I have a husband who pulls his weight caregiving our kids and keeping our household running. But he never hears about how “lucky” he is to have a wife who contributes a significant portion of our income by working.

#24

Image source: Suspicious_Kale5009, Mizuno K

I used to sell electronic equipment and use it frequently for work. Whenever there’s a malfunction, the men around me want to tell me what the problem is, and they are always wrong. I know how to troubleshoot my own gear, but thanks anyway.

#25

Image source: DrBCrusher, Getty Images

When all the male doctors get referred to by their title and last name while us female doctors get referred to by our first names. It’s absolutely incredible to see how often this happens on conference panels or in news reports that reference multiple physicians. It happens at work all the time too.

I honestly really don’t care about using my title when I’m talking to other healthcare workers, but in a formal setting, it is a bit of [annoying] to be detitled while all the men get the full formal style.