If you’ve participated in any type of DEI training, it’s likely that you are familiar with the concept of microaggressions — small, often unintentional actions or language that are offensive to others. By understanding the history or context behind these microaggressions, you can avoid using them and communicate more respectfully.
The same premise applies to slights against women. Taylor Black compiled a collection of microfeminisms that may cause you to rethink whether you have unknowingly been favoring men over women in your speech or actions. Examples include:
- I work at a school, and when I have to call parents to pick up their sick kid, I call the dad first.
- I ask my kindergarten students what dad cooked for dinner last night and get very shocked if they say their mom cooked.
- I introduce my friends and their husbands in that order and add a superficial adjective before the husband. Like, this is Jane and her beautiful husband, Joe.
- I call male politicians by their first names only.
- I’m a yearbook editor, and for all the women’s sports, I simply have the sport’s name. But for the men’s, I put boys’ in front of each of them, i.e., soccer and boys’ soccer.
- Whenever a dad says he’s babysitting the kids or watching the kids, I say, Oh, so you mean you’re just parenting?
- I’m a travel agent, and I always book the flights to pair the child with the husband.
- I ask men, “Do you work?” instead of “What do you do for work?”
I admit that some of these hit home (Kamala or Hillary, anyone?), and it raised my consciousness about other ways that I make assumptions that stereotype women in lesser-than ways. Continue to learn about micro slights that can have macro impact, whether about gender, race, or any other distinction. We all have opportunities do better.
Thanks, Meg!
