Pervasive Nationwide Sexism Starts at the Local Level

Promotional press photo via The Women’s March

Though a new wave of the women’s movement is undoubtedly evolving, actively sexist backlash continues to pervade the conversation.

There is no doubt, at least in my mind, that the future will be female. We’re organizing at an astounding rate, we’re resisting in meaningful ways, and everyday, we’re discovering new methods to fight back with more (wo)man power and knowledge than we have in years. And whether you wholeheartedly supported her politically or hesitantly backed her out of desperation, there’s no denying that Hillary Clinton’s near-presidency has a lot to do with our sudden and fierce need for mobilization.

Of course, the work and words of countless other powerful women since the election- women like Michelle Obama, Elizabeth Warren, Kirsten Gillibrand, Cecile Richards, and Sally Yates- have certainly buoyed our sense of purpose and strengthened our cause. And even socially, completely aside from the political potency of feminism, things feel different. Our actions seem to reverberate with a bit more urgency, and our voices seem to resonate with a bit more vibrato.

Yet, if all this is true, and if so many of us have demonstrably, with both concrete activity and renewed empowerment, fortified our feminist mission for representation, inclusivity, and ultimately, equality, why does the world seem more contemptuous and dismissive of women than ever?

2017 Women’s March, Washington, DC (Image via Kalistrya)

It could just be a reaction to and initial backlash against the recent election season. No matter whose side you were on, it was an ugly battle. And not just because of how dirty the rivalry eventually became, but because somehow, more strongly than maybe ever before, devotees of each candidate believed their party to culturally, socially, and politically be the wronged party.

The constant argument across party lines of who was the most marginalized was, and continues to be, astounding. We were all trying desperately to convince each other that we were the real victims. Victims of a system, of an ideology, of a specific political policy. Whatever the cause, the effect was, on either side, a deep-seated and inarguable genuine belief that we were fundamentally disenfranchised, and those on the opposing side of the election were complicit in, or flat out perpetrators of, our marginalization.

And with the way this turntable of blame has continued to spin post-election, it’s no surprise that a lack of understanding and a refusal to sympathize and empathize across party lines has led us to where we are now: a society in which anyone fighting for equality is automatically labeled an enemy of the new administration, of its supporters, and ultimately, of patriotism.