Male+Chauvinism

Male Chauvinism

**Male Chauvinism, Defined**

Male chauvinism is the pervasiveness of anti female bias in our culture and its institutions (Potkay & Merrens, 1975). In other words, this term is used to describe the belief that men

are superior to women in most, if not all, facets of life. The Webster Dictionary defines a male chauvinist as a man with the belief in the inferiority of women; one who believes in or

practices male chauvinism. The concepts and ideals that configure male chauvinism shape all aspects of life in our society. From professional and political to religious as well as

many more, there can be seen past an present motivations for the unfair and unequal domination of life by men.

**Male Chauvinism, History**

While the term was thought to have arisen sometime around the 1960’s in the second wave of the feminist movement, to describe the belief, the term can actually be traced in the

New York Times all the way back to an 1851 edition using the ProQuest Historical Newspapers online archive (Mansbridge & Flaster, 2005). This is significant because it appeared in

a newspaper as prominent as the New York Times. This means that people at that time were familiar with the idea, and were even communicating about it. Sexism has been

embedded in our culture for a long time. Although, in fact, we do see the biggest spike of the term male chauvinism used in newspaper articles during the 1960’s when the second

wave of feminism was seen to be at its peak as it adopted the phrase (Mansbridge & Flaster, 2005). The feminist movements and their literature can be credited with the realization

and the push to eradicate the notion of male chauvinism within our society which research by Potkay and Merrens (1975) supports. Male chauvinism supports the idea that in the past

men have dictated history, ceremony, science and technology, so to men has befallen the monopoly of explaining what the world is like (Dahlstrom & Liljestrom, 1983). **Male Chauvinism in Professional Life**

Males, in most jobs across America, are seen to dominate the workforce. In fact, business is portrayed with general patriarchy, or domination of the father, man, who are seen as wage

earners (Dahlstrom & Liljestrom, 1983). Even as women jumped up in the ranks as wage earners, there seemed to be a larger resentment towards them amongst the male

community. In one example, it is noted that 85%-90% of psychologists and psychiatrists are men (Potkay & Merrens, 1975). Therefore, men and women being treated or diagnosed

are getting done so by a predominately male population. This could result in clinical communication having an undertone of anti female bias or ideals, without the patient or provider

ever knowing. In fact, male chauvinism ideals have been used so long in our society, that when women do find their way into male dominated jobs, often people display their

disapproval. A New York Times articles discusses an incident in which a plane headed from Seattle to Phoenix had to be delayed and stopped when a male passenger learned his

pilot was a female (AP, 1991). The plane granted the passenger’s wishes, unloaded his baggage and let him off. It is examples such as these whether intentionally done (the plane

passenger) or unintentionally done (clinical doctors holding 85-90 percent of jobs) where we can see that a male chauvinistic attitude can be formed in our professional world to

promote men’s interests over women’s.

**Male Chauvinism in Politics and Religion**

While one can find male chauvinism prevalent in professional aspects of life, this person can also find it largely in politics and religion. In research by Philip Sagal (1975) we find that

in Halakhah (Jewish religious practice) there is a huge discrepancy between the rights of men and women. The discrepancy lies at the heart of role differentiation between men and

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">women, particularly when it comes to sex roles. In fact, Judaism, as well as many other religions have a classical or traditional mind set that is unfavorable to women. One famous

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">rabbi even stated, “increase not conversation with a woman”, implying that doing this will neglect from a man’s readings and studying of the Torah, ultimately resulting in hell (Sagal,

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">1975). What this implies is that women are unworthy of conversation, an example of male chauvinism. Sagal (1975) also goes on to comment on the fact that some traditional

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">religions such as Judaism even preach the idea that the relationship a man and a woman hold, is strictly held by the sexual facets of life, and nothing else. Ideas that men should not

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">talk to women and seeing a relationship with a woman as purely sexual, are portraying women as objects throughout religion. With men seen as scholars and women as objects,

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">women are urged to stay away from academics, prayer, and leading a congregation in worship, while men are urged to. However it should be noted that today, many of these

classical inequalities and ideals are now looked down upon on.

Even in politics, male chauvinism, or the belief in the dominance of man, is prevalent. In fact, the second wave of feminism set the goal of attacking injustices in everyday life as well

as in political state policy. Male chauvinism is used to describe the assumption of male superiority, with its often accompanying attacks on women’s autonomy and claims to equal

respect within government (Mansbridge & Flaster, 2007). In politics their is often an embrace of male superiority by the same people who seek to gain benefits only for themselves.

They seek to benefit from injustice. Male chauvinism in the form of politics has evolved to promote men’s benefits over women’s, according to the research of Mansbridge and Flaster

(2007). The inequalities that stem from sexism and male chauvinism find their way into the political arena so often because it is a way for people to make the personal, the political.

Interestingly enough the feminist movement adopted the term “male chauvinist pig”, making it personal, to describe all the white male elites dominating the political arena,

communicating their disgust through a simple phrase.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">**References**

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">AP. (1991, February 7). Male Chauvinism on the Wing. New York Times. p24. EbscoHost

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Dahlstrom, E., & Lilijestrom, R. (1983). The Patriarchal Heritage and the Working Class <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Women. //Acta Sociologica.// EbscoHost.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Male Chauvinist. (2011). Webster-Dictionary.com. Retrieved April 14th, 2011

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Mansbridge J. & Flaster, K. (2007). “The Culutural Politics of Everyday Discourse: “‘ The Case of Male Chauvinist.’” //Critical Sociology.// p 627-660. EbscoHost.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Mansbridge, J. & Flaster, R. (2005). Male Chauvinist, Feminist, Sexist, & Sexual <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> Harassment: Different Trajectories in Feminist Linguistic Innovation. Harvard University. //American Speech.// Duke University Press.

Objectify This. "The Radical Notion That People Are People". Google Images. Male Chauvinist. Accessed, April 10, 2011.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Potkay, C.R., & Merrens, M.R. (1975). Sources of Male Chauvinism in the TAT. //Journal// <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> //of Personality Assessment//, 39 (5), 471. EbscoHost.

<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Sigal, P. (1975). Elements of Male Chauvinism in Classical Halakhah. //Judaism 24,// no. <span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; letter-spacing: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"> 2: 226. EbscoHost.