[dinolover]

I haven't been facing severe sexism, but I just happen to be way too sensitive. The fact that I just realised that women are, in fact, different from men recently is probably making this whole thing as bad as it is right now.

Okay, so what do I want with this thread exactly? I'd just like to know what I should do to deal with it. Whenever I face something that reminds me of how different I am from men and how I'll always be put in a different group. It beats deeply my self esteem and I have no idea what I should do about it. I just know that I don't want to feel so miserable anymore.

[CANDC]

Dinolover, there are various types of sexism but they all hurt.

First there are the engrained cultural attitudes in a country and culture. These are difficult to face but not reacting as a victim is the first step to not being a victim.

There are also hardwired differences between women and men. Women have more caring and nurturing instincts than most men.

Men can easily fall into the trap of believing that physical relationships are what is most fulfilling. This shortsightedness misses the biggest potential a woman has a nurturer and compassionate being.

Unfortunately I have not found a way to change or combat this ignorance in the world. I have tried to shelter myself from people that interpret life in the grossest terms and diminish the human potential in their minds.

I have not found a way to not contact people like this, but I have been working on for a long time techniques to not react to these diminished ideas. And not to react (which means accept the judgement of others) the false concepts that people project onto women.

If possible to have a woman therapist sympathetic to the problem, it would be a help.

two articles (there are many more, search under sexism)
Negative Effects of Sexism | Psych Central News

Beliefs of Entitlement May Accompany Sexism | Psych Central News

You may find these forums helpful
Steps to Better Self-Esteem - Forums at Psych Central

Women-Focused Support - Forums at Psych Central

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by dinolover

The fact that I just realised that women are, in fact, different from men recently is probably making this whole thing as bad as it is right now.

Yes, women are different. Women can carry, birth, and nurse their young, but men so far have not been able to. You are on this Earth because your mother carried, birthed and probably nursed you. Why not feel thankful for being a woman?

[tufan]

I understand your feelings here. I hate having to bring self-defense items just to go on a nighttime hike because statistically speaking, men prey on women more than women prey on men. It's just a sad fact. Men are more violent and unpredictable in their behaviors than women, so it makes it hard for me to trust them if they are strangers. I also hate how some men look at women as being weak simply because we are women. That irks me. There are women that can do traditionally 'manly' things better than many, many men. I also feel like all men do is judge us by our looks whenever we go out in public, but men get to be judged by their entire being (looks, intellect, capability, knowledge, etc). That last part really gets to me and it makes me give men an automatic side eye when I catch them looking at me because I can just bet I'm being compared to some tart off TV or CGI character that I can never measure up to, and therefore, I'm "ugly" to men. Ugh. I dislike that most of them seem to either see us a prey or weak sub-humans.