essay titles about sexism

70 Argumentative Essay Topics About Gender Equality

Gender equality is an extremely debatable topic. Sooner or later, every group of friends, colleagues, or classmates will touch on this subject. Discussions never stop, and this topic is always relevant.

This is not surprising, as our society hasn’t reached 100% equality yet. Pay gaps, victimization, abortion laws, and other aspects remain painful for millions of women. You should always be ready to structure your thoughts and defend your point of view on this subject. Why not practice with our list of essay topics about gender equality?

Our cheap essay writing service authors prepared 70 original ideas for you. Besides, at the end of our article, you’ll find a list of inspirational sources for your essay.

Argumentative Essay Topics About Gender Equality

• Does society or a person define gender?
• Can culturally sanctioned gender roles hurt adolescents’ mental health?
• Who or what defines the concepts of “masculinity” and “femininity” in modern society?
• Should the rules of etiquette be changed because they’ve been created in the epoch of total patriarchy?
• Why is gender equality higher in developed countries? Is equality the cause or the result of the development?
• Are gender stereotypes based on the difference between men’s and women’s brains justified?
• Would humanity be more developed today if gender stereotypes never exited?
• Can a woman be a good politician? Why or why not?
• What are the main arguments of antifeminists? Are they justified?
• Would our society be better if more women were in power?

Analytical Gender Equality Topics

• How do gender stereotypes in the sports industry influence the careers of athletes?
• Social and psychological foundations of feminism in modern Iranian society: Describe women’s rights movements in Iran and changes in women’s rights.
• Describe the place of women in today’s sports and how this situation looked a hundred years ago.
• What changes have American women made in the social and economic sphere? Describe the creation of a legislative framework for women’s empowerment.
• How can young people fix gender equality issues?
• Why do marketing specialists keep taking advantage of gender stereotypes in advertising?
• How does gender inequality hinder our society from progress?
• What social problems does gender inequality cause?
• How does gender inequality influence the self-image of male adolescents?
• Why is the concept of feminism frequently interpreted negatively?

Argumentative Essay Topics About Gender Equality in Art and Literature

• Theory of gender in literature: do male and female authors see the world differently? Pick one book and analyze it in the context of gender.
• Compare and contrast how gender inequality is described in L. Tolstoy’s novel “Anna Karenina” and G. Flaubert’s novel “Madame Bovary.” Read and analyze the mentioned books, distinguish how gender inequality is described, and how the main characters manage this inequality.
• The artificial gender equality and class inequality in the novel “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley.
• Do modern romance novels for teenagers help to break gender stereotypes, or do they enforce them?
• Gender equality changes through Disney animation films. Analyze the scenarios of Disney animation films from the very beginning. Describe how the overall mood in relation to female characters and their roles has changed.
• Henrik Ibsen touched on the topic of gender inequality in his play “A Doll’s House.” Why was it shocking for a 19th century audience?
• Concepts of gender inequality through examples of fairy tales. Analyze several fairy tales that contain female characters. What image do they have? Do these fairy tales misrepresent the nature of women? How do fairy tales spoil the world view of young girls?
• Why do female heroes rarely appear in superhero movies?
• Heroines of the movie “Hidden Figures” face both gender and racial inequalities. In your opinion, has the American society solved these issues entirely?
• The problem of gender inequality in the novel “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker.

Gender Equality Essay Ideas: Workplace and Employment

• Dress code in the workplace: Does it help to solve the problem of gender inequality, or is it a detriment?
• What kind of jobs are traditionally associated with men and women? How have these associations changed in the last 50 years?
• The pay gap between men and women: is it real?
• How can HR managers overcome gender stereotypes while hiring a new specialist?
• Analyze the concepts of “glass ceiling” and “glass elevator.” Do these phenomena still exist in our society?

Essay Topics About Gender Equality: Religion

• Gender aspects of Christian virtue and purity in the Bible.
• What does the equality of men and women look like from the perspective of Christianity? Can a woman be a pastor?
• Orthodox Judaism: Women and the transformation of their roles in a religious institute. Describe the change in women’s roles in modern Judaism.
• How can secularism help solve the problem of gender inequality in religious societies?
• Is the problem of gender inequality more serious in religious societies?

Compare and Contrast Essay Topics About Gender Equality

• Compare and contrast the problems men and women experience in managerial positions.
• Compare and contrast what progress has been made on gender equality in the USA and Sweden.
• Compare and contrast the social status of women in ancient Athens and Sparta.
• Conduct a sociological analysis of gender asymmetry in various languages. Compare and contrast the ways of assigning gender in two different languages.
• Compare and contrast the portrayal of female characters in 1960s Hollywood films and in modern cinematography (pick two movies). What has changed?

Gender Equality Topics: Definitions

• Define the term “misandry.” What is the difference between feminism and misandry?
• Define the term “feminology.” How do feminologists help to break down prejudice about the gender role of women?
• Define the term “catcalling.” How is catcalling related to the issue of gender inequality?
• Define the term “femvertising.” How does this advertising phenomenon contribute to the resolution of the gender inequality issue?
• Define the term “misogyny.” What is the difference between “misogyny” and “sexism”?

Gender Equality Essay Ideas: History

• The roles of the mother and father through history.
• Define the most influential event in the history of the feminist movement.
• What ancient societies preached matriarchy?
• How did World War II change the attitude toward women in society?
• Woman and society in the philosophy of feminism of the second wave. Think on works of Simone de Beauvoir and Betty Friedan and define what ideas provoked the second wave.

Essay Topics About Gender Equality in Education

• How do gender stereotypes influence the choice of major among high school students?
• Discuss the problems of female education in the interpretation of Mary Wollstonecraft. Reflect on the thoughts of Mary Wollstonecraft on gender equality and why women should be treated equally to men.
• Self-determination of women in professions: Modern contradictions. Describe the character of a woman’s self-determination as a professional in today’s society.
• Should gender and racial equality be taught in elementary school?
• Will sex education at schools contribute to the development of gender equality?

Gender Equality Topics: Sex and Childbirth

• Sexual violence in conflict situations: The problem of victimization of women.
• The portrayal of menstruation and childbirth in media: Now versus twenty years ago.
• How will the resolution of the gender inequality issue decrease the rate of sexual abuse toward women?
• The attitude toward menstruation in different societies and how it influences the issue of gender equality.
• How does the advertising of sexual character aggravate the problem of gender inequality?
• Should advertising that uses sexual allusion be regulated by the government?
• How has the appearance of various affordable birth control methods contributed to the establishment of gender equality in modern society?
• Do men have the right to give up their parental duties if women refuse to have an abortion?
• Can the child be raised without the influence of gender stereotypes in modern society?
• Did the sexual revolution in the 1960s help the feminist movement?

How do you like our gender equality topics? We’ve tried to make them special for you. When you pick one of these topics, you should start your research. We recommend you to check the books we’ve listed below.

Non-Fiction Books and Articles on Gender Equality Topics

• Beecher, C. “The Peculiar Responsibilities of American Women.”
• Connell, R. (2011). “Confronting Equality: Gender, Knowledge and Global Change.”
• Doris H. Gray. (2013). “Beyond Feminism and Islamism: Gender and Equality in North Africa.”
• Inglehart Ronald, Norris Pippa. (2003). “Rising Tide: Gender Equality and Cultural Change Around the World.”
• Mary Ann Danowitz Sagaria. (2007). “Women, Universities, and Change: Gender Equality in the European Union and the United States (Issues in Higher Education).”
• Merrill, R. (1997). “Good News for Women: A Biblical Picture of Gender Equality.”
• Mir-Hosseini, Z. (2013). “Gender and Equality in Muslim Family Law: Justice and Ethics in the Islamic Legal Process.”
• Raymond F. Gregory. (2003). “Women and Workplace Discrimination: Overcoming Barriers to Gender Equality.”
• Rubery, J., & Koukiadaki, A. (2016). “Closing the Gender Pay Gap: A Review of the Issues, Policy Mechanisms and International Evidence.”
• Sharma, A. (2016). “Managing Diversity and Equality in the Workplace.”
• Sika, N. (2011). “The Millennium Development Goals: Prospects for Gender Equality in the Arab World.”
• Stamarski, C. S., & Son Hing, L. S. (2015). “Gender Inequalities in the Workplace: The Effects of Organizational Structures, Processes, Practices, and Decision Makers’ Sexism.”
• Verniers, C., & Vala, J. (2018). “Justifying Gender Discrimination in the Workplace: The Mediating Role of Motherhood Myths.”
• Williams, C. L., & Dellinger, K. (2010). “Gender and Sexuality in the Workplace.”

Literary Works for Your Gender Equality Essay Ideas

• “A Doll’s House” by Henrik Ibsen
• “A Room of One’s Own” by Virginia Woolf
• “Anna Karenina” by Leo Tolstoy
• “Brave New World” by Aldous Huxley
• “ The Awakening” by Kate Chopin
• “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker
• “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood
• “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett
• “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne
• “The Second Sex” by Simone de Beauvoir

We’re sure that with all of these argumentative essay topics about gender equality and useful sources, you’ll get a good grade without much effort! If you have any difficulties with your homework, request “ write my essay for cheap ” help and  our expert writers are always ready to help you.

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277 Feminism Topics & Women’s Rights Essay Topics

• Icon Calendar 18 May 2024
• Icon Page 2272 words
• Icon Clock 11 min read

Feminism topics encompass a comprehensive range of themes centered on advocating for gender equality. These themes critically address the social, political, and economic injustices primarily faced by females, aiming to dismantle patriarchal norms. Feminism topics may span from intersectional feminism, which underscores the diverse experiences of women across various intersections of race, class, and sexuality, to reproductive rights that advocate for women’s bodily autonomy and healthcare accessibility. They also involve the examination of workplace discrimination through concepts, such as the gender wage gap and the glass ceiling. Violence against women, including work and domestic abuse, sexual assault, and harassment, is a hot aspect, providing many discussions. In turn, one may explore the representation of women in media, politics, and STEM fields. Explorations of gender roles, gender identity, and the significance of male feminism are integral parts of these discussions. As society continues to evolve, feminism topics persistently adapt to confront and address emerging forms of gender inequality.

Best Feminism & Women’s Rights Topics

• Achievements of Women in Politics: A Global Perspective
• Emphasizing Gender Equality in the 21st-Century Workplace
• Evolving Representation of Women in Media
• Fight for Women’s Voting Rights: The Historical Analysis
• Intersectionality: Examining its Role in Feminism
• Unpacking Feminism in Third-World Countries
• Dissecting Misogyny in Classical Literature
• Influence of Religion on Women’s Rights Worldwide
• Unveiling Bias in STEM Fields: Female Experiences
• Gender Pay Gap: Global Comparisons and Solutions
• Probing the Historical Evolution of Feminism
• Reshaping Beauty Standards Through Feminist Discourse
• Importance of Reproductive Rights in Women’s Health
• Exploring Women’s Role in Environmental Activism
• Glass Ceiling Phenomenon: Women in Corporate Leadership
• Trans Women’s Struggles in Feminist Movements
• Empowering Girls: The Role of Education
• Intersection of Race, Class, and Feminism
• Effects of Feminism on Modern Art
• Impacts of Social Media on Women’s Rights Movements
• Deconstructing Patriarchy in Traditional Societies
• Single Mothers’ Challenges: A Feminist Perspective
• Dynamics of Feminism in Post-Colonial Societies
• Queer Women’s Struggles for Recognition and Rights
• Women’s Contributions to Scientific Discovery: An Underrated History
• Cybersecurity: Ensuring Women’s Safety in the Digital Age
• Exploring the Misrepresentation of Feminism in Popular Culture
• Repositioning Sexuality: The Role of Feminism in Health Discourse
• Women’s Economic Empowerment: The Impact of Microfinance
• Investigating Sexism in Video Gaming Industry
• Female Leadership During Global Crises: Case Studies

Easy Feminism & Women’s Rights Topics

• Power of Women’s Protest: A Historical Study
• Feminist Movements’ Role in Shaping Public Policy
• Body Autonomy: A Key Aspect of Feminist Ideology
• Cyber Feminism: Women’s Rights in Digital Spaces
• Violence Against Women: International Legal Measures
• Feminist Pedagogy: Its Impact on Education
• Depiction of Women in Graphic Novels: A Feminist Lens
• Comparing Western and Eastern Feminist Movements
• Men’s Roles in Supporting Feminist Movements
• Impacts of Feminism on Marriage Institutions
• Rural Women’s Rights: Challenges and Progress
• Understanding Feminist Waves: From First to Fourth
• Inclusion of Women in Peace Negotiation Processes
• Influence of Feminism on Modern Advertising
• Indigenous Women’s Movements and Rights
• Reclaiming Public Spaces: Women’s Safety Concerns
• Roles of Feminist Literature in Social Change
• Women in Sports: Overcoming Stereotypes and Bias
• Feminism in the Context of Refugee Rights
• Media’s Roles in Shaping Feminist Narratives
• Women’s Rights in Prisons: An Overlooked Issue
• Motherhood Myths: A Feminist Examination
• Subverting the Male Gaze in Film and Television
• Feminist Critique of Traditional Masculinity Norms
• Rise of Female Entrepreneurship: A Feminist View
• Young Feminists: Shaping the Future of Women’s Rights

Interesting Feminism & Women’s Rights Topics

• Roles of Feminism in Promoting Mental Health Awareness
• Aging and Women’s Rights: An Overlooked Dimension
• Feminist Perspectives on Climate Change Impacts
• Women’s Rights in Military Service: Progress and Challenges
• Achieving Gender Parity in Academic Publishing
• Feminist Jurisprudence: Its Impact on Legal Structures
• Masculinity in Crisis: Understanding the Feminist Perspective
• Fashion Industry’s Evolution through Feminist Ideals
• Unheard Stories: Women in the Global Space Race
• Effects of Migration on Women’s Rights and Opportunities
• Women’s Land Rights: A Global Issue
• Intersection of Feminism and Disability Rights
• Portrayal of Women in Science Fiction: A Feminist Review
• Analyzing Post-Feminism: Its Origins and Implications
• Cyberbullying and Its Impact on Women: Measures for Protection
• Unveiling Gender Bias in Artificial Intelligence
• Reimagining Domestic Work Through the Lens of Feminism
• Black Women’s Hair Politics: A Feminist Perspective
• Feminist Ethical Considerations in Biomedical Research
• Promoting Gender Sensitivity in Children’s Literature
• Understanding the Phenomenon of Toxic Femininity
• Reconsidering Women’s Rights in the Context of Climate Migration
• Advancing Women’s Participation in Political Activism

Feminism Argumentative Essay Topics

• Intersectionality’s Impact on Modern Feminism
• Evolution of Feminist Thought: From First-Wave to Fourth-Wave
• Gender Wage Gap: Myths and Realities
• Workplace Discrimination: Tackling Unconscious Bias
• Feminist Theory’s Influence on Contemporary Art
• Intersection of Feminism and Environmental Activism
• Men’s Roles in the Feminist Movement
• Objectification in Media: A Feminist Perspective
• Misconceptions about Feminism: Addressing Stereotypes
• Feminism in the Classroom: The Role of Education
• Feminist Analysis of Reproductive Rights Policies
• Transgender Rights: An Extension of Feminism
• Intersection of Feminism and Racial Justice
• Body Shaming Culture: A Feminist Viewpoint
• Feminism’s Influence on Modern Advertising
• Patriarchy and Religion: A Feminist Critique
• Domestic Labor: Feminist Perspectives on Unpaid Work
• Sexism in Sports: The Need for Feminist Intervention
• The MeToo Movement’s Influence on Modern Feminism
• Feminism and the Fight for Equal Representation in Politics
• Women’s Rights in the Digital Age: A Feminist Examination
• Feminist Critique of Traditional Beauty Standards
• Globalization and Its Effects on Women’s Rights
• The Role of Feminism in LGBTQ+ Rights Advocacy
• Popular Culture and Its Reflection on Feminist Values

Controversial Feminist Research Paper Topics

• Intersectionality in Modern Feminist Movements: An Analysis
• Representation of Women in High-Powered Political Roles
• Cultural Appropriation Within the Feminist Movement: An Inquiry
• The Role of Feminism in Defining Beauty Standards
• Women’s Reproductive Rights: A Debate of Autonomy
• Feminism and Religion: The Question of Compatibility
• Male Allies in the Feminist Movement: An Evaluation
• Shift in Traditional Gender Roles: Feminist Perspective
• Impacts of Media on Perceptions of Feminism
• Dissecting the Wage Gap: A Feminist Examination
• Menstrual Equity: A Battle for Feminist Activists
• Feminism in Popular Music: Power or Appropriation?
• Climate Change: The Unseen Feminist Issue
• Education’s Role in Shaping Feminist Beliefs
• Power Dynamics in the Workplace: A Feminist Scrutiny
• Cyber-Feminism: Harnessing Digital Spaces for Activism
• Healthcare Disparities Faced by Women: An Analysis
• Transgender Women in Feminist Discourse: An Exploration
• Feminist Perspectives on Monogamy and Polyamory
• Feminist Analysis of Modern Advertising Campaigns
• Exploring Sexism in the Film Industry through a Feminist Lens
• Debunking Myths Surrounding the Feminist Movement
• Childcare Responsibilities and Their Feminist Implications
• Women’s Sports: Evaluating Equity and Feminist Advocacy

Feminist Research Paper Topics in Feminism Studies

• Evaluating Feminist Theories: From Radical to Liberal
• Women’s Health Care: Policies and Disparities
• Maternal Mortality: A Global Women’s Rights Issue
• Uncovering Sexism in the Tech Industry
• Critique of Binary Gender Roles in Children’s Toys
• Body Positivity Movement’s Influence on Feminism
• Relevance of Feminism in the Fight Against Human Trafficking
• Women in Coding: Breaking Stereotypes
• The Role of Women in Sustainable Agriculture
• Feminism in the Cosmetics Industry: A Dual-Edged Sword
• The Influence of Feminism on Modern Architecture
• Bridging the Gap: Women in Higher Education Leadership
• The Role of Feminism in Advancing LGBTQ+ Rights
• Menstrual Equity: A Key Women’s Rights Issue
• Women in Classical Music: Breaking Barriers
• Analyzing Gendered Language: A Feminist Approach
• Women’s Rights and Humanitarian Aid: The Interconnection
• Exploring the Role of Women in Graphic Design
• Addressing the Lack of Women in Venture Capitalism
• Impact of Feminism on Urban Planning and Design
• Maternal Labor in the Informal Economy: A Feminist Analysis
• Feminism’s Influence on Modern Dance Forms
• Exploring the Role of Women in the Renewable Energy Sector
• Women in Esports: An Emerging Frontier
• Child Marriage: A Grave Violation of Women’s Rights

Feminist Topics for Discussion

• Feminist Criticism of the Fashion Modelling Industry
• Domestic Violence: Feminist Legal Responses
• Analyzing the Success of Women-Only Workspaces
• Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: A Human Rights Issue
• Women’s Role in the Evolution of Cryptocurrency
• Women and the Right to Water: A Feminist Perspective
• Gender Stereotypes in Comedy: A Feminist View
• Intersection of Animal Rights and Feminist Theory
• Roles of Feminism in the Fight Against Child Labor
• Representation of Women in Folklore and Mythology
• Women’s Rights in the Gig Economy: Issues and Solutions
• Revisiting Feminism in Post-Soviet Countries
• Women in the Space Industry: Present Status and Future Trends
• The Influence of Feminism on Culinary Arts
• Unraveling the Impact of Fast Fashion on Women Workers
• Feminist Perspectives on Genetic Engineering and Reproduction
• Assessing the Progress of Women’s Financial Literacy
• Sex Work and Feminism: A Controversial Discourse
• Women in Cybernetics: An Untapped Potential
• Uncovering the Women Behind Major Historical Events
• The Impact of the #MeToo Movement Globally
• Women’s Rights in the Cannabis Industry: Challenges and Progress
• Redefining Motherhood: The Intersection of Feminism and Adoption
• Roles of Feminist Movements in Combatting Child Abuse

Women’s Rights Essay Topics for Feminism

• Evolution of Women’s Rights in the 20th Century
• Roles of Women in World War II: Catalyst for Change
• Suffrage Movement: Driving Force Behind Women’s Empowerment
• Cultural Differences in Women’s Rights: A Comparative Study
• Feminist Movements and Their Global Impact
• Women’s Rights in Islamic Societies: Perceptions and Realities
• Glass Ceiling Phenomenon: Analysis and Impacts
• Pioneering Women in Science: Trailblazers for Equality
• Impacts of Media Portrayal on Women’s Rights
• Economic Autonomy for Women: Pathway to Empowerment
• Women’s Rights in Education: Global Perspective
• Gender Equality in Politics: Global Progress
• Intersectionality and Women’s Rights: Race, Class, and Gender
• Legal Milestones in Women’s Rights History
• Inequities in Healthcare: A Women’s Rights Issue
• Modern-Day Slavery: Women and Human Trafficking
• Climate Change: A Unique Threat to Women’s Rights
• Body Autonomy and Reproductive Rights: A Feminist Analysis
• Globalization’s Effect on Women’s Rights: Opportunities and Threats
• Gender Violence: An Erosion of Women’s Rights
• Indigenous Women’s Rights: Struggles and Triumphs
• Women’s Rights Activists: Unsung Heroes of History
• Empowerment Through Sports: Women’s Struggle and Success
• Balancing Act: Motherhood and Career in the 21st Century
• LGBTQ+ Women: Rights and Recognition in Different Societies

Women’s Rights Research Questions

• Evolution of Feminism: How Has the Movement Shifted Over Time?
• The Workplace and Gender Equality: How Effective Are Current Measures?
• Intersectionality’s Influence: How Does It Shape Women’s Rights Advocacy?
• Reproductive Rights: What Is the Global Impact on Women’s Health?
• Media Representation: Does It Affect Women’s Rights Perception?
• Gender Stereotypes: How Do They Impede Women’s Empowerment?
• Global Disparities: Why Do Women’s Rights Vary So Widely?
• Maternal Mortality: How Does It Reflect on Women’s Healthcare Rights?
• Education for Girls: How Does It Contribute to Gender Equality?
• Cultural Norms: How Do They Influence Women’s Rights?
• Leadership Roles: Are Women Adequately Represented in Positions of Power?
• Domestic Violence Laws: Are They Sufficient to Protect Women’s Rights?
• Roles of Technology: How Does It Impact Women’s Rights?
• Sexual Harassment Policies: How Effective Are They in Protecting Women?
• Pay Equity: How Can It Be Ensured for Women Globally?
• Politics and Gender: How Does Women’s Representation Shape Policy-Making?
• Child Marriage: How Does It Violate Girls’ Rights?
• Climate Change: How Does It Disproportionately Affect Women?
• Trafficking Scourge: How Can Women’s Rights Combat This Issue?
• Female Genital Mutilation: How Does It Contradict Women’s Rights?
• Armed Conflicts: How Do They Impact Women’s Rights?
• Body Autonomy: How Can It Be Safeguarded for Women?
• Women’s Suffrage: How Did It Pave the Way for Modern Women’s Rights?
• Men’s Role: How Can They Contribute to Women’s Rights Advocacy?
• Legal Frameworks: How Do They Support or Hinder Women’s Rights?

History of Women’s Rights Topics

• Emergence of Feminism in the 19th Century
• Roles of Women in the Abolitionist Movement
• Suffragette Movements: Triumphs and Challenges
• Eleanor Roosevelt and Her Advocacy for Women’s Rights
• Impacts of World War II on Women’s Liberation
• Radical Feminism in the 1960s and 1970s
• Pioneering Women in Politics: The First Female Senators
• Inception of the Equal Rights Amendment
• Revolutionary Women’s Health Activism
• Struggle for Reproductive Freedom: Roe vs. Wade
• Birth of the Women’s Liberation Movement
• Challenges Women Faced in the Civil Rights Movement
• Women’s Roles in the Trade Union Movement
• Intersectionality and Feminism: Examining the Role of Women of Color
• How Did the Women’s Rights Movement Impact Education?
• Sexuality, Identity, and Feminism: Stonewall Riots’ Impact
• Influence of Religion on Women’s Rights Activism
• Women’s Empowerment: The UN Conferences
• Impact of Globalization on Women’s Rights
• Women’s Movements in Non-Western Countries
• Women in Space: The Fight for Equality in NASA
• Achievements of Feminist Literature and Arts
• Evolution of the Women’s Sports Movement
• Advancement of Women’s Rights in the Digital Age
• Cultural Shifts: The Media’s Role in Promoting Women’s Rights

Feminism Essay Topics on Women’s Issues

• Career Challenges: The Gender Wage Gap in Contemporary Society
• Examining Microfinance: An Empowering Tool for Women in Developing Countries
• Pioneers of Change: The Role of Women in the Space Industry
• Exploring Beauty Standards: An Analysis of Global Perspectives
• Impacts of Legislation: Progress in Women’s Health Policies
• Maternity Leave Policies: A Comparative Study of Different Countries
• Resilience Through Struggles: The Plight of Female Refugees
• Technology’s Influence: Addressing the Digital Gender Divide
• Dissecting Stereotypes: Gender Roles in Children’s Media
• Influence of Female Leaders: A Look at Political Empowerment
• Social Media and Women: Effects on Mental Health
• Understanding Intersectionality: The Complexity of Women’s Rights
• Single Mothers: Balancing Parenthood and Economic Challenges
• Gaining Ground in Sports: A Look at Female Athletes’ Struggles
• Maternal Mortality: The Hidden Health Crisis
• Reproductive Rights: Women’s Control Over Their Bodies
• Feminism in Literature: Portrayal of Women in Classic Novels
• Deconstructing Patriarchy: The Impact of Gender Inequality
• Body Autonomy: The Battle for Abortion Rights
• Women in STEM: Barriers and Breakthroughs
• Female Soldiers: Their Role in Military Conflicts
• Human Trafficking: The Disproportionate Impact on Women
• Silent Victims: Domestic Violence and Women’s Health

To Learn More, Read Relevant Articles

385 Odyssey Essay Topics & Ideas

• Icon Calendar 1 August 2023
• Icon Page 3601 words

415 Rogerian Essay Topics & Good Ideas

• Icon Calendar 30 July 2023
• Icon Page 3224 words

The Effects of Sexism on American Women: The Role of Norms vs. Discrimination

Based on bfi working paper no. 2018-56, “the effects of sexism on american women: the role of norms vs. discrimination,” by kerwin kofi charles, professor, uchicago’s harris school of public policy; jonathan guryan, professor, northwestern university; and jessica pan, associate professor, national university singapore.

• Sexism experienced during formative years stays with girls into adulthood
• These background norms can influence choices that women make and affect their life outcomes
• In addition, women face different levels of sexism and discrimination in the states where they live as adults
• Sexism varies across states and can have a significant impact on a woman’s wages and labor market participation, and can also influence her marriage and fertility rates

What type of life experiences will these women have in terms of the work they do and the wages they earn? Will they get married and, if so, how young? If they have children, when will they start to raise a family? How many children will they have? According to the authors of the new BFI working paper, “The Effects of Sexism on American Women: The Role of Norms vs. Discrimination,” the answers to those questions depend crucially on where women are born and where they choose to live their adult lives.

Kerwin Kofi Charles, professor at the Harris School of Public Policy, and his colleagues employ a novel approach that examines how prevailing sexist beliefs shape life outcomes for women. Essentially, they find that sexism affects women through two channels: one is their own preferences that are shaped by where they grow up, and the other is the sexism they experience in the place they choose to live as adults.

On average, not all states are average The average American woman’s socioeconomic outcomes have improved dramatically over the past 50 years. Her wages and probability of employment, relative to the average man’s, have risen steadily over that time. She is also marrying later and bearing children later, as well as having fewer total children. However, these are national averages and these phenomena do not hold in all states across America. Indeed, the gap between men and women that existed in a particular state 50 years ago is largely the same size today. In other words, if a state exhibited less gender discrimination 50 years ago, it retains that narrower gap today; a state that exhibited more discrimination in 1970 has a similarly wide gap today. Much research over the years has focused on broad national trends when measuring sexism and its effect on women’s lives. A primary contribution of this paper is that it documents cross-state differences in women’s outcomes and incorporates non-market factors, like cultural norms. The focus of the authors’ analysis are the four outcomes described above: wages, employment, marriage, and fertility. Of the many forms sexism might take, the authors focus on negative or stereotypical beliefs about whether women should enter the workplace or remain at home. Specifically, sexism prevails in a market when residents believe that:

• women’s capacities are inferior to men;

• families are hurt when women work;

• and men and women should adhere to strict roles in society.

These cultural norms are not only forces that occur to women from external sources, but they are forces that also exist within women, and are strongly affected by where a woman is raised. For example, a girl may grow up within a culture that prizes stay-at-home mothers over working moms, as well as early marriages and large families. These are what the authors describe as background norms, and they are able to estimate the influence of these background norms throughout adulthood by comparing women who were born in one place and moved to different places, and those who were born in different places and moved to the same place. Once a woman reaches adulthood and chooses a place to live, she is then influenced by discrimination in the labor market and by what the authors term residential sexism, or those current norms that they experience in their new hometown. On the question of who engages in sexist behavior, men and/ or women, the authors are clear: men are the purveyors of discrimination in the market (whether women are hired for or promoted to certain jobs), and women determine norms (or residential sexism) that influence such outcomes as marriage and fertility.

The authors conduct a number of rigorous tests based on a broad array of data to reach their conclusions about women’s wages, their labor force participation relative to men, and the ages at which women aged 20-40 married and had their first child. For example, their information on sexism comes from the General Social Survey (GSS), which is a nationally representative survey that asks respondents various questions, among others, about their attitudes or beliefs about women’s place in society.

Sexism affects women through two channels: one is their own preferences that are shaped by where they grow up, and the other is the sexism they experience in the place they choose to live as adults.

The authors reveal how prevailing sexist beliefs about women’s abilities and appropriate roles affect US women’s socioeconomic outcomes. Studying adults who live in one state but who were born in another, they show that sexism in a woman’s state of birth and in her current state of residence both lower her wages and likelihood of labor force participation, and lead her to marry and bear her first child sooner. The sexism a woman experiences where she was raised, or background sexism, affects a woman’s outcomes even after she is an adult living in another place through the influence of norms that she internalized during her formative years. Further, the sexism present where a woman lives (residential sexism) affects her non-labor market outcomes through the influence of prevailing sexist beliefs of other women where she lives. By contrast, residential sexism’s effects on her labor market outcomes seem to operate chiefly through the mechanism of market discrimination by sexist men. Finally, and importantly, the authors find sound evidence that prejudice-based discrimination, undergirded by prevailing sexist beliefs that vary across space, may be an important driver of women’s outcomes in the US.

CLOSING TAKEAWAY By studying adults who were born in one place but live in another, the authors reveal the effects of sexism on women’s outcomes in the market through discrimination (wages and jobs), as well as in non-market settings through cultural norms (marriage and fertility).

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sexism , prejudice or discrimination based on sex or gender, especially against women and girls. Although its origin is unclear, the term sexism emerged from the “second-wave” feminism of the 1960s through ’80s and was most likely modeled on the civil rights movement ’s term racism (prejudice or discrimination based on race). Sexism can be a belief that one sex is superior to or more valuable than another sex. It imposes limits on what men and boys can and should do and what women and girls can and should do. The concept of sexism was originally formulated to raise consciousness about the oppression of girls and women, although by the early 21st century it had sometimes been expanded to include the oppression of any sex, including men and boys, intersex people, and transgender people.

Sexism in a society is most commonly applied against women and girls. It functions to maintain patriarchy , or male domination, through ideological and material practices of individuals, collectives , and institutions that oppress women and girls on the basis of sex or gender . Such oppression usually takes the forms of economic exploitation and social domination. Sexist behaviours, conditions, and attitudes perpetuate stereotypes of social (gender) roles based on one’s biological sex. A common form of socialization that is based in sexist concepts teaches particular narratives about traditional gender roles for males and females. According to such a view, women and men are opposite, with widely different and complementary roles: women are the weaker sex and less capable than men, especially in the realm of logic and rational reasoning. Women are relegated to the domestic realm of nurturance and emotions and, therefore, according to that reasoning, cannot be good leaders in business, politics, and academia . Although women are seen as naturally fit for domestic work and are superb at being caretakers, their roles are devalued or not valued at all when compared with men’s work.

The extreme form of sexist ideology is misogyny , the hatred of women. A society in which misogyny is prevalent has high rates of brutality against women—for example, in the forms of domestic violence , rape , and the commodification of women and their bodies. Where they are seen as property or as second-class citizens, women are often mistreated at the individual as well as the institutional level. For example, a woman who is a victim of rape (the individual or personal level) might be told by a judge and jury (the institutional level) that she was culpable because of the way she was dressed.

Best Sexism Essay Topics

Best Sexism Essay Titles

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• The Elements That Make Bret Harte’s Idyl of Red Gulch An Accurate Illustration of Sexism During The Gold Rush
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• The Awakening By Kate Chopin: Women & Sexism
• Sexism & Gender Stereotypes In The PR Industry
• Sexism, Racism, & Class In William Faulkner’s A Rose For Emily
• Modern Society’s Immoral Views On Racism, Fascism, & Sexism
• Sexism & Materialism In Moll Flander By Daniel Defoe & Jane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte
• Sexism: A Thematic Approach To M. Butterfly By David Henry Hwang
• School Uniforms Foster Sexism & Gender Inequality Forms
• The Problem of Benevolent Sexism Resulting From Social Etiquette
• Sexist Discrimination & Prejudice Toward Women
• The Life of Antony By Plutarch & Cleopatra: Sexism Themes

Controversial Sexism Topics For Essay

• The Inherent Sexism In Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Thriller Spellbound & Its Entertaining Story
• Sexism & Female Oppression In “The Taming of The Shrew.”
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• The Sexism In Society Problem Caused By Social & Gender Influence
• Disney Movies’ Cultural Appropriation, Racism, Sexism, Homophobia, & Ethnic Nationalism
• Sexism’s Central Role In Hester Prynne’s Life In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Novel “ The Scarlet Letter “
• The Idea of Sexism In Esperanza From House On Mango Street
• John Steinbeck’s Social Commentary On Sexism In of Mice & Men
• The Role of Norms Vs. Discrimination In Sexism’s Effects On American Women
• The Sexism & Equal Opportunities Legislation
• The Connection Between Sexism & Capitalism

Sexism Research Topics

• The Problems Black American Women Have With Sexism, Racism, & Stereotypes
• What Sexism-Patriarchy Is & How Pervasive It Is In Our Society
• A Moving French Short Film Portraying A World Where Men Are Subject To Sexism Is Called The Oppressed Majority.
• Hollywood’s Sexism & Its Impact On Society
• Sociological Imaginations of Inequality, Racism, & Sexism
• Sexism In The American Workplace In The 20th Century
• David Henry’s M. Butterfly: Racism, Sexism, & Sexuality In The United States
• William Shakespeare’s The Taming of The Shrew Contains Sexism
• Features, Causes, Modifications, & Suggestions For Sexism In English Words & Expressions
• Homophobia, Domestic Violence, & Sexism: A Relationship
• Sexism, Bias, & Discrimination Based On Gender
• How Cinderella By Jacob & Wilhelm Depicts Sexism
• Ageism, Sexism, & Racism In Medical Practice
• “Othello & The Duchess of Malfi,” Which Dissect & Challenge Jacobean Society’s Sexism
• Rider Haggard’s King Solomon’s Mines Has A Sexism Undertone
• Lorraine Hansberry’s Play A Raisin In The Sun’s Depiction of Racism & Sexism In The 1950s
• The American Glass Ceiling, Gender Pay Gap, & Overall Sexism In Barbara Berg’s Novel Sexism In America, Sexism & The City: Irrational Behavior, Cognitive Errors, & Gender In The Financial Crisis
• Sexism: Gender-Based Discrimination & Stereotypes
• Sexism Is Revealed In Jane Eyre By Charlotte Bronte
• Racism, Sexism, & Inequality: Influencing The Lives of British & Burmese Characters
• The Problems of Sexism, Racism, & Prejudice Towards The LGBT Community In China
• Susan White Dissects The Living Burden of Racism & Sexism
• Sexism & Gender Discrimination Against Women In The United States As A Problem
• Sexism Is The Real Barrier To Women’s Careers
• Sexism In The House On Mango Street

Sexism Research Questions

• How Is Sexism Taught In Schools?
• What Procedures Are In Place For H&LE Reports of Sexual Harassment On Campus?
• How might Sexism Be Minimized?
• Is Sexism A Problem In Our Society?
• What Is Your Approach To Sexism?
• What Impact Does Gender Neutral Language Have On Reducing Sexual Harassment At Work In Developing Countries?
• How Has Sexism Changed In America Over The Years?
• What Are Gender Discrimination & Sexism?
• How Does Sexism & the English Language Affect the Psychological Concept of Linguistic Relativity?
• What Causes Sexism, & Why?
• How Do Educational Institutions Maintain Patriarchy, Racism, & Sexism?
• What Is The Fundamental Principle of Sexism?
• What Impact Has Sexism Had On Feminist Culture?
• Why Is Sexism Something We Must Stop?
• How Was Social Progress Affected By Sexism In The Late 20th Century?
• Why Is Sexist Language To Be Avoided?
• How Does Sexism Affect Freud’s Work’s Reputability?
• What Language Is Deemed Sexist?
• How Are Women Represented In Society, & How Does Sexism Occur?
• What Impact Does Sexist Language Have On A Person?
• How Do Sexism & Feminism Relate To One Another?
• What Are Some Examples of Contemporary Sexism?
• How Do You Combat Sexism At Work?
• Can You Sue For Sexual Harassment At Work?
• How Does Sexism Impact Schoolgirls?
• What Is Symbolic Sexism, Anyway?
• Do You Think English Is Sexist?
• Are Languages Based On Gender Sexist?
• How Much Does Poverty Lead To Older Women’s Social Exclusion?
• What Causes Sexism In The Workplace Today?

Essay on Sexism

According to Charles et al. (2018), sexism is prejudice, discrimination, and serotyping people based on their gender. These stereotypes in society are primarily against women. In the past, sexism was very evident in the community, with women being left out in the most important sectors at work and home. Women were also judged and harshly punished for the same actions that men got praised for doing. Although sexism is a bit hidden and reduced in modern society, it is still evident in almost all sectors. The entertainment industry is not left out as various form of sexism is witnessed. They, however, try to show how society discriminates and treats the genders differently. I will explain the television show “two and a half men.” The show aired for twelve seasons from September 2003 to February 2015. It followed the lives of pleasure-seeking jingle writer Charlie Harper, his uptight brother Alan, and Alan’s naughty son Jake. Alan and Jake move into Charlie’s beachfront Malibu house after his marriage begins to crumble, and divorce seems likely, making Charlie’s carefree lifestyle more complicated than it would otherwise be. Chuck Lorre and Lee Aronsohn created the show. I will address sexism as shown in “Two and a half men.” The show’s most evident theme is sexism and shows gender inequality throughout its plot.

The show is very sexist as the movie is based on focusing on and following the life of male characters. Even though the show has female characters, the main actors in the film are men, and women are given junior roles. This reflects society’s view and belief in male superiority. The community believes that men are superior and better, as shown in the show. The characters in the show are also sexist, and they think and demonstrate their ability to control women and use them without any consequences.

Charlie, a free-lance writer, is shown as sexist and a man who takes advantage of women and their vulnerability. Charlie views women as objects to be used by men whenever they wish as he sleeps around with multiple women. From Charlie’s viewpoint, women are painted as excessively demanding, which is insane. Even though he is not so much into having a woman in his life, he uses several women as sexual objects. He values women for what they can offer, which is sex, rather than loving them for who they are. Sexism is seen in how women are dehumanized, made valueless, and only seen as objects for men’s pleasure. The show’s value of women is clearly shown through its constant display of prostitutes (Zimdars, 2018). It shows how women are valueless and can be harassed, used, and their body parts displayed for anyone to see without much struggle.

The show also emphasizes women’s menstrual cycle, where Lee states, “enough ladies, I get it you have periods.” Even though people can argue that it was used to acknowledge that women are human and have their biological processes, it is far from that. This show how women are demoralized and ignored despite their significant contribution to life continuity. Getting “chicks” was the driving force behind every episode. I don’t know what would be duller than that. Boobs, dicks, and vaginal references are made frequently throughout the show. The only thing a lesbian niece cares about is having sex with whatever woman she may find. Lesbians walk around freely screaming, “must have a vagina.” The highest point goes to the player whose sex has the most participants. Everyone is a pervert.

Sexism is also shown in the way the characters childishly talk about sex. The show jokes about rape despite being a common issue affecting women. The joke causes the women audience to feel disrespected and unsafe despite their suffering in the world. The show diminishes the effect rape has on women and the fear of going through, making it seem like it is not an issue. Charlie is also heard saying, “if we are at peak vagina, the prices at the pump are gonna skyrocket.” This shows how women are viewed as objects for financial gain as their prices are negotiable. Sexism is also demonstrated in how all women, especially in season 11, have alcohol addiction problems, are sexually promiscuous, and hate each other. The women hate each other, and the show paints it as dangerous to create meaningful feminine friendships. Women on the show are devalued to the status of their bodies based on the size of their breasts. The fact that Alan is not stereotypically masculine and therefore labeled “gay” is sometimes the most “comic” aspect of his character.

Even after Charlie leaves the show, the series still hold sexist views even though it is not against women. Walden is shown as a person with a good heart and has financial independence and success. Despite his accomplishments, Walden is painted as a man-child who throws tantrums whenever things go against his wishes and hopes. He’s the type to toss food in restaurants, make theatrical and ludicrous suicide attempts after being dumped, flail his penis around in public naively, and fall hopelessly in love with every woman he encounters, con artist included. He even enters into a pseudo marriage to adopt a child. Even though most people could interpret this action as praise for the importance of family when having a child, it is not. The creator uses this to emphasize that women are objects or can be used as a means to an end and to get what men desire. The creator paints men as weak creatures who women sometimes beat. It also shows that men’s pain does not matter, just like how society views men. Even though men are free to do as they want, the community does not welcome men who show emotions openly or cannot handle their wives (Yao 2022). The men are therefore left to suffer in silence.

So much more could be said about the show’s discrimination is its fundamental misogyny. It is a wonder how this show lasted for 12 seasons. The show comes across as a magnificent celebration of toxic masculinity. Still, it’s just a bunch of poor jokes that are repeated over and over again, some misogyny, rape culture, and homophobia set against a background score that tells you when to laugh. While women are shown as material and sex objects, men are portrayed as sex-driven individuals. They are also painted as greedy and selfish. The show’s society has no room for an upright man or a loving woman, which is a hostile world viewpoint.

Charles, K. K., Guryan, J., & Pan, J. (2018).  The effects of sexism on American women: The role of norms vs. discrimination  (No. w24904). National Bureau of Economic Research.

Yao, C. (2022). Analysis of Verbal Humor in Two and a Half Men from the Perspective of Cooperative Principle.  International Journal of Social Science and Education Research ,  5 (4), 210-218.

Zimdars, M. (2018). Having it both ways: Two and a Half Men, Entourage, and televising post-feminist masculinity.  Feminist Media Studies ,  18 (2), 278-293.

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Writing Prompts about Sexism

• 🗃️ Essay topics
• ❓ Research questions
• 📝 Topic sentences
• 🪝 Essay hooks
• 📑 Thesis statements
• 🔀 Hypothesis examples
• 🧐 Personal statements

🔗 References

🗃️ sexism essay topics.

• The pervasiveness of sexism in contemporary society.
• The role of media in perpetuating sexism and the effects on society.
• Sexism and its intersection with race.
• The impact of sexism and derogatory slurs on individuals and society.
• Sexism in politics and leadership.
• Exploring sexism in STEM fields and efforts to promote inclusivity.
• Gender discrimination against women in the workplace.
• The role of men in combating sexism and promoting gender equality.
• Sexism and the #MeToo movement.
• Sexism in advertising and marketing.
• The effects of sexism and beliefs on mental health and well-being.
• The impact of sexism on women’s career progression.
• The main issues in Olivia Butler’s “Kindred”.
• Stereotypes and sexism in the media.
• The role of education in combating sexism.
• The portrayal of gender roles and sexism in literature and film.
• The impact of sexism on mental health and well-being.
• Sexism and its influence on body image and self-esteem.
• The role of social media in perpetuating sexism and misogyny.
• Racial and gender discrimination in the workplace.
• Challenging traditional gender norms and breaking free from sexism.
• The role of men in dismantling sexism and promoting gender equality.
• The impact of sexism on relationships and intimate partner dynamics.

❓ Research Questions on Sexism

• How does sexism contribute to the gender wage gap persistence?
• To what extent does media representation reinforce or challenge sexism?
• How does sexism manifest in educational settings?
• What strategies and interventions have been effective in addressing workplace sexism?
• How does the intersectionality of race and gender influence experiences of sexism?
• What are the long-term effects of experiencing sexism on women’s career trajectories?
• How does sexism contribute to the underrepresentation of women in leadership positions?
• What role does social media play in the propagation and perpetuation of sexism?
• How does sexism influence individuals’ perceptions and expectations of gender roles?
• How does sexism affect men’s mental health and well-being?
• How do sexism and behaviors impact romantic relationships and dynamics?
• How does sexism manifest in healthcare settings?
• How does sexism intersect with other forms of discrimination?
• How do cultural and societal norms perpetuate and reinforce sexism?
• What are the attitudes and perceptions of men regarding sexism?

📝 Topic Sentences about Sexism

• Sexism remains prevalent in the workplace, perpetuating gender disparities and hindering professional growth for women.
• The detrimental effects of sexism on mental health and well-being are evident, as marginalized individuals often face discrimination, prejudice, and stereotyping based on their gender.
• Sexism in education manifests in biased curriculum, limiting opportunities and reinforcing gender-based expectations, thereby hindering students’ personal and academic development.

🪝 Hooks for Sexism Paper

📍 definition hooks on sexism for essay.

• Sexism, a pervasive societal ailment, refers to the prejudiced belief in the inherent superiority or inferiority of individuals based on their gender. This toxic ideology manifests through discriminatory attitudes, actions, and systemic structures, perpetuating inequality and limiting opportunities for marginalized genders.
• Sexism, an insidious form of discrimination, can be defined as the prejudiced treatment or unequal valuation of individuals based on their gender. Rooted in deep-seated biases and stereotypes, sexism reinforces power imbalances, restricts personal freedom, and hinders the progress toward a truly egalitarian society.

📍 Statistical Hooks for Essay on Sexism

• Startling statistics paint a grim picture of the enduring prevalence of sexism. According to recent studies, women earn, on average, 82 cents for every dollar earned by men, highlighting the persistent gender pay gap that undermines economic equality and perpetuates systemic discrimination.
• Empirical data exposes the stark reality of sexism in various spheres of life. Surveys reveal that a staggering 97% of women have experienced some form of sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime, demonstrating the urgent need for comprehensive societal changes to eradicate this pervasive issue and create safer environments for all.

📍 Quotation Hooks on Sexism

• “Sexism is the social disease that turns the rich potential diversity of humankind into rigid categories of ‘male’ and ‘female,’ constraining us all.” – Naomi Wolf.
• “Sexism is the belief system that one sex is inherently superior to the other, a destructive ideology that denies the full humanity of individuals and perpetuates inequality.” – Emma Watson.

📑 Top Sexism Thesis Statements

✔️ argumentative thesis about sexism.

• Sexism persists as a pervasive societal issue, hindering gender equality and perpetuating harmful stereotypes. By acknowledging its existence, challenging discriminatory attitudes, and implementing systemic changes, we can strive for a more inclusive and equitable society.
• Sexism is an entrenched problem that undermines progress toward gender equality, reinforcing damaging stereotypes and limiting opportunities for women. Addressing and combating sexism through education, legislation, and cultural shifts is imperative for creating a fair and inclusive society.

✔️ Analytical Thesis on Sexism

• Sexism is deeply ingrained in societal structures, influencing power dynamics and perpetuating inequality. By critically examining the roots and manifestations of sexism, we can gain insights into its impact on individuals and communities, and work towards dismantling oppressive systems and promoting gender justice.
• Sexism is a complex social phenomenon that requires a nuanced analysis to understand its underlying causes, manifestations, and consequences. By examining the intersections of sexism with other forms of oppression, we can develop a deeper understanding of its multifaceted nature and work towards comprehensive solutions.

✔️ Informative Thesis Examples on Sexism

• Sexism, a deeply ingrained social problem, hinders progress toward achieving gender equality by perpetuating harmful stereotypes, limiting opportunities for women, and perpetuating power imbalances in various spheres of society.
• Sexism, a pervasive form of discrimination, manifests in various social domains and adversely affects individuals’ opportunities and well-being. By analyzing its underlying causes, harmful consequences, and potential remedies, this study aims to raise awareness and promote gender equality in society.

🔀 Sexism Hypothesis Examples

• Sexism negatively impacts the mental health and well-being of individuals, particularly those who are targets of discrimination.
• Sexism in educational settings hinders academic achievement and career aspirations among marginalized genders.

🔂 Null & Alternative Hypothesis on Sexism

• Null hypothesis: There is no significant difference in career advancement opportunities between genders in the workplace, suggesting that sexism does not play a role in hindering professional progression.
• Alternative hypothesis: Sexism significantly affects career advancement opportunities, leading to disparities between genders in the workplace and impeding the progress of marginalized groups.

🧐 Examples of Personal Statement on Sexism

• I am deeply concerned about the issue of sexism and its impact on our society. Witnessing the gender inequalities and discriminatory practices prevalent in various domains has ignited my determination to address this pervasive problem. I believe that education and awareness are key to dismantling sexist norms and creating a more equitable future. Through my academic journey, I aspire to study gender studies and actively contribute to challenging and eradicating sexism in all its forms.
• I have been deeply impacted by the pervasive issue of sexism. As a student, I am committed to confronting and dismantling these harmful attitudes and practices. I am determined to contribute to the fight against sexism by pursuing studies in sociology and actively engaging in advocacy work. Through my academic journey, I aim to raise awareness about the detrimental effects of sexism, promote gender equality, and empower marginalized individuals.
• Religiosity and ambivalent sexism: the role of religious group narcissism
• The role of sexual orientation and the perceived threat posed by men in the acceptance of sexism
• Sexism, Actually? Analysis of Ambivalent Sexism in Popular Movies
• The Effects of Sexism on American Women: The Role of Norms vs. Discrimination
• Hostile and Benevolent Sexism

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Sexism, Essay Example

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You are free to use it as an inspiration or a source for your own work.

Sexism is a term used to indicate discrimination or the prejudiced faced by person based on the persons sex. Thoman, Dustin, Paul White, Niwako Yamawaki, and Hirofumi Koishi indicated that the attitude of the sexist has its origin for the stereotypes that existed traditionally in the gender roles of the people in the society (10). As a result, sexism can include the feeling that people of particular sex are superior or better than the other sex. For instance, a person seeking for a job may encounter discriminatory hiring practises because she is a woman. In such most societies, when a lady is hired for a certain job, they tend to receive unequal treatment or compensation when compared to the men working in the same capacity.  The other extreme form of sexism may include sexual harassment, rape and similar type of sexual violence especially targeted towards the female gender.

The origin of the term as used currently can be traced to the Pauline Leet who coined the word in 1965 in which she compared sexism to the racism. In her contribution that was titled, ”women and the undergraduate” she argued that both the sexist and the racists act as if all that has not happened will never happen and therefore coming to a conclusion about someone’s value based on the irrelevant factors like sex and skin colour. Sexism is judging people by the sex when the sex does not matter really. It is used to keep the sex in power established and entrenched in power Watson, Robinson, Dispenza, & Nazari, (233).

Historically, until the 20 th century, the US and English law in general was based on a system of covertures in which during the marriage, the husband and the wife become one person in legal resulting in the suspension of the legal existence of the woman during the marriage. As a consequence, the women in the US were not legally defined as persons until 1975 while the married women in France received the right to work without their husband permission in 1965, it is important to note that in many countries around the globe; the women still loose significant rights when they get married. For instance, in Iraq, the husbands had the right to punish their wives. This is not a criminal act but is similar to parents or teacher disciplining the children within regulation of the customs and laws.

Sexism in any given society is driven by the gender stereotypes that consist of the beliefs about the characteristics of men and women. Numerous empirical studies have shown that men are socially valued and more competent that the women in undertaking different activities. In one such study done in the US, the diverse sample of the people surveyed consistently rated the category of the men as being hire that the category of the woman.

According to another survey, it has been found that stereotype against the women has actually contributed to the lowering of the women’s performance in mathematics test. This is a self fulfilling stereotype that women have inferior quantitative skills when compared to the men. The women and men’s perceptions of those abilities are then affected as it results in the men rating their own tasks ability higher than that of the women who perform in the same level (Thoman, Dustin, Paul White, Niwako Yamawaki, and Hirofumi Koishi, 9). Such gender based biases affects the women and men’s education and career decisions.

Occupational sexism is  refers to the discriminatory practises and actions based on the sex that occurs in the work place. The most common form of the occupational sexism is the wage discrimination. According to the organisation for the Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), as much has the employment of the female has greatly expanded and the wage gap has also tremendously narrowed, when compared with the male counterpart, the female still have 20 percent less chance of being employed and when they are finally employed, they are paid 17% less that the male with the same qualification. Despite the establishment if the anti discrimination and equality of employment laws,  the implementation of the Law is very difficult in many countries including the western nations.

According to Fortin Nicole Gender stereotypes play very crucial role in encouraging stereotypes in the society. This mainly comes from the gender roles, which are the behaviours that the society associates with each of the genders. For example, in the united state, while the male are expected to be decisive, direct, stoic, strong, athletic, brave and driven, the women on the other hand are culturally expected to be not only emotional, weak and nurturing but affectionate and home oriented (428). OECD therefore argues that the women’s labour market is influences by learned cultural and social values that may be seen as discriminatory towards women by stereotyping certain lifestyle and work as being for men or women. This is because the women educational and career choice may be dictated in part by the expectations that certain job opportunities are not open to the people of their gender. In the US, the women formed about 87 percent of all the people employed in the child care industry and 86 percent of the people working in the health aide sector.

Professional discrimination still exists against women in the work place although there has been a slow improvement. A study done in 2007 indicated that for every $1.00 earned by the men annually, the median pay for the women was $ 0.78. the people that contend the wage gap argues that the difference in the pay between the male and the female is not based on sexism in the work place but is a product of the career choice and the working house differences between the male and females.

Watson, Robinson, Dispenza, & Nazari argue that another form of sexism in the society is portrayed by the sexual objectification of women in advertisement and promotion of items. Objectification can be defined as the treatment of women as an object that is viewed primarily as a source of sexual gratification or to bring about sexual appeal (232). While there are laws that govern advertising in western countries, this only regulate the obscenity of the adverts and prevent indecent poses but does not avert objectification of the women. While in some countries like Norway and Denmark that has not banned Nudity in advertising relevant products, other countries like Israel has continue to ban nudity and makes a reference to the sexual objectification of the women.

Pornography is another practise that contributes to the sexism by not only objectifying women but also portraying them in submissive roles. it has also been noted that some types of pornography contribute to the violence against the women by producing scenes that present women has being dominated, humiliated and coerced. As a form of sexism, pornography depict women as continually available and willing to engage in sexual act with any man and in accordance to their terms and promote rape myth as it desensitises people to violence against the women. This is because it creates a feeling that the lady consented no matter what was said.

Sexism is driven by the consisted desire of one gender to exercise full power over the victim. Studies have shown that the perpetrators of rape for instance have not only hatred towards the women but also get pleasure in inflicting physical and psychological trauma on the victims.

There is continual need to promote gender equality in the different aspects of life so as to eliminate discrimination and violence against women.

Works cited

Thoman, Dustin, Paul White, Niwako Yamawaki, and Hirofumi Koishi. “Variations of Gender–math Stereotype Content Affect Women’s Vulnerability to Stereotype  Threat.” Sex Roles 58.9-10 (2008): 702-12. Print.

Fortin, Nicole, “Gender Role Attitudes and the Labour Market Outcomes of Women Across OECD Countries”, Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 2005, 21, 416–438.

Watson, L., Robinson, D., Dispenza, F., & Nazari, N., African American women’s sexual objectification experiences: A qualitative study. Psychology of Women Quarterly, (2012)36, 227-239

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The race to understand — and profit from — period blood

A growing wave of companies and research initiatives are doing something science has neglected for thousands of years: treating menstrual blood as an important trove of information about the bodies it comes from.

Maddie Oatman, Mother Jones

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On a Wednesday in early March, a lab scientist named Carlo removed a paper strip containing a dried blood sample from a plastic envelope. He inserted it into a contraption resembling a large hole punch, and I watched as a small wine-colored disc dropped into a test tube. Next, he would add a buffering solution and feed the tube into a chemistry analyzer, a machine resembling a short tanning booth that scanned the sample for a glucose level indicator. 

Neither the futuristic machines nor the test itself were uncommon. What was unusual, surprising, maybe even revolutionary, was that the substance he was examining was not blood from a vein or a finger prick, but from menstruation. 

I had traveled to the Silicon Valley headquarters of a start-up called Qvin, pronounced “kwin,” derived from the Danish word meaning “woman.” Since receiving clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in January, Qvin has begun selling a new menstrual pad that it says will help people tap into the “power in your period.” The $49 Q-Pad, as it’s called, goes in underwear during a person’s monthly flow. A test strip inside the pad dries the blood and primes it for transport. Currently, Qvin’s lab only analyzes the sample for its average blood sugar level, a biomarker (essentially, a signal of a disease or condition) used to diagnose two types of diabetes. The company says it hopes to soon offer other tests, including for the human papillomavirus (HPV) — the virus responsible for 95 percent of cervical cancers — and for fertility hormones. 

Qvin is part of a small but growing wave of companies and research initiatives doing something that science and medicine have neglected for thousands of years: treating menstrual blood not as a waste product but as an important trove of information about the bodies it comes from. I’d become especially interested in the new science of periods after a baffling diagnosis left me grasping for more details about my reproductive organs, and wishing medicine had more answers to give. 

“Period blood is the most overlooked opportunity in medical research,” Qvin’s founder, Dr. Sara Naseri, likes to say. Collecting it is non-invasive. And data hidden in its cells might help scientists crack the code to some of the most cryptic reproductive ailments. 

One of those is endometriosis, wherein tissue resembling the type that lines the uterus invades areas outside the womb. Given its complexity, frequent painfulness, mysterious etiology, and lack of a cure, the disease is a research white whale. Dr. Christine Metz, a professor at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health who co-directs a prominent endometriosis study, says she was shocked a decade ago when she realized menstrual effluent — which contains cells shed from the uterine lining — had rarely been considered as a window into reproductive organs. It’s like “a biopsy of the endometrium,” she says. 

Other researchers are examining period blood’s potential to treat diseases. The uterus is an incredible organ for many reasons, chief among them is that it repairs itself — without scarring — after shedding its tissue every month or so during a person’s reproductive years. It does this with the help of stem cells, some of which are present in menstrual effluent. There have recently been clinical trials testing the use of these stem cells for conditions such as infertility and severe COVID , and studies showed they helped with wound healing and stimulating insulin production in diabetic lab mice.  

Even so, scientists studying menstrual blood say they have been met with a reluctance rooted in cultural taboos about menstruation. The queasiness continues to hamper research, obscuring discoveries that — considering every single day hundreds of millions of people worldwide are menstruating — may be hiding in plain sight. 

In 2014, when Naseri began to explore the possibility of using periods to diagnose disease, she approached the lab director at a high-ranking university hospital and asked if she could run some experiments. He refused.  Naseri’s research partner, Stanford OB-GYN Professor Emeritus Dr. Paul Blumenthal, offered to spin the blood down, separating the serum from the red blood cells that give the substance its intense color. But the lab director still wouldn’t budge. “‘No, no, no, that can’t happen,’” Blumenthal recalls him saying. “‘I’m not letting you put that skanky stuff in my machine.’”  

Blumenthal believes the lab director’s disgust reflects a deep-seated perception that menstruation is “a topic that is not discussed at the dinner table, and that menstrual blood itself is kind of dirty.” But, as he sees it, its utility for science might offer an opportunity to rebrand: “If your menstrual blood actually has real value, then it might not be so stigmatizing.” 

The cultural opprobrium regarding menstruation is ancient. Rome’s Pliny the Elder claimed in the “Natural History” that a menstruating woman would cause wine to go sour, gardens to wither, and bees to die. Many major religious texts sought to seclude women during their monthly cycles, from the Hindu Vedas to the Old Testament, which declared that anyone who touches her “will be unclean until evening.” In early modern England, according to historian Sara Read, the popular Geneva Bible instructed people to “cast [false idols] away as a menstruous cloth,” thereby aligning “the rag,” as it came to be known, with corruption. 

One of the most stubborn menstrual myths has roots in the Ancient Greek idea of the “humours,” four fluid elements — blood, phlegm, black bile and yellow bile — meant to exist in harmony in the body. Because women were supposedly more sedentary than men, they needed to menstruate to flush out the noxious blood and waste that had built up. The medical community held on to similar notions well into the 20 th century. In the 1920s, pediatrician Dr. Béla Schick helped popularize the concept of the “menotoxin” — a substance menstruating people supposedly secreted that could wilt flowers, give children asthma and cause all sorts of female maladies. Menotoxin appeared in articles and letters published in the prominent scientific journal The Lancet until the 1970s. 

• Read Next: Teens say they learn more in school about frogs’ bodies than their own

Some scientists have held on to such superstitions, as Italian researcher Federica Marinaro discovered in 2021. She and a group of her peers at a Spanish research center had just completed a study on the anti-inflammatory abilities of menstrual stem cells, which are similar to those culled from umbilical cord blood or bone marrow. The team submitted their paper to different journals, and as is common, a few journals rejected it for one scientific quibble or the other.

But one response from an anonymous peer reviewer at a prominent international science journal stopped Marinaro in her tracks: The reviewer rejected the article based on the “severe undesirable and toxic effects of menstrual blood and all its constituents on the human body,” they wrote. “Even in all religions, it is well known that menstrual blood and its stem cells are extremely toxic and of very low quality,” the reviewer continued, going on to suggest that women in some cultures use drops of menstrual blood to kill their husbands. The response “was shocking,” Marinaro says. But even if it was preposterous, it made her and her team doubt themselves for a time. “We started to think, maybe, are we doing something wrong? Maybe we didn’t check enough” she recalls, “before saying, ‘You’re totally crazy!”

Centuries of shame have ensured that periods have been understudied and underrepresented in medical literature. It didn’t help that women of reproductive age were excluded from most U.S. clinical trials until 1993, leading to a gender data gap in health research. As Blumenthal and his fellow authors of a recent editorial in BMJ Sexual and Reproductive Health journal note, a PubMed search yields only about 400 papers referencing “menstrual blood” in the last several decades, compared to around 10,000 related to erectile dysfunction. While a few pioneering scientists are inching the conversation forward, and a push by public health advocates in recent years has raised awareness about the need for menstrual education and equity, Western medicine by and large continues to avoid periods as a subject for serious scrutiny. 

If you are a person who menstruates you’ve dealt with period-related drama and stress. You’ve avoided pool parties and dates; winced when the tampon box was empty; spent afternoons curled around a heating pad. You’ve kept tabs on it to avoid getting pregnant, or to try and get pregnant; many of us spend ungodly quantities of money and mental energy on one or the other at different stages of our lives. 

Several years ago, after the close tracking of my period for 15 months failed to help my husband and me conceive, and hundreds of dollars of tests showed no abnormalities, a doctor at a private clinic finally diagnosed me with “unexplained infertility.” It is a relatively common diagnosis, and a maddening one: There is likely something wrong with you, the reasoning goes, but research hasn’t gotten us to the point where we can determine what it is. Microscopic endometriosis was mentioned as one possibility. Egg quality was another. (“Maybe your eggs are too hard?” one doctor suggested.) But for the most part it felt as if I were being encouraged not to worry my little head about what was going on down there. “We might never know what’s wrong,” the doctor said in so many words, “but the good news is, our interventions are often successful for people like you.” For tens of thousands of dollars and a strong cocktail of self-administered hormone injections, I entered my body into a gauntlet of trial and error while hoping for the best. But I couldn’t stop pining for a clearer view of my troubled cells. 

There is still much about the reproductive system that remains uncharted. Science isn’t even entirely settled on why humans leak tissue-laced blood at a regular cadence. Menstruation (from the Latin menstruus , meaning “monthly”) is the regular shedding of the uterine lining, also called the endometrium. Current theory holds that this regular bleeding is an extravagant byproduct of the menstrual cycle and “not the point,” explains OB-GYN Dr. Jen Gunter in her 2024 book “Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation.” 

Seven to 10 days after ovaries release an egg, the hormone progesterone instructs the uterine lining to thicken in preparation for a possible pregnancy. The lining doesn’t just thicken — some endometrial cells also physically change to store sugars and fats and provide nutrients to a possible embryo, a process called decidualization. Gunter explains decidualization using the analogy of soufflé baking, which requires utmost precision, with steps that must occur in an exact sequence. Once the souffle is baked, it “can’t be turned back into a bowl of egg whites and another of egg yolks.” In the same way, when the endometrium has transformed in preparation for pregnancy, its cells can’t revert to their original states, to be broken down by the body and reabsorbed. Instead, the lining sheds, and the cycle starts anew. 

In the 98 percent of mammals that don’t menstruate, the uterine lining remains unchanged unless an embryo implants. Humans, though, experience spontaneous decidualization, meaning the same preparatory transformation happens whether an embryo implants or doesn’t—the soufflé gets baked either way. 

What makes this resource intensive process worthwhile? It seems to have two evolutionary advantages. It nudges the endometrium to grow extra thick. This helps a pregnant person fend off the invasive human placenta, an organ made up of the person and fetus’ bodies, with “one side that’s always hungry, and one side that’s trying to protect itself from that hunger,” as researcher Cat Bohannon puts it in her 2023 book “Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Evolution.” “Human women menstruate because it’s part of how we manage to survive our bloodsucking demon fetuses,” she writes. 

Spontaneous decidualization also is thought to allow the endometrium to perform a kind of internal natural selection, helping to pinpoint the fittest embryos by acting as a biosensor of quality, Gunter explains: If the decidualized lining picks up anomalies in an implanted embryo, “an inflammatory response can be triggered to end the pregnancy.” In short, spontaneous decidualization makes for more healthy pregnancies in humans. The trade off? Regular menstrual bleeding. 

But not everyone is convinced that menses are only a byproduct. As biological anthropologist Kate Clancy writes in her 2023 book “Period: The Real Story of Menstruation,” some scientists have begun to make the case that menstrual effluent — which is swimming with special proteins and enzymes, along with stem cells — is an essential ingredient in healing the endometrium and helping it rebuild. In other words, maybe menstrual blood has a purpose when it’s still inside the body. 

What is becoming increasingly clear is that period blood contains messages about the landscape of organs through which it has passed. Qvin founder Dr. Sara Naseri was studying to be a physician in Denmark, her home country, when she first started considering its clues. I met up with her at a hotel café in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood; she arrived by bicycle and plopped her helmet on the table. The daughter of Iranian immigrants, Naseri grew up in Aarhus, Denmark’s second largest city. At age 17, after a close neighbor died of skin cancer, she and a friend invented a new chemical compound to protect against UV radiation.  “Sara was like a whiz kid,” her Qvin co-founder Søren Therkelson tells me — “hella smart.” The product didn’t pan out, but Naseri remained driven to help people be more proactive about their health. 

Once she was in med school, it seemed like most of the training was focused on reactive care — diagnosing problems and figuring out treatments, rather than preventing them or detecting them before they got serious. How can we obtain information about our bodies early, outside the doctor’s office? Naseri recalls thinking. Since of all the bodily fluids clinicians use to monitor health, they most often turn to blood, Naseri wondered how it could be accessed more conveniently. She was in a class when it struck her: “Hold on a minute — women bleed every single month. Why has nobody looked at that?” 

Part of the reason few people had, she would soon learn, was that fellow clinicians generally thought the substance was gross. A male colleague researching feces was disgusted to discover that Naseri was interested in scrutinizing period blood. Pause on that for a moment: Even a feces researcher though menstrual blood was off-limits. “He’s not a bad person, you know,” Naseri says, “but that was just kind of the mentality.” 

She jumped on PubMed to see what had been published about the protein makeup of menstrual blood and found only one paper. “I was shocked when I realized where it was from,” Naseri says: It had been commissioned for use in criminal investigations, to help forensic scientists distinguish the blood from other fluids. Naseri flew to New York to meet with the paper’s author, Donald Siegel, a clinical assistant professor of forensic medicine and pathology at New York University, to ask him how to run a clinical trial on this understudied substance. Unlike Siegel, who focused on how menstrual blood differed from the systemic blood produced by wounds or veins, Naseri wanted to see how the substances correlated — to show that periods might offer the same intel as a trip to a phlebotomist. 

• Read Next: Period equity is expanding in Texas. Austin schools are the latest to provide free pads and tampons.

By 2014, Naseri and Therkelson, a tech entrepreneur and fellow Dane, had been matched through a tech mentorship program sponsored by Intel. As the at-home diagnostics industry began to take off (think smart watches and microbiome testing), the duo formed Qvin. 

The next year, Naseri approached Stanford’s Blumenthal, an OB-GYN professor and international public health adviser, about the idea of using periods for diagnostic purposes. (She heard that “he’ll try anything,” Blumenthal joked when I asked him what had led Naseri his way.) He helped her secure a position as a visiting student researcher at Stanford. A few years later, Naseri and Blumenthal published a study showing that many of the same biomarkers in blood drawn from veins turned up in the same levels in menstrual blood. “They were pretty much bang on,” Blumenthal explains. While the study wasn’t huge, its findings supported the idea that monitoring periods could become an alternative form of testing for major diseases.

The prospect offered tempting advantages. Most people dread pap smears, an invasive procedure involving a doctor’s visit, stirrups, a speculum, and the “sweeping” (read, painful prodding) of the cervix to harvest its cells and test them for HPV. Since menstrual blood passes through the cervix on its way out of the body, it contains some of those very cervical cells, no pap smear required — a boon especially to patients for whom past sexual trauma or disabilities make the procedure, if not impossible, a source of extreme discomfort or anxiety. Qvin says it plans to offer an HPV test for use with its Q-Pad soon. 

Since menstrual blood has also spent time in the uterus, it could be tested for cytokines, proteins that serve as chemical messengers in the immune system and can provide insight into inflammation and disease in the uterus. Testing these has traditionally involved laparoscopy or other invasive sampling. But the testing could be done on menstrual blood instead, as a small 2023 study by Blumenthal and Naseri and a few other researchers suggested.  

Key to understanding the blood’s messages was figuring out a way to collect it. For Naseri and Blumenthal’s first study, they had asked their participants — many of them Stanford students — to collect the fluid with menstrual cups. Some were uncomfortable with the device and as a result declined to participate in the study. There were additional concerns that the blood would start to degrade after being left too long in the cup, not to mention red tape involved in shipping a liquid biohazard through the mail. 

The team then turned to a time-honored menstrual blood collection device, the pad. Companies first began marketing disposable pads to Americans in the late 1800s, but the products really took off in the 1930’s and ‘40s with the help of big advertising campaigns — many of which emphasized secrecy and the need to hide periods from the public view. Naseri and Therkelsen’s earliest idea was a sophisticated menstrual pad embedded with biosensors that could test for diseases right then and there. “In the beginning, the idea of the product was to build the laboratory, tiny, into the pad,” Therkelsen explains to me during my tour of Qvin’s office in Menlo Park, California. Therkelsen, a towering blond in colorful Nikes accompanied by his two labradoodles, Cassini and Juno, pulls out an early prototype, a calculator-sized board with little silver pins on it. 

The idea of building a lab inside a pad is reminiscent of an infamous blood testing start-up, Therkelsen admits, whipping out a folder labeled “Theranos” and showing me the worn “Elizabeth Holmes” business card inside. During Qvin’s early days, he met Holmes (later convicted of fraud and sentenced to 11 years in prison), and tried to dig into her technology. In retrospect, Naseri and Therkelsen learned much more from Theranos’ mistakes. They even brought on entrepreneur Tyler Shultz — George Shultz’s grandson, the whistleblower who helped expose Theranos’ fraud — to consult on transparency and other best practices. 

After many iterations, and years of testing — with the help of a menstruating robot named Betty made with pulleys and a gently rocking bicycle seat — the team perfected a pad design that eschews circuitry for a simpler approach. The pad’s paper, for instance, dries menstrual blood upon contact, aiding with the preservation and transport of the samples. (The same dried blood spot technology is used with the heel pinprick test given to newborn babies.)

The Q-Pad hit shelves in early January. An accompanying press release promised it had the potential to slash healthcare costs; the pad could take the place of phlebotomists. Patients could soon receive reports on “key health conditions that often go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed” — including fertility, perimenopause and endometriosis.

The fine print, though, states that the Q-Pad can’t be used to diagnose any diseases; it is meant as a supplement to regular visits to the doctor. It is currently only approved in the United States for use with the A1c (average blood glucose) test. Whether it could further patients’ understanding of reproductive maladies remains to be seen. 

The Qvin team are not the only researchers looking into menstrual blood’s clinical and market potential. In 2013, a group of scientists at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health launched what is likely the longest running study of endometriosis, called the Research OutSmarts Endometriosis (ROSE) study . 

The disease is often chronically debilitating for the 5 to 10 percent of people of childbearing age who suffer from it. Many of them are unable to get pregnant. Researchers have estimated that endometriosis costs the U.S. medical system and economy as much as $119 billion a year due to treatments, lost productivity and other burdens. It’s also notoriously hard to pin down — it takes on average of four to 11 years after initial symptoms to diagnose it — longer for people of color — and an official diagnosis requires surgery, or often several. 

The ROSE study team wanted to figure out a less invasive way to detect the disease. When they compared the menstrual blood of women already diagnosed with endometriosis with a control group, they found that endometrial cells in their effluent contained fewer markers that were sensitive to the hormone progesterone; fewer uterine natural killer cells, which are also thought to play an important role in fertility; and more B cells, which are associated with chronic inflammation. “We think this gives us more of a concept of what this disease is,” study co-founder Dr. Christine Metz explains. She thinks the research will eventually lead to an FDA-approved test that could allow doctors to diagnose endometriosis without surgery. 

• Read Next: ‘It cannot be this way’: What is period poverty and how to solve it

Metz almost teamed up with Qvin, but the partnership didn’t work out. Metz thinks the blood drying paper employed by the Q-Pad doesn’t sufficiently preserve the endometrial tissue — which, in her eyes, contains “the answer to really understanding the disease.” (A Qvin spokesperson stated in an email that endometriosis “can be analyzed in a multitude of ways” and that the company maintains a library of collection devices used for different types of tests.) Metz has since partnered with another company on a different menstrual collection device, but she wouldn’t give me any more details. “We don’t want to announce something prematurely that’s going to fail,” she says. 

Metz worries that a less-than-perfect product launch by any company might inflict further damage on a field of research that has already struggled to attract support. Much of the federal funding for reproductive health research comes out of the National Institutes of Health’s arm focused on child health, which has one of the smallest pots of money in the agency, “so the funding line is just abysmal” says Clancy, the biological anthropologist and “Period” author. A 2021 analysis of NIH data showed that “the funding of research for women is not aligned with burdens of disease,” Sarah Temkin, associate director for clinical research at the agency’s Office of Research on Women’s Health, told a reporter at the journal Nature last year . For instance, between 2007 and 2014, gynecological cancer research received far less investment in proportion to its lethality than other cancers like prostate cancer (though worth noting that breast cancer receives quite a bit as well). “We can only have home runs because funding in women’s health is really low,” Metz cautions. “We can’t afford disappointments.” 

Clancy, who runs a lab studying the impact of environmental stressors on women and gender minorities, doubts there has been enough menstrual science to justify any diagnostics products hitting the market. There’s still a lot we don’t understand about the uterus and menstruation, she says. “I think we really need to take a step back and say, ‘Have we actually done the basic research to fully characterize this, to understand how it varies between people, how it varies with the environment, varies through the life course?’ Before we start saying, ‘We could measure this and get money for it.’” 

My doctor’s prediction was right. IVF was eventually successful and signing up for it is a decision I will never regret. But while I now have a son, all the trial and error yielded no new revelations about my uterus. It’s hard not to wonder: If medicine had long ago shown a bat squeak of interest in menstrual blood, how much more knowledge would we now hold about our insides and what makes them tick? 

In the future, doctors may take a different approach. Rather than waiting for problems to arise or fester, they’ll use our periods to monitor our hormonal and cellular ecosystems from a young age, picking up everything from environmental contaminants to infections, Metz predicts. “We think that the legs that menstrual effluent has are enormous.” New discoveries about the complexities of female biology are already transforming our understanding of disease, medicine, and even what it means to be human. “There’s a quiet revolution in the science of womanhood brewing,” writes “Eve” author Bohannon. “It is early days,” Naseri says. “We are just scratching the surface of what’s possible.”

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Executive dysfunction and cortical variations among intimate partner violence perpetrators and the association with sexism.

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Ángel Romero-Martínez, María Beser, Leonor Cerdá-Alberich, Fernando Aparici, Luis Martí-Bonmatí, Carolina Sarrate-Costa, Marisol Lila, Luis Moya-Albiol, Executive dysfunction and cortical variations among intimate partner violence perpetrators and the association with sexism, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience , 2024;, nsae046, https://doi.org/10.1093/scan/nsae046

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Malfunctioning in executive functioning has been proposed as a risk factor for intimate partner violence (IPV). This is not only due to its effects on behavioral regulation, but also because of its association with other variables such as sexism. Executive dysfunctions have been associated with frontal and prefrontal cortical thickness. Therefore, our first aim was to assess differences in cortical thickness in frontal and prefrontal regions, as well as levels of sexism, between two groups of IPV perpetrators (with and without executive dysfunctions) and a control group of non-violent men. Second, we analyzed whether the cortical thickness in the frontal and prefrontal regions would explain sexism scores. Our results indicate that IPV perpetrators classified as dysexecutive exhibited a lower cortical thickness in the right rostral anterior cingulate superior frontal bilaterally, caudal middle frontal bilaterally, right medial orbitofrontal, right paracentral, and precentral bilaterally when compared with controls. Furthermore, they exhibited higher levels of sexism than the rest of the groups. Most importantly, in the brain structures that distinguished between groups, lower thickness was associated with higher sexism scores. This research emphasizes the need to incorporate neuroimaging techniques to develop accurate IPV profiles or subtypes based on neuropsychological functioning.

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Horror Homeroom Special Issue #9: Body Horror

Though the term was coined in 1986, ‘body horror’ dates back to the beginnings of Gothic literature—Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818); Stevenson’s The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1886)—and extends into contemporary fiction, film, and new media. From seminal works including David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986) to contemporary zombie films and portrayals of the digital-corporeal connection, as in the Unfriended franchise and Jane Schoenbrun’s recent  I Saw the TV Glow , embodiment remains central to the horror genre. Mirroring the porousness of the body itself, the category evades compartmentalization and definition. 

This special issue will contend with horror’s bodies in all their transgressive fluidity. We are open to essays exploring any texts that could broadly be considered ‘body horror,’ including fiction, film, and new media. We also welcome a variety of theoretical approaches and disciplinary methods. Lastly, since body horror is a global phenomenon, we hope to put together an issue that makes international connections. 

Potential topics include (but are not limited to): 

medical experimentation

shape-shifting/transformation

cannibalism

identity and embodiment 

biopolitics and necropolitics 

digital bodies 

posthumanism

key directors (Cronenberg, Ducournau, Soska sisters, etc.) 

body horror and pornography 

New Extremity films 

pregnancy/reproduction

environmental impacts on the body 

the role of camp and humor

torture porn

Please send an abstract of no more than 500 words along with a brief bio to Elizabeth Erwin ( [email protected] ), Lauren Gilmore ( [email protected] ), and Dawn Keetley ( [email protected] ) by August 18, 2024. We will select essays to include in the special issue within two-three weeks and notify everyone who submitted an abstract. Completed essays, which will be limited to 2,500 words, will be due by October 14, 2024, and should be written for a general audience. We welcome all questions and inquiries! 

Horror Homeroom’s special issues consist of relatively short (2,500 word) well-researched articles that are written for general and academic audiences. They are carefully reviewed by the editors.

Proposed timeline:

Abstracts due: August 18, 2024

Acceptances out: September 2, 2024

Essays due: October 14, 2024

Selected Bibliography: 

Aldana Reyes, Xavier. 2014. Body Gothic: Corporeal Transgression in Contemporary Literature and Horror Film, University of Wales Press.

- - - . 2024. Contemporary Body Horror, forthcoming from Cambridge Elements.

Anderson, Jill E. 2023. “Her Body and Other Ghosts: Embodied Horror in the Works of Shirley Jackson and Carmen Maria Machado.” Monstrum 6 (2): 31-50.

Arnold, Sarah. 2013. Maternal Horror Film: Melodrama and Motherhood, Springer. 

Brophy, Philip. 1986. “Horrality: The Textuality of the Contemporary Horror Film.” Screen 27 (1): 2–13. 

Cruz, Ronald Allan Lopez. 2012. “Mutations and Metamorphoses: Body Horror is Biological Horror.” Journal of Popular Film and Television 40: 160–8. 

Diffrient, David Scott. 2023. Body Genre: Anatomy of the Horror Film, University Press of Mississippi.

Folio, Jessica and Holly Luhnig, eds. 2014. Body Horror and Shapeshifting: A Multidisciplinary Exploration, Inter-Disciplinary Press.

Harrington, Erin. 2018. Women, Monstrosity, and Horror Film Gynaehorror, Routledge. 

Huckvale, David. 2020. Terrors of the Flesh: The Philosophy of Body Horror in Film, McFarland.

Wasson, Sara. 2020. Transplantation Gothic: Tissue Transfers in Literature, Film, and Medicine, Manchester University Press. 

Wald, Priscilla. 2008. Contagious: Cultures, Carriers and the Outbreak Narrative, Duke University Press. 

Williams, Linda. 1991. “Film Bodies: Gender, Genre, and Excess.” Film Quarterly 44 (4): 2–13.

84 Gender Issues Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

🏆 best gender issues topic ideas & essay examples, 👍 good essay topics on gender issues, ❓ essay questions about gender and sexuality.

• Gender Issues: Femininity and Masculinity Depiction of the Portuguese visitors to Benin by artist in the 16th century clearly emphasizes on that exclusion of women and the embrace of masculinity.
• Gender-Based Violence in India: Issues and Solutions According to the pioneers of the campaign, every person can embrace the best practices in order to deal with gender-based violence.
• Gender Issues: Education and Feminism These experiences in many times strongly affects the individual’s understanding, reasoning, action about the particular issue in contention In this work two issues of great influence and relevance to our societies are discussed.
• Gender Issues in the New Testament However, such attempts in the church are met with resistance and even use of the Bible verses to disapprove of women’s role in the leadership. The modern church needs to be progressive and allow women […]
• Gender Issues in Eastern Religions Coontz discusses these issues from the context of economic status of the American women and their limited role in society at the time.
• The Issue of Transgender in Sporting Activities Transgender women’s increased body strength and mass make it unfair for them to compete with cisgender women in the same sporting categories. The IOC sets the recommended testosterone level for transgender women to participate in […]
• Gender Issue in Choosing and Hiring Candidates in the Healthcare Organization The issue of gender may therefore be a good consideration in hiring candidates to fill certain vacancies in the healthcare organizations.
• Issues Surrounding Gender Inequality in the Workplace The main objective of the constructionist point of view is that it is aimed at uncovering how the individuals and the groups tend to participate in the creation of their perceptions of gender and women […]
• Gender Inequality as a Global Issue This essay will examine some of the causes that affect the gap in the treatment of men and women, and its ramifications, particularly regarding developing countries.
• Comparing Liberation Discourses: Women’s and Gay/Lesbian Movements in the US and Latin America One of the major similarities between the liberation of women and gay/lesbian movements was the desire to change people’s mindsets.
• The Issue of Gender Inequality Reflection Unfortunately, in the opinion of many, inequality in their treatment is even more pronounced, forming a third group from such persons in addition to binary people and positioning them at the end of the list.
• Issues of Sex and Gender in Society Today: Equal Pay Over time, laws in the form of the Equal Rights Act of 1963, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the Discrimination in Hiring Act of 1967 came into being.
• Crimes and Victimization: Gender Issues Generally, a common way to perceive the dynamic between men and women in the context of crime and deviance underestimates women’s capacity to be self-sufficient and expects to see the predator-prey relationships between the genders.
• The Issue of Gender Inequality After Covid-19 To date, the role of women in society has increased many times over, both in the economic, social, and political spheres of public life.
• American Movies: Racial and Gender Issues Peel corrects for the Obama era and takes the situation to the point of absurdity – Rose’s parents and their friends, elderly rich whites, go out of their way to show their openness. The film’s […]
• Gender Gap Issues: Case Study This area of the analysis will draw on experiences related to the use of the transformative leadership style in promoting reform in the education sector and the role that educational leadership plays in influencing its […]
• Gender Issues in the Law and Order Arena This is therefore an analysis of the gender issues that affect the service providers and especially of the female gender during their duty of service in the law and order arena by critically looking at […]
• Supporting Female Victims of Domestic Violence and Abuse: NGO Establishment The presence of such a model continues to transform lives and make it easier for more women to support and provide basic education to their children.
• Gender Issue in Büchner’s Woyzeck One of the reasons supporting this claim is the choice and use of characters in this play. The author uses a male to be the main character in the play.
• Gender and Racial Issues as Portrayed by P. Mcintosh and S. Farough Despite acknowledging the fact that the white males also experience some of the things that the others do, he blames society for failing to eradicate the default existence of racial and gender superiority.
• Gender Issues in International Relations So the practices and protection of human rights depend largely upon the type of political system in place and the willingness of the people to support that political system.
• Women in Developing Countries: Globalization, Liberalization, and Gender Equality Owing to issues of gender, the voices of women in developing countries are never heard when it comes to the creation of trade agreements and policies or in their negotiations.
• Gender Issues of Equality and Representation in the K-12 Education System This paper examines the gender issues of equality and representation in the K-12 education system and gives out the major findings based on the observed trends from the structured study of literature in the area.
• Women Labour: Gender Inequality Issues Sexual category or gender is an ingredient of the wider socio-cultural framework that encompasses the societal attributes and opportunities connected with individual male and female and the conduit between women and men and girls and […]
• Sexuality and Gender Issues: One and the Same? People and media often state that sex and gender are the same issues and that a person can be identified as either male or female.
• Institutions and Gender Discrimination Issues In addition, parents buy clothes and toys that reflect gender issues in society and this contributes to the development of gendered stereotypes.
• Sociology Issues: Language, Culture and Gender Sociology is, understandably enough, rendered as a study of society, i.e, the analysis of the links between the members of a society, the roles and functions of these members, and the relationships between them.
• Diversity Organizations and Gender Issues in the US A lot has changed with regard to the status of women in the United States in the recent past. In the past, GLBT people had no say in society and in other parts of the […]
• Gender Equality Issues in the Workplace Environment Hence, the gathering of information to validate the allegations is central to the resolution of the gender issue in the case study.
• Gender Equality: Plan to Address the Issue The vice president of administration and finance should use a powerful plan to address the issues affecting the institution. To begin with, I will use a powerful plan to address the issues affecting different female […]
• Gender Issues and Sexuality: Social Perspective and Distinction It is rather interesting to note that society today has such a well-established preconception regarding genders that when presented with alternatives to such established norms the result has been subject to confusion, disdain, at times […]
• Pressing Issues in Femininity: Gender and Racism When speaking of the current issues in femininity, women are not reduced to their roles of housewives to the extent to which they used to be.
• Gender and Bullying Issues in Nursing A lack of tolerance for workplace harassment and bullying is likely to lead to the deterioration of the situation and further misunderstanding and tension in an organization.
• Race, Gender, and Sexuality Issues in Sports On balance, it is possible to note that the world of sports can be characterized by such features as white and masculine dominance.
• Hormone Therapy: Human Sexuality and Gender Issues For as long as we have reasons to suspect the opposite, I suggest prior evaluation as a necessary element of hormone therapy access.
• Gender and Leadership Issues in Education The specified step will require the use of a different leadership strategy; particularly, the adoption of the transformative approach that will help alter the behavioral patterns of the learners should be suggested.
• Gender Issues in the School Environment Studies show that the school does not convene the needs of a child in the way that is expected because of the narrower understanding of the terms masculinity and femininity.
• Japanese Geisha and Gender Identity Issues The paper notes that geisha women/girls pamper male egos and thus play a role in upholding the status quo where the male gender is perceived as stronger than the female gender.
• Gender, Race and Class Issues in Education Learning process functions in a dynamic but systematic process that is greatly influenced by the main objective, sub objectives, and the environment in which learners are subjected to in the process of knowledge acquisition.
• Racial and Gender Issues in the USA Only the events of the first half of the 20th century were able to change this image; however, it still exists, and unconsciously some people adhere to the ideas of the past.
• Gender, Age and Racial Inequality Issues Despite a significant progress of developed European countries in that sphere, the childcare in the U.S.is considered more of a woman matter, thus a mother ends up having two jobs: first, the one where she […]
• Gender Equality and Globalization’ Issues Since the world policies adopt a new progressive direction, the idea of gender equality enters the category of the ultimate Millennium development goals.
• Gender Issues in the Movie “The Accused” by J. Kaplan Diffusion of responsibility could be used to explain his action in that Kurt’s action was as a result of the negative influence by his male counterparts who shouted to him that he holds Sarah down, […]
• Gender Equity Issues in Work Practices The best way to proceed with the gathering of information is to arrange for individual discussions with members of the leadership team to discuss the allegations and core issues and values involved.
• Social Issues: Gender Segregation The Code recognizes the “inherent dignity and worth of every person and to provide for equal rights and opportunities without discrimination”.
• Gender Discrimination in the Workplace: Resolving Glass Ceiling Issue The enactment of this proposed policy will not only address the issue of women discrimination in organisations, but also in the top management positions. The implementation of this proposed government policy will require all the […]
• Addressing Issues of Gender and Sexuality Men have dominated issues of leadership and this has lead to wide gender gap between men and women in the society.
• Gender Issue and the Feminist Movement Nevertheless, the peculiarities of the relations between heterosexual parents and the division of their roles in families can influence greatly the child’s perception of the gender roles in the future.
• Gender Issues and the Term “Queer” In the case where performativity is linked to the discourses ability to produce the named then power assumes the role of discourse in the performative domain.
• Gender Issues and Post-Colonialist Mood in Supernova Dewi, however, does not interpret the given statement as the fact that knowledge is the source of power and power is the source of knowledge. The depth and palette of emotions that a single phrase […]
• Inequality as a Gender Issue in the Workplace However, at the turn of the 20th century there was a rapid wave of social change that began to recognize and appreciate the role of a woman as an equal contributor to society, therefore, women […]
• Addressing Gender-based Issues at the Work Place In order to successfully supervise across the gender divide in the work place, the supervisors in any organization should put the gender disparities into consideration.
• Gender Issues and Feminist Movement There are much irony and repetition in Brady’s essay the author tries to resemble the style of a small child speaking about his wife and a family to compare his cognition and considerations with the […]
• Analysis of Gender Issues in the Media The message in the advertisement simply showed that women are able to control men by using their bodies in a certain way.
• Modern Gender Issues: Women in the Society The critique of women’s position in society and culture goes back to the writings of Mary Wollonstonecraft in a publication entitled ‘a vindication of the rights of women, Stuart Mill “the subjugation of women” and […]
• Why Is Gender an Important Issue?
• What Are Gender Issues in Education?
• What Are Some Gender Issues in the Workplace?
• How Does Gender Role Affect Society?
• What Causes Gender Roles to Change?
• Why Are Gender Roles So Important?
• What Causes Gender Roles in Society?
• When Did Gender Become an Issue?
• What Is the Connection of Gender Issues With the Past and Present?
• How Are Culture and Gender Issues Related to Education?
• How Media Presents Gender and Gender Issues?
• How Post War Countries Continue to Face Gender Issues?
• How Does Gender Affect Public Relations Income?
• What Are the Gender Issues in Online Gaming?
• What Makes a Gender Identity?
• When Was Gender Created?
• How Does Gender Affect Health?
• What Is Called Gender Bias?
• What Is Gender Sensitivity?
• What Factors Affects Gender Identity?
• Why Is Gender Important in Society?
• What Are the Benefits of Gender?
• Why Does Gender Balance Matter?
• How Can We Reduce Gender Discrimination?
• What Is the Role of Gender in Socialization?
• What Is the Role of Gender Stereotyping?
• What Are the Triple Roles of Gender?
• Feminism Questions
• Gender Equality Questions
• Women’s Rights Titles
• Bisexual Essay Titles
• Gender Inequality Research Topics
• Bullying Research Topics
• Civil Rights Movement Questions
• Dress Code Ideas
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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Getting Real About Reality TV in ‘Cue the Sun!’

Rather than bemoan pop culture’s most divisive genre, Emily Nussbaum spends time with the creators, the stars and the victims of the decades-long effort to generate buzz.

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Eric Deggans is the TV critic for National Public Radio and the author of “Race-Baiter: How the Media Wields Dangerous Words to Divide a Nation.”

• June 26, 2024
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CUE THE SUN! The Invention of Reality TV , by Emily Nussbaum

There are times when Emily Nussbaum’s passionate, exquisitely told origin story, “Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV,” feels like something of a Trojan horse.

Her expansive analysis begins with a simple proposition: an argument for why a genre that includes series like “The Dating Game” and “Alien Autopsy” deserves a book-length history in the first place.

For Nussbaum, industry terms like “unscripted series” don’t quite encompass all the pop culture ground these shows negotiate. Instead, she settles on the phrase “dirty documentary” to cover a wide swath, describing a history that kicks off with the pioneering prank show “Candid Camera” in the 1940s, progresses to irreverent TV series like “The Gong Show” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos,” and eventually explodes into modern TV megahits like “Survivor,” “Big Brother” and “The Bachelor.”

With muscular prose and an exacting eye for detail, Nussbaum, a staff writer for The New Yorker, outlines how such shows united high and low art into a potent concoction, ranging from “celebreality” soap opera to grand social experiments that explore romance, competition and ethics. Their secret sauce: placing people in contrived situations to spark entertaining, telegenic, revelatory behavior — often through conflict or embarrassment.

“It’s cinéma vérité filmmaking that has been cut with commercial contaminants, like a street drug, in order to slash the price and intensify the effect,” Nussbaum writes. The result is “a powerful glimpse of human vulnerability, breaking taboos about what you were allowed to say or see.”

The book culminates in one of America’s most persistent rule breakers, Donald Trump, documenting how the creator and executive producer Mark Burnett built NBC’s “The Apprentice” into a success that burnished the reputation of the playboy tycoon, resulting in “the most sinister outcome.”

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• Ray Kurzweil on how AI will transform the physical world

The changes will be particularly profound in energy, manufacturing and medicine, says the futurist

B Y THE TIME children born today are in kindergarten, artificial intelligence ( AI ) will probably have surpassed humans at all cognitive tasks, from science to creativity. When I first predicted in 1999 that we would have such artificial general intelligence ( AGI ) by 2029, most experts thought I’d switched to writing fiction. But since the spectacular breakthroughs of the past few years, many experts think we will have AGI even sooner—so I’ve technically gone from being an optimist to a pessimist, without changing my prediction at all.

After working in the field for 61 years—longer than anyone else alive—I am gratified to see AI at the heart of global conversation. Yet most commentary misses how large language models like Chat GPT and Gemini fit into an even larger story. AI is about to make the leap from revolutionising just the digital world to transforming the physical world as well. This will bring countless benefits, but three areas have especially profound implications: energy, manufacturing and medicine.

Sources of energy are among civilisation’s most fundamental resources. For two centuries the world has needed dirty, non-renewable fossil fuels. Yet harvesting just 0.01% of the sunlight the Earth receives would cover all human energy consumption. Since 1975, solar cells have become 99.7% cheaper per watt of capacity, allowing worldwide capacity to increase by around 2m times. So why doesn’t solar energy dominate yet?

The problem is two-fold. First, photovoltaic materials remain too expensive and inefficient to replace coal and gas completely. Second, because solar generation varies on both diurnal (day/night) and annual (summer/winter) scales, huge amounts of energy need to be stored until needed—and today’s battery technology isn’t quite cost-effective enough. The laws of physics suggest that massive improvements are possible, but the range of chemical possibilities to explore is so enormous that scientists have made achingly slow progress.

By contrast, AI can rapidly sift through billions of chemistries in simulation, and is already driving innovations in both photovoltaics and batteries. This is poised to accelerate dramatically. In all of history until November 2023, humans had discovered about 20,000 stable inorganic compounds for use across all technologies. Then, Google’s GN o ME AI discovered far more, increasing that figure overnight to 421,000. Yet this barely scratches the surface of materials-science applications. Once vastly smarter AGI finds fully optimal materials, photovoltaic megaprojects will become viable and solar energy can be so abundant as to be almost free.

Energy abundance enables another revolution: in manufacturing. The costs of almost all goods—from food and clothing to electronics and cars—come largely from a few common factors such as energy, labour (including cognitive labour like R & D and design) and raw materials. AI is on course to vastly lower all these costs.

After cheap, abundant solar energy, the next component is human labour, which is often backbreaking and dangerous. AI is making big strides in robotics that can greatly reduce labour costs. Robotics will also reduce raw-material extraction costs, and AI is finding ways to replace expensive rare-earth elements with common ones like zirconium, silicon and carbon-based graphene. Together, this means that most kinds of goods will become amazingly cheap and abundant.

These advanced manufacturing capabilities will allow the price-performance of computing to maintain the exponential trajectory of the past century—a 75-quadrillion-fold improvement since 1939. This is due to a feedback loop: today’s cutting-edge AI chips are used to optimise designs for next-generation chips. In terms of calculations per second per constant dollar, the best hardware available last November could do 48bn. Nvidia’s new B 200 GPU s exceed 500bn.

As we build the titanic computing power needed to simulate biology, we’ll unlock the third physical revolution from AI : medicine. Despite 200 years of dramatic progress, our understanding of the human body is still built on messy approximations that are usually mostly right for most patients, but probably aren’t totally right for you . Tens of thousands of Americans a year die from reactions to drugs that studies said should help them.

Yet AI is starting to turn medicine into an exact science. Instead of painstaking trial-and-error in an experimental lab, molecular biosimulation—precise computer modelling that aids the study of the human body and how drugs work—can quickly assess billions of options to find the most promising medicines. Last summer the first drug designed end-to-end by AI entered phase-2 trials for treating idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a lung disease. Dozens of other AI -designed drugs are now entering trials.

Both the drug-discovery and trial pipelines will be supercharged as simulations incorporate the immensely richer data that AI makes possible. In all of history until 2022, science had determined the shapes of around 190,000 proteins. That year DeepMind’s AlphaFold 2 discovered over 200m, which have been released free of charge to researchers to help develop new treatments.

Much more laboratory research is needed to populate larger simulations accurately, but the roadmap is clear. Next, AI will simulate protein complexes, then organelles, cells, tissues, organs and—eventually—the whole body.

This will ultimately replace today’s clinical trials, which are expensive, risky, slow and statistically underpowered. Even in a phase-3 trial, there’s probably not one single subject who matches you on every relevant factor of genetics, lifestyle, comorbidities, drug interactions and disease variation.

Digital trials will let us tailor medicines to each individual patient. The potential is breathtaking: to cure not just diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s, but the harmful effects of ageing itself.

Today, scientific progress gives the average American or Briton an extra six to seven weeks of life expectancy each year. When AGI gives us full mastery over cellular biology, these gains will sharply accelerate. Once annual increases in life expectancy reach 12 months, we’ll achieve “longevity escape velocity”. For people diligent about healthy habits and using new therapies, I believe this will happen between 2029 and 2035—at which point ageing will not increase their annual chance of dying. And thanks to exponential price-performance improvement in computing, AI -driven therapies that are expensive at first will quickly become widely available.

This is AI ’s most transformative promise: longer, healthier lives unbounded by the scarcity and frailty that have limited humanity since its beginnings. ■

Ray Kurzweil is a computer scientist, inventor and the author of books including “The Age of Intelligent Machines” (1990), “The Age of Spiritual Machines” (1999) and “The Singularity is Near” (2005). His new book, “The Singularity is Nearer: When We Merge with AI”, will be published on June 25th.

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