Has sexism disappeared? Or has it just become more discrete?

Blog written by Guzal Akbar, Youth Community Animator – TERT, BCS.

Has sexism disappeared? Or has it just become more discrete?

I didn’t know how common sexism in today’s society is, until it happened to me.

The mistreatment I received solely based on gender when working at my first job at Superstore was a rude awakening of how gender roles have continued to be reinforced against women.

My male colleague was seen as a “better worker” simply because he was a man, and my higher ups believed he was capable of getting more work done than I was although I had years of seniority compared to him. After calling my union and explaining the situation, my hours were cut and my male coworker was continued to be prioritised. Prior to calling the union, I was continuously mistreated and been made fun of for “being a girl who works in produce”.

I had always thought sexism was a problem that mainly existed in the past. It wasn’t until my personal experience with sexism that I realised sexism has continued to thrive for decades. Society has just gotten better at hiding their sexism.

Here at Together End Racism Toronto (TERT), we recognize the importance in spreading awareness about discriminatory and how privilege in the workplace can significantly impact one’s mental health.

Help us spread awareness about discrimination within society in order to combat the hidden sexism that exists in Canadian society today. Tag your personal experiences to make your voices heard by using #TERTSEXISM

If you have any feedback about this blog or would like to contact the TERT campaign, please email us at YouthResilient@bangladeshi.ca. Thank you!