I would first like to start by saying that I am a girl, and yes, I do realize that sexism is a real thing. I do, however, feel that sexism is blown far out of proportion in certain scenarios. While I am sure that extreme feminists would disagree with me very strongly, I would like to make the point that I do believe in equal opportunity. I do not ask for you to agree with me, but to at least hear me out.

“Sexist” is an extremely overused term in my opinion. Just because something does not seem fair or equal between men and women, does not automatically mean that it’s a “sexist” situation. For example, a man may be given a job or promoted over a woman just because they are more deserving of the job. They may be more qualified than the woman, even if the woman appears to work as hard as, or harder than the man. It isn’t fair when people assume that because the man was chosen over the woman, the employer is sexist. I understand that sometimes the employer is sexist, but this is not always the case; it seems that feminists tend to jump to conclusions before they know all the facts of the situation. Yes, I do believe everyone should get equal opportunity. However, I do not think men and women should get equal pay if one party does not deserve it. I think pay should be determined by how hard you work and how competent you are at your job. It’s not sexist for a man to get paid more than a woman if he’s better at his job. I feel like women should not be advanced in the workplace just for the sake of it; women must be deserving of the promotion to receive it.

Another situation in which “sexism” happens is in sports. Yes, I do agree that girls should be allowed to try out and be given a fair chance to play football or other male-dominated sports, but the girl needs to be qualified to make the team, just as the guys do. A girl should not be put on a football team just for the sake of having a girl on the football team. Tackle football is a male-dominated sport for a reason: you have to be strong enough to tackle or push through the big guys that are playing. I am all for girls playing football, but only if they are good enough.

I would finally like to press the matter that sexism is a two-way street, not one. Men are on the receiving end of sexism too. It may not be as extreme as what women feel that they receive, but I am not a guy, so I can not speak for what sexism they experience. However, I do know that it happens and feminists act as though only women experience sexism.

I urge others to see my point on this. Some feminists seem to think that any sort of “inequality” between men and women is sexist. It isn’t. Yes, sexism is real, but keep in mind that it is a two-way street.