Is having a single sex event, or venue - Sexist?

Question

This seems to come up a fair bit in this category, whether its a march, a womans night, a fitness gym or whatever.

One one level, anything which excludes on the basis of gender seems fundamentally sexist, yet on the other numerous special interest groups exist which have events and meeting place that exclude on one basis or another.

Would anyone complain that men only changing rooms are sexist?

Would anyone complain the a political convention was solely open to its members?

Under what circumstances is excluding men from a womens march, or women from a men only gym, sexist?

And in the west, where anyone can open a gym, or convene a march, isn't it right that people can invite who they want to their own functions?

(inspired by http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AiliabXvZn2Le4RUcYyz8SoYxgt.;_ylv=3?qid=20080306042437AAjul63)

Answer 1

Actually, I don't think a single sex event or venue is automatically sexist, although I know that is how the law tends to interpret it in some cases.



To my mind there are some good reasons for people of the same sex, ethnicity, cultural background and etc to want to get together, share what they have in common, celebrate it and continue the bond that being alike can generate.



Where it is wrong, and sexist, is when it is used to deliberately exclude people who are 'different' from the special privileges of membership.



When I was a kid, my father was refused entry to a local golf club because of his racial background. He didn't play golf so on that level it wasn't a bother to him. But, in the small country town we lived in, that was the main place businessmen met for the networking and semi-social activities which grease the wheels of commerce to a very great extent.



After Dad was publicly refused entry (despite going there as the invited guest of a member), he began to realise why he found it hard for his goods and products to compete in our town ~ the deals were already stitched up in Friday night drinks at 'the club'.



It is that sort of discrimination and exclusionism that forced women, people of colour and the lgbt community to push against the doors of clubs and organisations which presented as harmless 'social' groups, but were actually the places those in power went to avoid having to share with others.



Today, businesswomen and business people of colour are welcome at Rotary, and men are happy members of the Country Women's Association. But it wasn't always so.



The difficulty for the law comes in deciding which bastions of greedy privilege are just that, and which are simply organisations for the sharing of common bonds.



Because there's no real formula to help the law decide, it usually comes down to a simplistic case by case "unfair unless it's open to all" basis.



Most of us would realise that in reality that is not always the case (as some of your examples show), but for those who are somewhat obsessed with the idea that everyone else is somehow getting a better deal than them, the easy targets are always useful.



I'd like to see those type of individuals storm the barricades of the Swiss Bankers' Association, but then they won't try anything too hard, when they can just get their jollies by tormenting some local women or kids, instead.



Cheers :-)

Answer 2

Your link has been deleted so the source of your inspiration was lost ,if a woman did this is this sexist.?



As with everything there are plenty of Grey areas.

depending on the society you dwell in.



In Europe are plenty of mixed saunas ,and in France in many bars or restaurants,is no special ladies toilet .



Every one uses the same one .(just like at home)



Can an effeminate gay person go to a womans meeting

,if not ,

is this sexist??



or can a butch lesbian go into a mens bar.?



The rules are always made by the people who run the occasions .



As it says above the door, rights of admission reserved to the discretion of the proprietor.



People that are bashed in one place, are welcome in others



So i guess until you get there,

you will not know if they will let you into the womans lockers at the gym,



what have you got to loose,

go and find out.

Answer 3

The way I see it, it depends entirely on how the event/venue/etc. is funded. If it's a private business, or if it's an event that a private citizen is holding, then they have a right to be as discriminatory as they want, based on any criteria. Are human beings allowed to keep other humans out of our houses for extremely petty and prejudiced reasons? Yes we are, and that should extend to the businesses or events that private citizens fund as well.



However, if it is something funded by the general public, then I don't think it's fair to exclude anyone for any trait that they have no control over. I.e. men should not have to pay tuition to fund a gym that only women can use (if there is not another equal gym just for men), and vice versa. White people should not have to pay tax dollars to fund a scholarship program that caters solely to African Americans or other minorities, unless there is also an equivalent publicly-funded scholarship program for whites. Etc., etc.



So, that's how I feel about it. Be as racist/sexist/classist as you want if it's YOUR business, or YOUR event, but if it's something that is publicly funded, then using race, sex, class, etc., as a basis for excluding people is completely inappropriate.

Answer 4

Funnily enough the female-only events/clubs etc are seen as acceptable if not laudable, yet any the male-only stuff is Evidence of The Patriarchy. In fact in the UK feminists have campaigned very successfully against men's clubs whilst expanding women's clubs and events as if it were a virtue. Why don't people see the hypocrisy of this?



Sex-segregated toilets etc are ok and there to protect privacy, but can you imagine if feminists insisted on women-only toilets, but also insisted that women they can use men's toilets too, but not vica versa? Come to think of it, its not unusual to see women use the men's toilets in the UK, but I know of a case where a guy got injured by bouncers for using the ladies toilet - a lesson in gender equality.



Btw Here is an example of an event where even a card-carrying feminist of the male persuasion was asked to leave http://www.rense.com/general63/dur.htm

This celebration of misandry happened at the University of New Hampshire only 3 years ago, just in case anyone tries to dismiss it as radicalism of a kind that doesn't exist anymore.

Answer 5

i think you have to look at each venue or event to determine whether or not it's sexist.

to exclude men from a gym if there is an all male or unisex alternative is not sexist. to exclude women from a company club would be sexist because there is no equally valuable alternative. how else is she to rub elbows with the men who might hold her future in their hands? it's only been recently that women have been allowed to attend classes and officer training at west point. since there is no equally regarded alternative it was sexist to prevent women from attending. here in the states we have boy scouts and then we have girl scouts. separate but equal, right? i hope i'm making sense. i don't know why feminist women would exclude feminist men from a rally. that does seem sexist.

Answer 6

Sexism

1 : prejudice or discrimination based on sex; especially : discrimination against women

2: behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sexism



from WordWeb:

Adjective: sexist seksist

Discriminatory on the basis of sex (usually said of men's attitude toward women)

Noun: sexist seksist

A man with a chauvinistic belief in the inferiority of women

- male chauvinist



There you have it... even the dictionary definition of sexism is itself sexist!



So yes, single-sex events are sexist in nature, due to the fact that they "discriminate" based on a person's genitalia.



Is it wrong to hold single sex events? That is a different question.

Answer 7

Because we've got different private parts and hormones.

That's why.



How is it sexiest? I thought it privacy and protection of other genders bodies. Who feels comfortable changing and going to the washroom with another sex? I don't, guys can be creeps, I don't need a peeking tom at my gym.

Answer 8

In this country it seems to be OK to hold female only events or female only schools, but if it is male only then it is considered sexist.

Answer 9

Absolutely.

Answer 10

Why was it sexist to have male only golf clubs then?

Answer 11

Sometimes. Depends on what support they are looking for and their goals.

Answer 12

if you ask me no