Sexism

Categorism focused on a categorization of gender. Includes targeting foci such as misogyny and transphobia. (In Swedish: sexism)

Note that while the term sexism is gender neutral (and is here used about all levels of categorism, many use it exclusively about misogyny and also exclusively about the structural level.

Interactions

Sexism expressed through facets of categorism such as...

• Collective Guilt: A heterosexual person (of either gender) blaming their traumatic experiences with individuals of the opposite gender on everyone of that gender, making the assumption that complete strangers are guilty of for example how they felt an ex treated them.
• Demonization: Talking about one gender or another as being immoral, driven by selfishness and dark emotions.
• Stigmatization of women and Denial of Agency of men: The idea that a man would somehow be unable to control himself when he's sexually attracted to a woman, thus making male-on-female rape the woman's responsibility. Note that while this attitude is extremely misogynistic as well as very misandrist as well, it is so in very different ways: Violence against women and Infantilization against men.

Examples of Expression

• Allegedly Self-Evident Incompetence: A new engineer is hired at a company where almost all engineers are male. When the new engineer turns out to be female, several co-workers takes for granted that she's obviously incompetent – and thus act as if there's no reason to give her any fair chance to prove herself. They never admit, perhaps not even to themselves, that her gender is the factor which make them regard her as self-evidently incompetent.

• Category agency: Assuming that all women want the same things, simply for being women. Also, giving individual contemporary women blame for historical developments (or mythological narratives) that happened (or was supposed to happen) before they were even born, based on them having the same gender as a significant character in that particular story. For example, blaming contemporary women for the story of Eve giving a certain apple to Adam. Or vice versa: Assuming that all men want the same things, simply for being men, and giving individual contemporary men blame for historical developments (or mythological narratives) that happened (or was supposed to happen) before they were even born.

• Category original sin: Arguing that all women are more sinful and less valuable than any man, based on a notion that Eve would have been more to blame than Adam for the two of them eating the forbidden fruit. Or that all men are more sinful and less valuable than any woman, based on a notion that "the man" created patriarchy.

• Conspirationalism: When a man reads a comic book, it's because he likes that comic book. And when he goes to a comic book convention, it's because he likes to hang out with people there, check out some new comics, and support the comic book industry. But when a woman reads a comic book or goes to a comic book convention, it must be a part of some sinister plot to "infiltrate" geek subculture.

• Dehumanization: Talking about human traits such as logic and reason as if they were exclusively male traits, as if women were pet animals rather than fellow human beings, or vice versa.

• Demonization: Talking about one gender or another as being immoral, driven by selfishness and dark emotions.

Sexism in example texts

• A frivolous arrest: The woman is most likely targeted for (although not only for) her gender. The copcaller as well as the cops are somewhat likely to have negative stereotypes about women in general.