The notion that a woman cant be sexist?

[HillsnSpills]

I hear some feminists state that a woman can't be sexist? Where does this idea come from, and is this a widely held view?

And not all men want to be cabinet ministers, in the same way that not all women want to be nursery workers. If you only talk about men or women 'as a group' nothing can ever change.

I guess I think of sexism as being on an individual level - and at that level it can hurt both men and women. But mysogyny is the big bastard that really hurts women, and there isn't a male equivalent of that no matter what MRA might tell us.

I use the term 'patriarchy hurts men too' which is common usage for lots of feminists but plenty of people aren't familiar with it.

It means a combination of 'some men spoil it for other men + the manifestations of male privilege don't always work to all men's advantage'.

it is not the same thing, a barrier to a low status job, however deeply held this ambition or vocation is, is not the same as women being barred from positions of power, subject to violence, experiencing greater poverty and everything else that goes with Actual Sexism

how can it be the same thing? am not defending it, and think it would be helpful all round for all those men who desperately want to work with children to face fewer obstacles, just don't think it compares. And if men really wanted those jobs, they would do them.

Orm - that is the distinction made in the link I gave above.

Just the terminology is different - it comes down to the same thing though.

"If a man was refused a job in a childcare setting, inspite of being eminently qualified and experienced for the role, because some people think men shouldn't change nappies or plaster scraped knees, that's sexism and will damage that man IMO."

Of course it will damage that man on an individual level. But it won't damage men on a group level, it won't take away their power versus women, their social status versus women, their free time versus women and their safety versus women.

It is horrible for that individual man. But it is a horror inflicted by patriarchy; the reason the notion that men are not suited to look after children, comes from the patriarchal construction of masculinity and feminists are the people who are most vocal and committed to changing that. Men who want to get childminding jobs and women who want to support men to do that, should therefore line up with feminists.

I agree it's a legacy of the patriarchy. It doesn't mean it isn't sexism and it doesn't mean women can't be guilty of it. I have always agreed that patriarchy creates male and female victims - mpre female than male undoubtedly, but freeing women also frees men, and vice versa.

"Men who want to get childminding jobs and women who want to support men to do that, should therefore line up with feminists" Yes.

I've never heard a feminist say that, and I've spent quite a lot of time on feminist forums. So I don't think it's a widely held view.