Page 195 - Microaggressions in Everyday Live Race, Gender, and Sexual Orientation

Gender Microaggressions 169

unable to fend on their own. His behavior and the hidden message contain
the characteristics of a gender microaggression: unconscious sexism, good
intentions, but ultimately power and control over the female passenger.

GENDER MICROAGGRESSIONS

In today ’ s societal climate, it is not politically correct to hold overtly sexist
attitudes or engage in obvious discriminatory actions toward women because
it is at odds with beliefs of equality (Capodilupo et al., in press; Nadal, Rivera, &
Corpus, in press). To be accused of being a sexist or of holding sex - role stereo-
types toward women is to be considered unenlightened and a bigot. The strong
social sanctions against sexism have changed its face and it has morphed into
a more ambiguous, subtle, and invisible form. Like racial microaggressions,
gender microaggressions may be manifested in three forms: microassaults,
microinsults, and microinvalidations (Sue & Capodilupo, 2008).
Gender microassaults are most similar to individual manifestations of
old - fashioned sexism: being called a sexist name, a man refusing to wash
dishes because it is “ woman ’ s work, ” displaying nude pin - ups of women
at places of employment, men making unwanted sexual advances toward
women, sexual harassment, and forced sexual intercourse are examples of
gender microassaults. There is usually recourse in dealing with overt forms
of sexism because they are more easily recognized and condemned. Gender
microassaults may be legally actionable; they may be considered forms of
sexual harassment and of creating a hostile work climate or environment
(Hinton, 2004; Rowe, 1990).
The more insidious and difficult types of gender microaggressions, such as

microinsults and microinvalidations, are less obvious, subtle, and often not
recognized by both perpetrator and target (Sue & Capodilupo, 2008). It is their
invisibility that makes them so powerful and potentially lethal. Taxonomies of
gender microaggressions were first proposed by Sue and Capodilupo (2008),

and later researched and refined into their actual thematic manifestations
(Capodilupo et al., in press; Nadal et al., in press). Several microaggressive
themes have been identified through research and scholarly reviews:

Sexual Objectification, Second - Class Citizenship, Use of Sexist Language,
Assumptions of Inferiority, Denial of the Reality of Sexism, Traditional Gender
Role Assumptions, Invisibility, Denial of Individual Sexism, and Sexist Jokes.

1. Sexual Objectifi cation — The process of perceiving the female body as
an object for the pleasure and psychological ownership of others, primarily

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