Sexism, the insidious belief in the superiority or inferiority of individuals based solely on their gender, has persisted throughout history, infiltrating various aspects of society. From workplaces to homes, classrooms to courtrooms, its effects are pervasive and profound. Countless voices, both past and present, have spoken out against sexism, challenging its discriminatory ideologies and advocating for gender equality.
Throughout the ages, luminaries ranging from activists and philosophers to writers and politicians have eloquently expressed their disdain for sexism, shedding light on its damaging consequences and urging for societal change. Their words serve as powerful reminders of the ongoing struggle for gender equality and the importance of dismantling patriarchal systems that perpetuate discrimination.
On this page, we gather a collection of insightful and thought-provoking sexism quotes from a diverse array of sources. These quotes serve as a testament to the resilience of those who have fought against sexism and inspire us to continue striving for a world where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their gender. Scroll down to discover these compelling quotes and consider how you might amplify their message in your own way.
It’s something that can get overwhelming and frustrating, the sexism I experience in my career. It’s just obviously a big issue in women’s sport, like salaries, media coverage, just general things that you have to cope with in your career. Lizzie Armitstead
In some instances, a gender imbalance is indeed a manifestation of sexism. In others, it is not. Gad Saad
Kamasutra shaped my career in every possible way. It enhanced the whole sexism quotient that I had come with. It made me famous and infamous. Pooja Bedi
I’m beginning to think I have two years encountering sexism without really realising it. Kristin Hersh
You know that band that are all over ‘Melody Maker,’ Huggy Bear, they’re just a load of crap, right? Riot grrrl group – y’know, it’s all sexism and stuff, women standing up for their rights: ‘This girl said this at the gig off the stage.’ It’s nothing got to do with music. They’re probably untalented gits when it comes to the crunch. Dolores O’Riordan
Hearing the Beastie Boys speak out against sexism made me feel like if these men who had once sung about getting girls to ‘do the laundry’ and ‘clean up my room’ could understand, maybe the rest of the world would follow suit. It made me hopeful in the best way. Jessica Valenti
We are not yet a society free of sexism, and this will continue to be an issue for all women candidates. Campbell Brown
There’s something advantageous about being a woman in rock versus, say, a woman in chemistry or construction. There’s definitely a built-in sexism across the board, but I think you’re afforded a degree of freedom in rock because, historically, the rules have been flexible. Amanda Palmer
I try to not assume things are sexism. I’m trying to be good natured about why things are happening. Frankie Cosmos
When I wrote ‘The Giver,’ it contained no so-called ‘bad words.’ It was set, after all, in a mythical, futuristic, and Utopian society. Not only was there no poverty, divorce, racism, sexism, pollution, or violence in the world of ‘The Giver’; there was also careful attention paid to language: to its fluency, precision, and power. Lois Lowry
I’ve experienced a lot of sexism in football. Karren Brady
I was raised to believe that excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism. And that’s how I operate my life. Oprah Winfrey
I mean, what is racism? Racism is a projection of our own fears onto another person. What is sexism? It’s our own vulnerability about our potency and masculinity projected as our need to subjugate another person, you know? Fascism, the same thing: People are trying to untidy our state, so I legislate as a way of controlling my environment. Gary Ross
Sexism is real in this country. Kamala Harris
Of course I am aware that there is a level of sexism in any large institution, but I find, in television and film, most of the producers are women. Abi Morgan
With ‘Women in Hollywood,’ I didn’t direct it, but I produced it, and what we did is followed the money of Hollywood and how that intersects with issues relating to women and, frankly, sexism. Rory Kennedy
The times when black women have been successful in confronting and overcoming the structural and institutional sexism and racism that persists in our society have been when we are thoughtful and strategic about speaking up. It’s when we’ve done what it takes to introduce and implement our ideas and our plans to make things better. Marcia Fudge
Since St. Augustine announced that Eve – and, hence, collective woman – was responsible for original sin, rabid sexism has been a major pillar of patriarchal religious tradition. Barbara G. Walker
Homophobia, transphobia, and sexism, they’re all rooted in the same prejudice: the belief that one perception at birth – the sex we are assigned – should dictate who we are, who we love, how we act, and what we do. Sarah McBride
A lot of sexism is just very silly… and the best response is laughter and ridicule. Mary Beard
Sexism is not the fault of women – kill your fathers, not your mothers. Robin Morgan
This is an industry rife with racism, sexism and homophobia. It is so closely woven into the fabric of the business that we have become snowblind to the glaring injustices happening every day. Jessica Chastain
I believe that sexism in tech is a real problem. Sam Altman
Racism is over in the ‘Star Trek’ future, but they found a way to comment on sexism and racism in the present day in such a subversive and smart way, you know? Justin Simien
Sexism is alive and well! We were saying this forty years ago. I’m an optimist, so I like to think we’ve progressed in some ways – in Australia, we get equal pay. Jacki Weaver
Feminism isn’t simply about being a woman in a position of power. It’s battling systemic inequities; it’s a social justice movement that believes sexism, racism and classism exist and interconnect, and that they should be consistently challenged. Jessica Valenti
You can’t be a strong or cool woman and be represented except in a harsh way, looking mean and cold and hard. It’s like reverse sexism. Kim Gordon
Sexism is everywhere, bro. I don’t know if it’s ever not somewhere. Billie Eilish
Comic books have a long, fraught history with sexism. Ta-Nehisi Coates
We’re a social species, and we want to get along with the people we like and who are like us. That’s just good adaptive behaviour. We’re more likely to accept something if we hear it from a friend, whereas we’re sceptical of people who are not like us – which is what leads to racism, nationalism, sexism and all forms of bigotry. Daniel Levitin
The modern model of misogyny has to do with marginalizing people who are sexual and thinking of them as dumb, or not serious, or not cool or tweedy enough to take seriously, for fear of seeming like one of the guys from ‘Jersey Shore.’ The sex is so much more present in sexism than, I think, ever before. Julie Klausner
Slavery, racism, sexism, and other forms of bigotry, subordination, and human rights abuse transform and adapt with the times. John Prendergast
Sexism is part of every industry and must be addressed. But I try not to focus on the negative but the positive side of what we can bring. Angelina Jolie
The problem of sexism is getting better, but I don’t know if it’s getting better fast enough. We see more roles for women that don’t entirely revolve around the way in which they function in a man’s life, but typically those women are almost always white, and even then, there are only a few of them. Aja Naomi King
There’s still a really divisive residue in our nation that’s called racism and prejudice and oppression and sexism. Jurnee Smollett-Bell
Certainly going back to 2008 during the primary, Secretary Clinton was subjected to various forms of sexism – overt, subtle – that were detrimental. Fortunately, Senator Obama was not subjected to something similar; the culture seemed to tolerate sexism and not racism. We ought not tolerate either. David Brock
Up until recently, I’ve said, ‘I don’t notice the sexism in the industry.’ Nikki Glaser
There was really quite a remarkable level of sexism on newspapers when I started. Molly Ivins
Simple peck-order bullying is only the beginning of the kind of hierarchical behavior that can lead to racism, sexism, ethnocentrism, classism, and all the other ‘isms’ that cause so much suffering in the world. Octavia E. Butler
There’s sort of a persistent misperception that talking about race is black folk’s burden. Ultimately, only men can end sexism, and only white people can end racism. Benjamin Todd Jealous
Just as we reject racism, sexism, ageism, and heterosexism, we reject speciesism. The species of a sentient being is no more reason to deny the protection of this basic right than race, sex, age, or sexual orientation is a reason to deny membership in the human moral community to other humans. Gary L. Francione
Sexism, racism, and other forms of discrimination are being built into the machine-learning algorithms that underlie the technology behind many ‘intelligent’ systems that shape how we are categorized and advertised to. Kate Crawford
There are some professions that culturally and sociologically take a long time to change, and because of that, there’s still sexism in comedy audiences. We shouldn’t blame them: I do it too. A woman comes on, and I feel slightly anxious. I’m a woman in comedy, and I do that; I think everyone does. Miranda Hart
Ageism is as odious as racism and sexism. Claude Pepper
I understand this fear of the word ‘feminism,’ and I understand the fear of saying it because it becomes as divisive as ‘sexism’ has become. But I know a lot of male feminists. Abi Morgan
I also often hear people say that the deck is stacked against them because of racism, sexism, or other oppressive ‘isms.’ But once you let go of the blame and excuses, you’ll see that you can alter your position on your own. Chris Gardner
There’s a remarkable amount of sexism on TV. When male characters are flawed, they’re interesting, deep and complex. But when female characters are flawed, they’re just a mess. It’s good to put more flawed but interesting female characters out there because it promotes equality. Ellen Pompeo
Comedy can always be taken the wrong way. If I do a bit that is meant to diffuse racism or sexism, I’m not going to avoid it on the chance that a small portion of the audience might take it the wrong way. Doug Stanhope
Sexism is where there is discrimination clearly based on gender. Margaret Hoover
I have experienced sexism multiple times, and I’m sure I will a lot more. Alex Morgan
Liberal Christianity, of course, has enemies, but they are everyone’s enemies – sexism, racism, homophobia. But liberal versions of Christianity, which can be both theologically and politically conservative, assume that what it means to be Christian qua Christian is to have no enemies peculiar to being Christian. Stanley Hauerwas
Sexism is alive and well in politics, as it is in all industries. Kirsten Gillibrand
When you’ve been raised in care, rap music isn’t just about guns and sexism. They’re talking about real things you can hang on to, problems of identity that you have sympathy with. It’s not just about the music, with rap: when I was in care, it meant a whole lot more than that. Samantha Morton
Sexism kind of predisposes us to see men’s work as more important than women’s, and it is a problem, I guess, as writers, we have to change. Erica Jong
Trump is literally the epitome of evil, all the evils of this country – be it racism, capitalism, sexism, homophobia. Patrisse Cullors
I’m interested in what happens to people when they get into that publicity machine. We tend to think things have changed, but there’s still a deep sexism underlying the way women are treated publicly. Erica Jong
While white women and men of color also experience discrimination, all too often their experiences are taken as the only point of departure for all conversations about discrimination. Being front and center in conversations about racism or sexism is a complicated privilege that is often hard to see. Kimberle Williams Crenshaw
I have been able to enjoy the strides that others have made before me. I don’t want to scoff at the idea that there was sexism, but I don’t wake up in the morning and think, ‘I am a woman in tech.’ I just go to work, and my work is in technology. Alexa Hirschfeld
Whether it’s repro rights, violence against women, or just plain old vanilla sexism, most issues affecting women have one thing in common – they exist to keep women ‘in their place.’ To make sure that we’re acting ‘appropriately,’ whatever that means. Jessica Valenti
Sexism, like racism, goes with us into the next century. I see class warfare as overshadowing both. Constance Baker Motley
My generation of Americans was the first to really care about racism and sexism, not to mention the I Ching, plus, of course, the Earth. P. J. O’Rourke
Feminists cried, ‘Sexism!’ when New York Senator Hillary Clinton was judged not by the content of her character but by the color of her pantsuits. Nell Scovell
What happens to boys in tech is in many ways different than what happens to girls in tech. it’s not that they’re facing sexism per se: it’s that they don’t think it’s cool. So I think we really have to change the way we present technology. Reshma Saujani
As more women ‘lean in’ and we collectively continue to fight sexism, there’s another barrier to progress that hasn’t been addressed: Many men who would like to see more women leaders are afraid to speak up about it. Adam Grant
We live in a world where sports have the potential to bridge the gap between racism, sexism and discrimination. The 2012 Olympic Games was a great start but hopefully what these games taught us is that if women are given an opportunity on an equal playing field the possibilities for women are endless. Jackie Joyner-Kersee
Putting women’s traditional needs at the center of social planning is not reverse sexism. It’s the best way to reverse the increasing economic vulnerability of men and women alike. Stephanie Coontz
I was thrilled when I heard about the Time’s Up campaign’s legal defense fund for women who’ve experienced harassment and sexism. I’d been longing for this movement to extend beyond Hollywood. Connie Britton
I especially don’t want men coming up to me and asking if sexism still exists. It’s like, I’m seriously gonna barf a McDonald’s salad on the next person to do that. Kathleen Hanna
You know, my mum’s always encouraged me and never made my gender an issue, I guess. She brought me up to believe in equality, as opposed to feminism or sexism – so it just meant that my gender was not relevant to what I was capable of achieving. Paloma Faith
I was the first South Asian female to do comedy videos on YouTube. But at the same time, all races face their barriers, and I’ve learned through YouTube, if it’s not race, it will be sexism, if it’s not sexism, it will be homophobia. It will always be something, and all voices should be heard. Lilly Singh
Sexism is deeply rooted in our history and society that waking up and stepping outside of it is like I’m watching ‘Night of the Living Dead Part Two’ all day, every day. Ad-Rock
The racism, the sexism, I never let it be my problem. It’s their problem. If I see a door comin’ my way, I’m knockin’ it down. And if I can’t knock down the door, I’m sliding through the window. I’ll never let it stop me from what I wanna do. Rosie Perez
I have to go through auditions, and my surname has got me into rooms, but I’ll never know if it gets me any jobs. There’s a lot of sexism and objectification, and a lot of people put you down. Oona Chaplin
If you’re going into finance, you might be dealing with a lot of sexism and a lot of alpha behavior. How are you going to deal with that? How are you going to feel powerful and comfortable with being who you are? Amy Cuddy
Because homophobia is still largely driven by the church, it’s legitimised. It’s also tied to sexism, because those two are never far apart. Marlon James
I know there are fewer women comics, and I think there’ll continue to be an inherent sexism in many industries, comedy being one, just because things do take a while to evolve. Things are changing, but it’s going to take time. I accept this rather than getting angry about it. Miranda Hart
You don’t realize it until you go out and take a look, but there are so many ways in which sexism is just allowed in our culture, not just in the entertainment industry. It’s just allowed to be there, and that’s not acceptable anymore. And I think it’s really important to be very vocal. Jenny Slate
When it comes to determining child custody, however, sexism is the rule. Phyllis Schlafly
There’s a lot of ordinariness, and people tend to play to the same regressive tropes – sexism, patriarchy, unkindness to the oppressed. Comedy shouldn’t fall into these traps – by its very nature comedy is supposed to be edgy and anti-establishment. Varun Grover
Racism and sexism, misogyny and homophobia, they’re so visible. They’re out in the open. When they’re visible, it’s a lot easier to deal with them. Dolores Huerta
My own contentious relationship with gaming continued through high school and college: I still enjoyed playing games from time to time, but I always found myself pushed away by the sexism that permeated gaming culture. There were constant reminders that I didn’t really belong. Anita Sarkeesian
Black women’s intersectional experiences of racism and sexism have been a central but forgotten dynamic in the unfolding of feminist and antiracist agendas. Kimberle Williams Crenshaw
When I first joined the DA’s office, there weren’t that many women. So there was a fair degree of sexism. Everybody kind of got over it when they saw you doing your job. Marcia Clark
It is only human supremacy, which is as unacceptable as racism and sexism, that makes us afraid of being more inclusive. Ingrid Newkirk
I grew up in the Deep South, where sexism, racism, and homophobia were and still are alive and well. I have early, early memories of words and actions of this type being very painful. Pauley Perrette
Ageism is a variation of racism or sexism, all the other isms. Hugh Hefner
Excellence is the best deterrent to racism or sexism. Oprah Winfrey
Don’t make being a girl or a victim part of your stand-up act. If you encounter sexism in the business, don’t bring it on stage; it’s not funny. Jen Kirkman
I’m not sexist in any way – sexism is another form of violence, and there are many great men in this world. Betty Williams
Women say that my election represents a cultural break with the past – a past of sexism, of misogyny. Michelle Bachelet
While I am reluctant to cite sexism as a political issue, sexism certainly can exist. Michele Bachmann
Hipster Sexism consists of the objectification of women but in a manner that uses mockery, quotation marks, and paradox: the stuff you learned about in literature class. As funny as Dunham’s ‘Girls’ is, it can definitely border on Hipster Sexism. Alissa Quart
Homophobia, racism, and sexism are all rooted in the same oppression that causes a group of people to internalize the oppression they’ve experienced and then continue the cycle of abuse. Simply put, hurt people hurt people. Karamo Brown
Despite girls’ sparkling resumes – including rates of college enrollment and high school grades that outstrip boys – sexism is a barrier that still leaves girls ambivalent about power. Opening doors has not amounted to ambition to lead for many of them, even those with options, networks, and resources. Rachel Simmons
Mandy Sutter’s ‘Bush Meat’ triumphs in its lean prose and true dialogue, in its disarming humour, in its evocation of a family divided by sexism and racism in 1960s Nigeria. Rory MacLean
You come across words all the time that are everyday sexism. I was described as ‘competently bossy’ and ‘bossily competent’ by a male journalist, and I thought, ‘Gosh, ‘bossy’ is never used of a man.’ Clare Balding
Facing sexism and racism and classism and transphobia, there are ways to choose to act in those situations, and there shouldn’t be a prescriptive list of things that you have to say. Kathleen Hanna
Honestly, I feel like we are a walking protest. The fact that we’re women professional athletes says that in and of itself. We’ve been feeling the inequality; we’ve been struggling with pay equality or whatever it is, or sexism in sports. Megan Rapinoe
Sexism isn’t a one-size-fits-all phenomenon. It doesn’t happen to black and white women the same way. Kimberle Williams Crenshaw
Parents of all girls must simultaneously explain overt and covert sexism, name it whenever they see it, and teach their daughters to do the same. Rachel Simmons