Book Review: Everyday Sexism

Title: Everyday Sexism

Author: Laura Bates

Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books

Year: 2016

Pages: 416

Genre: Non-Fiction

Rating: 4 stars

One sentence summary: An exploration of everyday sexism in all of its forms, from harmful cultural stereotypes to verbal and physical harassment, corroborated with accounts from real women.

A full synopsis of this book can be found on Goodreads.

Spoiler Level: None

I don't know if this is what you'd call an "enjoyable" book, though the author often makes quips that help lighten the serious mood. While not enjoyable in the most obvious sense, it was incredibly enlightening and powerful. Everyday Sexism is a non-fiction book about the everyday experiences of real life women who have endured sexism, from the most minute "annoyances" to greater scale instances of violence. It's divided into multiple sections, covering topics such as woman in public, in politics, in the workplace, in media, and more. Bates' analysis of feminist issues is accompanied by staggering statistics and personal accounts from women in the form of tweets, emails, and interviews. At times, the book can seem a little repetitive. Bates shares so many accounts of sexism that they begin to blend together. But THIS is the point. We are so bombarded with sexism that it has become part of the fabric of society, fading into the background yet encompassing every facet of our world. This book brings this background into sharp focus, showcasing how millions of isolated moments are connected in a pattern of discrimination against women. It hits you over the head with the sheer volume of discomfort, humiliation, and pain experienced by women across the globe, and this is the point: this is an epidemic that should make us uncomfortable--not just the one time we see a girl getting catcalled walking down the street, or when we see a girl getting groped at a club, or when we see a rapist escape hard sentencing--but every single day, over and over and over again. I won't pretend that I'm the most knowledgeable person on this topic. I am very lucky to have never experienced most of the sexism that is detailed in this book, and the "minor" instances that I have encountered seem not to have damaged my identity or sense of worth in this world. But I am trying to learn, and reading this book has educated me in both empathy and awareness. More than anything, this book just tries to point out that sexism does in fact still exist in the modern age. I hope that next time someone argues that it doesn't, I can better argue and educate them to the contrary. This book saddened and shocked me a couple times, but also offered positivity in the form of community and hope for the future. It's a good eye-opener and a straightforward read, and I would especially recommend it to people who don't know much about feminism or sexism.