Utah is the second most sexist state in the United States, according to businessinsider.com, Wyoming being the first. I spent my fundamental years in small-town Iowa and since coming to Utah as a transfer student, I have never experienced nor witnessed such a noticeable amount of overt sexism as I have here, even living in the ‘progressive’ Salt Lake City.

Recently, an overreaching police officer arrested a female nurse unjustly for following hospital policy in protecting a patient’s rights. If the nurse had been a man, especially a white man, it’s likely that no police officer would have put the male nurse into custody, nor would the police have been emboldened to question the man’s ability to do his job. Sure, the policeman would have still been on edge and angry, but it would not have been the same incident.

In my part-time workplace, I work with electronics and media. I am frequently told that, since I am a woman, I do not understand as much as the men in the department.  Men and women not bold enough to say those actual words will ignore me as if I do not work there and go off in search of a male employee to help them find what they are looking for. Don’t get me wrong, I love not having to interact with customers simply because of the kind of person I am. I just wish I were respected and considered as capable as any man in my position. When I do have the chance to share my knowledge in my job, customers typically do not listen to me.  My female coworkers share similar experiences daily.

The other day, I explained to a male customer that the gift card he was using to purchase movies did not have enough money to cover the cost. He quickly became upset, so I sent for customer service. Customer service arrived and explained the same thing. In the end, this man pointed at me and said, “You’re dirty,” before leaving. Additionally, on my way home from work in the evenings, I have been stopped and offered rides by strangers (which I never accept, of course). These are just a few examples, not to mention the sexualization and objectification of women’s bodies.

Then I could go into the gender-pay-gaps, but I hope everyone has seen the statistics enough to understand that men obviously make more money than women for the same work. Women of color make the least. When people say, “Women make 73-77 percent of what men make,” they are exclusively talking about white women, and the pay gap experienced by women of color does not enter into discussion. This lack of knowledge and awareness needs to abruptly end, and it seems to be ever so prominent in Utah.

Utah culture is enough to make my insides hurl from the daily pressure of being squashed and diminished in ways I have not previously experienced. If the state’s sexist culture is what it is for a white woman, I cannot imagine what this is like for a woman of color. It is important to me to refuse to adjust to this kind of society and I advocate for my fellow women to do the same. Men and women must reject the way we function inside this society and challenge one another to fight for equal social justice.

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