Sex segregation
Encyclopedia
Sex segregation is the separation of people according to their sex
.
The term gender apartheid
(or sexual apartheid) also has been applied to segregation of people by gender, implying that it is sexual discrimination. In some circumstances, gender segregation is a controversial policy, with critics contending that in most or all circumstances it is a violation of human rights
, and supporters arguing that it is necessary to maintain decency
, sacred
ness, modesty
, female safety
, or the family unit.
In almost all parts of the world, places for activities which involve nudity – for example, showers, toilets, changing rooms – are usually segregated by sex. There are exceptions to this: clothing-optional beaches
and art classrooms
for figure drawing
are generally not segregated. Sauna
s and bath
s may or may not be, depending on the culture
.
The degree of segregation can vary. In some places, separate changing rooms for men and women are the norm, while elsewhere, a single change room with cubicles is normal. With the widespread practice of groping
women in crowded public places (e.g. street harassment or eve teasing
), some countries have designated women-only passenger cars or compartments on trains.
In most countries of the world, prison
s are segregated.
Often contact with prisoners of the opposite sex is forbidden or limited to specific moments.
Prison officers often are of the same sex as the inmates.
or paragliding
, are mixed-gender at all levels. A very few, such as Korfball
, specify mixed-gender participation in the rules.
Some sports that do not rely on physical contact, such as bowling
or golf
, may have separate sporting events. In archery, though, it is normal for both sexes and all ages to shoot alongside each other: in a handicap tournament they will, in fact, be competing against each other.
To cater to the religious requirements of various faith
s, and for other preference reasons, sometimes separation is achieved by allocating times or facilities for the exclusive use of one gender, usually of women. This is sometimes done with public sauna
s, swimming pool
s and gym
nasiums.
Many countries now have laws outlawing discrimination on the basis of sex, and regard the refusal to provide facilities on an equal basis to both men and women as sexual discrimination.
There have been studies conducted to analyze whether single-sex schools
or co-ed schools produce better educational outcomes, but each has its advocates and critics. Even in co-ed schools, certain classes, such as sex education
, are sometimes segregated on the basis of gender. Some schools decide to segregate students only in core subjects; this is called parallel education
.
In Louisiana following the forced race integration of public schools, the schools were segregated by sex. St. Bernard and Jefferson Parishes (surrounding New Orleans) instituted sex segregation to reduce the likelihood of black and white students dating. The last year of sex segregation in Jefferson Parish public schools was 1975.
discourages social interaction between male non-relatives and women, and especially between unmarried strange men and women. Sex segregation is strictly enforced in some Islamic countries by religious police.
In the Muslim world, preventing women from being seen by men
is closely linked to the concept of Namus
. Namus is an ethical category, a virtue
, in Middle East
ern Muslim
patriarchal character. It is a strongly gender
-specific category of relations within a family described in terms of honor, attention
, respect
/respectability, and modesty
. The term is often translated as "honor".
Recently, some countries that previously advocated non-segregation developed initiatives favoring gender segregation. E.g. Turkey started, after the AKP came to power, sanctioning non-related men and women holding each others hands.
, especially of the Hasidic sect, to maintain gender-specific events, where men and women sit or be present separately among members of the same sex. Orthodox Jewish
synagogue
s have separate men's and women's sections, typically separated by a wall or curtain called a mechitza
.
In Israel there are a dozens of buses, serving ultra-orthodox Jewish neighbourhoods of Jerusalem, which are segregated by sex, with males sitting in the front and females sitting in the back of the bus. There are segregated sidewalks in Mea Shearim
and some sex segregated clinics and groceries in Israel.
societies, both past and present, hunting has been largely a male preserve while gathering has been a female role. Other roles are often carried out by only one of the genders. However differences in roles did not imply disparity of status.
Historically military
occupations have been exclusively (with few exceptions) reserved to males. This has ceased only in the later twentieth century. Related occupations such as police
have been exclusively male in some countries.
In occupations where physical strength is a necessity differences in strength between men and women can mean that more men than women are suitable.
Professional sports
and major league
s including in the USA remain virtually all-male and in some cases like the WNBA are absolutely gender-specific participation apart from the NBA in basketball.
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
.
The term gender apartheid
Gender apartheid
The term gender apartheid, like sex apartheid, is a term used to describe economic and social sexual discrimination against women, including strict sex segregation, as well as an "absence of justice for women in much of the non-Western world." It is used especially to describe treatment of women...
(or sexual apartheid) also has been applied to segregation of people by gender, implying that it is sexual discrimination. In some circumstances, gender segregation is a controversial policy, with critics contending that in most or all circumstances it is a violation of human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
, and supporters arguing that it is necessary to maintain decency
Decency
Decency is the quality or state of conforming to social or moral standards of taste and propriety.-See also:*Taste *Communications Decency Act*Public indecency*Indecent exposure*Sodomy law*Norm *Grotesque body...
, sacred
Sacred
Holiness, or sanctity, is in general the state of being holy or sacred...
ness, modesty
Modesty
Standards of modesty are aspects of the culture of a country or people, at a given point in time, and is a measure against which an individual in society may be judged....
, female safety
Safety
Safety is the state of being "safe" , the condition of being protected against physical, social, spiritual, financial, political, emotional, occupational, psychological, educational or other types or consequences of failure, damage, error, accidents, harm or any other event which could be...
, or the family unit.
Public facilities
Nude beach
A nude beach is a beach where users are legally at liberty to be nude. Sometimes the terms clothing-optional beach or free beach are used. Nude bathing is one of the most common forms of nudity in public. As beaches are usually on public lands, any member of the public is entitled to use the...
and art classrooms
Art school
Art school is a general term for any educational institution with a primary focus on the visual arts, especially illustration, painting, photography, sculpture, and graphic design. The term applies to institutions with elementary, secondary, post-secondary or undergraduate, or graduate or...
for figure drawing
Figure drawing
In art, a figure drawing is a study of the human form in its various shapes and body postures - sitting, standing or even sleeping. It is a study or stylized depiction of the human form, with the line and form of the human figure as the primary objective, rather than the subject person. It is a...
are generally not segregated. Sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
s and bath
Bathing
Bathing is the washing or cleansing of the body in a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution. It may be practised for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity....
s may or may not be, depending on the culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
.
The degree of segregation can vary. In some places, separate changing rooms for men and women are the norm, while elsewhere, a single change room with cubicles is normal. With the widespread practice of groping
Groping
When used in a sexual context, groping is touching or fondling another person in a sexual way using the hands; it generally has a negative connotation, and is considered molestation in most societies. The term 'frotteurism' may be applied when a person rubs up against another person, typically...
women in crowded public places (e.g. street harassment or eve teasing
Eve teasing
Eve teasing is a euphemism used in India and sometimes Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal for public sexual harassment or molestation of women by men, with use of the word "Eve" being a reference to the biblical Eve....
), some countries have designated women-only passenger cars or compartments on trains.
In most countries of the world, prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
s are segregated.
Often contact with prisoners of the opposite sex is forbidden or limited to specific moments.
Prison officers often are of the same sex as the inmates.
Sports
Organized competitive sports are frequently segregated by gender, especially at higher levels. Where performance is strength-related (such as upper-body weight-lifting), any alternative would see women excluded from the higher levels of competition. A few sports, such as equestrianismEquestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
or paragliding
Paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...
, are mixed-gender at all levels. A very few, such as Korfball
Korfball
Korfball is a mixed gender team sport, with similarities to netball and basketball. A team consists of eight players; four female and four male. A team also includes a coach. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1902 by Nico Broekhuysen. In the Netherlands there are around 580 clubs, and over a...
, specify mixed-gender participation in the rules.
Some sports that do not rely on physical contact, such as bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
or golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, may have separate sporting events. In archery, though, it is normal for both sexes and all ages to shoot alongside each other: in a handicap tournament they will, in fact, be competing against each other.
To cater to the religious requirements of various faith
Faith
Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...
s, and for other preference reasons, sometimes separation is achieved by allocating times or facilities for the exclusive use of one gender, usually of women. This is sometimes done with public sauna
Sauna
A sauna is a small room or house designed as a place to experience dry or wet heat sessions, or an establishment with one or more of these and auxiliary facilities....
s, swimming pool
Swimming pool
A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, or simply a pool, is a container filled with water intended for swimming or water-based recreation. There are many standard sizes; the largest is the Olympic-size swimming pool...
s and gym
Gym
The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, that mean a locality for both physical and intellectual education of young men...
nasiums.
Many countries now have laws outlawing discrimination on the basis of sex, and regard the refusal to provide facilities on an equal basis to both men and women as sexual discrimination.
Education
In much of the world education, especially institutional education, was available only to boys until the last few hundred years. In some parts of the world, especially in Europe, when education was made available to girls as well as boys, educational establishments were frequently single-gender, a situation which in some cases exists in the United Kingdom to this day. Sometimes a reason was historical – an all-male education institution refusing to change. Arguments were made that the presence of the opposite sex would distract students from their studies, as well as allowing for inappropriate conduct.There have been studies conducted to analyze whether single-sex schools
Single-sex education
Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education, is the practice of conducting education where male and female students attend separate classes or in separate buildings or schools. The practice was predominant before the mid-twentieth century, particularly in secondary education and...
or co-ed schools produce better educational outcomes, but each has its advocates and critics. Even in co-ed schools, certain classes, such as sex education
Sex education
Sex education refers to formal programs of instruction on a wide range of issues relating to human sexuality, including human sexual anatomy, sexual reproduction, sexual intercourse, reproductive health, emotional relations, reproductive rights and responsibilities, abstinence, contraception, and...
, are sometimes segregated on the basis of gender. Some schools decide to segregate students only in core subjects; this is called parallel education
Parallel education
Parallel Education is a system in which boys and girls in Australia attend the same school, but are split into single sex classes for core subjects such as English, Maths, science, LOTE, and humanities. However, students will come together for drama, music and other social and cultural activities...
.
In Louisiana following the forced race integration of public schools, the schools were segregated by sex. St. Bernard and Jefferson Parishes (surrounding New Orleans) instituted sex segregation to reduce the likelihood of black and white students dating. The last year of sex segregation in Jefferson Parish public schools was 1975.
Female safety, privacy and sensitivity
Some sex segregation occurs for reasons of safety. For example a refuge for 'battered mothers or wives' may refuse to admit men, even those who are themselves the victims of domestic violence, both to prevent access by those who might commit or threaten violence to women or because women who have been subjected to abuse by a male might feel threatened by the presence of any man. Non-segregated toilets might also be a threat to safety and rights of privacy. Until the mid-20th century (in the USA), bars, clubs and pubs formerly prohibited women customers from entering, bartenders refused to sell or allow female visitors buying drinks and sitting in their seats. Today that is considered sex discrimination and has became illegal in western countries. The same was true for public beaches in the Victorian Age for women to not be publicly seen by other men outside the family (see bathing machines).Islam
IslamIslam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
discourages social interaction between male non-relatives and women, and especially between unmarried strange men and women. Sex segregation is strictly enforced in some Islamic countries by religious police.
In the Muslim world, preventing women from being seen by men
Purdah
Purdah or pardeh is the practice of concealing women from men. According to one definition:This takes two forms: physical segregation of the sexes, and the requirement for women to cover their bodies and conceal their form....
is closely linked to the concept of Namus
Namus
Namus is the Arabic word of a concept of an ethical category, a virtue, in Middle Eastern patriarchal character...
. Namus is an ethical category, a virtue
Virtue
Virtue is moral excellence. A virtue is a positive trait or quality subjectively deemed to be morally excellent and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being....
, in Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
patriarchal character. It is a strongly gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
-specific category of relations within a family described in terms of honor, attention
Attention
Attention is the cognitive process of paying attention to one aspect of the environment while ignoring others. Attention is one of the most intensely studied topics within psychology and cognitive neuroscience....
, respect
Respect
Respect denotes both a positive feeling of esteem for a person or other entity , and also specific actions and conduct representative of that esteem. Respect can be a specific feeling of regard for the actual qualities of the one respected...
/respectability, and modesty
Modesty
Standards of modesty are aspects of the culture of a country or people, at a given point in time, and is a measure against which an individual in society may be judged....
. The term is often translated as "honor".
Recently, some countries that previously advocated non-segregation developed initiatives favoring gender segregation. E.g. Turkey started, after the AKP came to power, sanctioning non-related men and women holding each others hands.
Judaism
It is common for Orthodox JudaismOrthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
, especially of the Hasidic sect, to maintain gender-specific events, where men and women sit or be present separately among members of the same sex. Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s have separate men's and women's sections, typically separated by a wall or curtain called a mechitza
Mechitza
A mechitza in Jewish Halakha is a partition, particularly one that is used to separate men and women....
.
In Israel there are a dozens of buses, serving ultra-orthodox Jewish neighbourhoods of Jerusalem, which are segregated by sex, with males sitting in the front and females sitting in the back of the bus. There are segregated sidewalks in Mea Shearim
Mea Shearim
Mea Shearim is one of the oldest Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem, Israel. It is populated mainly by Haredi Jews and was built by the original settlers of the Yishuv haYashan.-Name:...
and some sex segregated clinics and groceries in Israel.
Christianity
In many Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthodox parishes, there is sex segregation. This is not as common in the New World as it is in the Old World, especially in more rural areas where men will sit on the right (near Christ's icon) and women will sit on the left (near Mary's icon).Segregation by occupation
Some jobs and occupations have been reserved for one gender or the other. This is often considered a form of sex segregation, even though they may not be physically segregated from workers of different genders in other fields. Some jobs have also been predominantly carried out by one gender or the other, and this can be considered sex segregation, even though there are no rules excluding either gender.History
The roles of men and women have been different for most of human history since prehistoric times. In hunter-gathererHunter-gatherer
A hunter-gatherer or forage society is one in which most or all food is obtained from wild plants and animals, in contrast to agricultural societies which rely mainly on domesticated species. Hunting and gathering was the ancestral subsistence mode of Homo, and all modern humans were...
societies, both past and present, hunting has been largely a male preserve while gathering has been a female role. Other roles are often carried out by only one of the genders. However differences in roles did not imply disparity of status.
Historically military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
occupations have been exclusively (with few exceptions) reserved to males. This has ceased only in the later twentieth century. Related occupations such as police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
have been exclusively male in some countries.
In occupations where physical strength is a necessity differences in strength between men and women can mean that more men than women are suitable.
Professional sports
Professional sports
Professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, are sports in which athletes receive payment for their performance. Professional athleticism has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larger audiences, so that sports organizations...
and major league
Major League
See Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada.Major League may also refer to:-Sport:* Major League Baseball, the highest level of play in professional baseball in North America* Major League Cricket...
s including in the USA remain virtually all-male and in some cases like the WNBA are absolutely gender-specific participation apart from the NBA in basketball.
See also
- Gender inequalityGender inequalityGender inequality refers to disparity between individuals due to gender. Gender is constructed both socially through social interactions as well as biologically through chromosomes, brain structure, and hormonal differences. Gender systems are often dichotomous and hierarchical; binary gender...
- SexismSexismSexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
- Occupational sexismOccupational sexismOccupational sexism refers to any discriminatory practices, statements, actions, etc. based on a person's sex that are present or occur in a place of employment...
- Occupational inequalityOccupational inequalityOccupational inequality is the unequal treatment of people based on gender or race in the workplace. When researchers study trends in occupational inequality they usually focus on distribution or allocation pattern of groups across occupations, for example, the distribution of men compared to women...
- Separatist feminismSeparatist feminismSeparatist feminism is a form of radical feminism that holds that opposition to patriarchy is best done through focusing exclusively on women and girls...
- Women and children first (saying)
- Religion and sex segregation
External links
- RAWA – Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan. Documenting Taliban atrocities against women
- Gender Apartheid an essay on the topic from Third World Women's Health
- Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan an anti-Taliban pamphlet from the Feminist Majority FoundationFeminist Majority FoundationThe Feminist Majority Foundation is a non-profit organization in the United States dedicated to Women's Equality, Reproductive Health and Non-Violence, headquartered in Arlington County, Virginia. The name Feminist Majority comes from a 1986 Newsweek/Gallup public opinion poll in which 56 percent...
- Taking the Gender Apartheid Tour in Saudi Arabia
- Saudi Arabia's Apartheid by Colbert King, Washington Post December 22, 2001
- Against Sexual Apartheid in Iran Interview with Azar MajediAzar MajediAzar Majedi is an Iranian communist activist, Chairperson of Organization for Women's Liberation and one of the leaders of the Worker-Communist Party of Iran.-External links:* * * * Interview with Azar Majedi...
- Sexual Apartheid in Iran by Mahin Hassibi