Double standards are everywhere and they’re out in the open—you don’t even need a magnifying glass to spot them. Whether in real life or in media, we’re constantly bombarded with examples of how men and women are treated and portrayed differently even though we’re talking about the same thing.
Reddit user Meet_Me_In_Heaven asked their fellow redditors to share the most egregious examples of double standards that "disgust" them, so have a look below, and let us know what you think they say about the state of society in the 21st century, dear Readers. Upvote the double standards that you agree have no place in the modern world and share your own examples in the comments.
One crucial real-life issue and pervasive gender double standard that we’ve been hearing and writing about is that the Covid-19 pandemic disproportionally affects women. Not only have women been shown to be more at risk of losing their jobs during the lockdowns, but they also spend more unpaid time at home doing chores and taking care of family members. Even in developed countries, there’s still an expectation that women ought to do the lion’s share of the housework.
#42
Could not fathom having to give up their family name at marriage, but pressures his wife to do it without a second thought.
Report
101points
#43
Single father's taking their kids to the park and watching them play while they get stares from every other parent or ppl passing by.
Report
94points
#44
When men come out and accuse priests or other old men who abused them they aren't interrogated as to why they didn't say it sooner. With the 'Me Too' movement backlash, we see that women are dismissed and not believed when they talk about their abuse years later.
Report
94points
#45
Straight girls can hold hands, lock fingers, cuddle, shower, and kiss each other. Two guys can’t even make eye contact without being gay-shamed.
Report
94points
#46
When a guy gets with a bunch of chicks, he’s a “stud”. When a girl gets with a bunch of guys, she’s a “sl*t”.
Report
92points
#47
Being over looked for a role (between 20-35) because I might become pregnant.
Report
88points
#48
I work in a woman dominated field (library) and a good portion of my coworkers are self-proclaimed feminists. They constantly complain about "The Patriarchy" while being hateful, sexist group of humans towards the men in the building.
Report
86points
#49
Expecting women to keep up a constant and rigorous beauty routine while men are doing very little to maintain their own attractiveness.
Report
86points
In popular media, we often see certain portrayals of characters that reinforce gender double standards. Consider how animated figures have been given 'baby face' aesthetics to appeal to certain audiences.
This concept ties into broader societal representations, as explored in the discussion on child-like features in animated characters, highlighting how seemingly innocent designs can perpetuate unrealistic standards.