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THE DETERMINISTIC ORIGINS OF SEXISM
Abstract: Biological determinists often argues that women as a species are inherently inferior to men intellectually, physically and spiritually. This conclusion originates from an economic system that is dependent on the imposed inferiority of groups of people for the dominant group to remain powerful. Examples of the determinist imperative are plentiful in the sexist beliefs and practices of world religions. The consequences of deterministic patriarchy are pervasive in the physical and mental health status of women, and are illustrated by the perpetuation of patriarchal systems of physical and mental health treatment. This paper discusses the physical, sexual and psychological ramifications of biological determinism using examples from the global status of women's health, the continuation of female genital mutilation, and the history of sexist beliefs in psychology that serve a social control function of both creating and defining women's psychopathology.
Keywords: biological determinism, sexism, genital mutilation,, psychopathology, patriarchy.
Sexism is the first, the most ancient, the most pervasive human prejudice. With the establishment of the original patriarchy in the hunter-gatherer society and down through the patriarchal religions were male priests, the first to write, to sit down the laws and the legends, women have been declared inferior. Religions have often been declared that women have no soul. They have not been allowed to participate actively in religious ceremonies. They have not been educated. They have been regarded as unclean, as evil, often in league with Satan, as witches. To understand prejudice against women and the over damage such prejudice causes, we must look briefly at other human prejudices. Any prejudice against a group requires a belief in the universal inferiority of the group. All members are inferior. There is a basic defect that all share. The Nazis attempted to eliminate Jews because all had contaminated blood. Jews who had converted to Christianity were still contaminated. Similar attitudes are applied to person called African American. A person is automatically classified as Black if he or she has any Black ancestors. It is as through even a trace is lethal. Prejudice against women, Jews, African Americans and other groups regarded as inferior holds that every member of the group is determined before birth to be inferior. The defective characteristics of the targets must...