In March 2019, the Council of Europe committee of ministers adopted a new Recommendation on preventing and combating sexism Not only does this text contain the first ever internationally agreed definition of sexism, but it also proposes a set of concrete measures to combat this wide-spread phenomenon.

Sexism is present in all areas of life. From catcalls on the street, to women being ignored during work meetings, to boys being bombarded with aggressive role-models in video games.

It sure is harmful and lies at the root of gender inequality. It produces feelings of worthlessness, self-censorship, changes in behaviour, and a deterioration in health. Sexism affects women and girls disproportionately. Some groups of women, such as politicians, journalists, women’s human rights defenders, or young women, may be particularly vulnerable to acts of sexism. But it can also affect men and boys, when they don’t conform to stereotyped gender roles. Moreover, the impact of sexism can be worse for some women and men due to ethnicity, age, disability, social origin, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation or other factors.

To address these issues and encourage the full implementation of the Recommendation, the Council of Europe has just launched a video under the hashtag #stopsexism and the slogan “See it. Name it. Stop it.” The aim is to help the wider public identify acts of sexism and take a stand against them.

It’s also very common expression of sexism to call women weaker sex. Well, for those who think and call it so, here is a little message:

If I’m female and you’re male, it means I consist of additional Iron, don’t I?

I’m no weaker sex just because of two simple letters – “fe.” It’s only in my favour.

I’m strong enough to be a politician and care about parliamentary reports, not the length of my skirt.

I’m intelligent enough, not only to take part in scientific discoveries as a charming deputy, but to make them myself.

I’m brave enough to be a cop or a fireman.

I wasn’t born only to give birth to another life and then raise him or her in a world where he will have to play football and she will have to wear princess dresses.

It’s only two letters, don’t define my abilities  by them, but if you do, take note that the difference between female and male is just more „Fe“ – iron as we call it.

So we, women are strong enough to be listened, respected and considered just like man.

After all, this isn’t just a man’s world, it belongs to all of us – human beings…