sexism

Belief in (or set of implicit assumptions about) the superiority of one's own sex, often accompanied by a stereotype or preconceived idea about the opposite sex. Sexism may also be accompanied by discrimination on the basis of sex, generally as practised by men against women.

The term, coined by analogy with racism, was first used in the 1960s by feminist writers to describe language or behaviour that implied women's inferiority. Examples include the use of male pronouns to describe both men and women, and the assumption that some jobs are usually or best performed only by one sex.

The US government agreed in March 2000 to pay $508 million to 1,100 women who claimed in 1977 that they had been discriminated against by government agencies with whom they had applied for employment.