“The World Is Built For Men”: Woman Gives 20 Examples That Show How Women Are Discriminated In Everyday Life
Men generally dominate key institutions. They govern, manage, preach, and according to TikTok user Allie, they have built the physical world for themselves, too.
To illustrate her point, she started a TikTok video series. Standing in front of a green screen displaying her research, Allie provides a wide range of real-life examples of how women are discriminated against on a day-to-day basis.
From using power tools to getting medical prescriptions, here are some of her arguments.
More info: TikTok
TikTok user Allie has created a video series to show people that "the world is built for cis men"
@allie_202_ ##greenscreen and the list goes on… part 4? 😜 ##women ##gender ##politics ##feminist ##feminism ##misogyny ##equality ##leftist ##liberal ##democrat
♬ Say So (Instrumental Version) [Originally Performed by Doja Cat] - Elliot Van Coup
The most popular upload has over 1.3 million views
Image credits: allie_202_
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Car crash dummies are built with a male standard, meaning that in car crashes, women are almost 50% more likely to be seriously injured than men.
This article goes in depth about this sad, but true, fact: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/feb/23/truth-world-built-for-men-car-crashes
That's a long known problem. There are standard (=male) dummies, children dummies and baby dummies but not women dummies. This causes many problems with women drivers and passengers in the case of a crash - especially if that crash is frontal https://www.consumerreports.org/car-safety/crash-test-bias-how-male-focused-testing-puts-female-drivers-at-risk/
A lot of medicines are tested exclusively on men, so women end up getting prescribed doses that are way too much for them.
There's a very recent study on the matter that proves how severe this is: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200812161318.htm
I spent 7 years trying to find a good antidepressant. A friend of mine (a woman), knowing that I was a sensitive person, recommended I try the lowest dose. I found the 'right medication' right after, it's 75% of the minimum dose of a medication I already tried, which is usually prescribed just to see if there are no side-effects before being doubled. I open the small capsule every morning to empty it a bit. My doctor believes it's in my head, that I should not feel it at such a small dose. It's not the first time this happens.
Women are often misdiagnosed. They experience 50% higher rates of heart attack misdiagnosis, because they get less typical-symptoms, like subtle chest pressure or tightness in the chest, rather than the male presentation of full-blown chest pain.
Here's a recent study that proves this fact: https://www.jcreiterlaw.com/posts/women-more-likely-than-men-to-suffer-misdiagnosis-according-to-studies/
Head rests in cars - they push women's head forwards funny, especially if they have their hair up. It's not comfortable or safe.
Same for seats on trains. I've noticed how they are custom built for a man of about 1,75 m sitting upright. Don't dare being smaller or the back of your head will be pushed forward by the "neck rest" intended for the taller man!
It's considered totally normal for women to take birth control and deal with all of these side effects, but barely anyone ever talks about making birth control for men.
This study shows that male vs female contraceptives had almost identical side effects, yet male contraceptives were not fully developed due to these effects: https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjsrh/2019/12/04/adverse-effects-male/
There's always absurdly long lines at women's restrooms because they're built unfairly with not enough stalls.
This article goes in depth why that's the case, listing economical and sexit reasons why this problem remains in our lives; https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2019/01/women-men-bathroom-lines-wait/580993/
They often have the same footprint as the men's restrooms. One key difference is that, even if you have the same number of stalls, there will still be a longer line outside the women's toilets because women have to take longer. For a pee - a man has to open a zip, whip out his penis, relax a few muscles, shake, replace and wash his hands. Women need to first get half-undressed (literally, the bottom half must be undressed) to perform the same function. Women's lines would be shorter if we were given different equipment to use. And that's without entering into menstruation delays. Really, to be equal in timing, women need more stalls.
NASA had to cancel its first all-female spacewalk because they didn't have enough women-sized spacesuits.
Women often cannot comfortably reach the safety bars on metro subways.
This is true for children and shorter men, but as more than 50% deal with this problem, they should have found a way to change it for sure? Well they didn't
Speech-recognition software is 70% more likely to accurately recognise male voices. When Siri was released in the US, she could find prostitutes and Viagra suppliers, but not abortion providers. If you told her you'd been [sexually assaulted], she'd reply "I don't know what you mean by that".
This article goes in depth about this issue: https://hbr.org/2019/05/voice-recognition-still-has-significant-race-and-gender-biases
Because of gender differences and metabolism office spaces are often way too cold for women.
This article proves the fact is true: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/04/science/chilly-at-work-a-decades-old-formula-may-be-to-blame.html
To be fair it is easier to wear an extra layer, than to undress. Considering male white color drescode -- men have to wear a jacket almost all the time, while for women it is ok to wear just a dress, or short sleave, or have a skirt/pants that doesnt cover her entiraly. As a woman i think we have it easier and have more options then it comes to temperature at workplace.
Women are under diagnosed with autism because the diagnostic criteria was written for men and they haven't bothered updating it.
This article goes into depth of this issue: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/sep/14/thousands-of-autistic-girls-and-women-going-undiagnosed-due-to-gender-bias
CPR dummies are almost always male-bodied, so people who are trained CPR often don't know how to perform it properly on women. This was true until just recently a female CPR dummy was released. However, not many countries have those and traditionaly CPR is still being taught on male body manikins:
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/new-female-manikin-vest-to-help-train-rescuers-on-proper-cpr-technique-for-women
The original CPR dummy was named Annie ("Annie Are You Ok? Are you OK, Annie?") and the face was modeled after a woman, however the body did not have breasts because it was "unseemly" to present such a model in public. This is changing, but many of the CPR dummies today do not have breasts.
Smartphones are often way too big for female hand sizes.
This article tries explaining why the most popular smartphone brands to not cater for different hand sizes: https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/smartphone-size-design-for-woman-hand/
Some women have shared they have yet to sit on a chair with their feet flat on the floor. It's true that shorter men have the same problem, but on average male person's height is 5,9 when a female person's height is only 5.35 in the US
I've yet to sit on public transport or a plane and get my knees into to the gap between my seat and the one in front!
N95 masks often don't properly fit the faces of women and Asian people, putting them in danger. Here's a recent study on this: https://www1.racgp.org.au/newsgp/clinical/many-n95-respirators-do-not-properly-fit-women-or
Women can't usually properly grip household tools because they are made for male hands.
Not only that, but battery driven machines are too heavy for me to use over more than five minutes. My wrists kill me. I had to spend DOUBLE the amount of money on a drill that plugs into the wall and has a smaller grip.
It's a given that women aren't able to reach top shelves in their own houses.
This article lists how in fact the whole kitchen was designed based on average man's height:
https://qz.com/509501/why-kitchens-arent-designed-for-real-women/
Fitness monitors (like fitbits) often don't accurately count steps when women are walking strollers (or anybody, for that matter, women just do it more often).
Equipment at the gym - there's a lot of machines women can't use because they can't be adjusted to them properly.
I haven't been to the gym in 15yrs, but when I was last there all of the equipment was adjustable using 'pull-pins' and other easy adjustment methods. I would expect todays newer equipment to even more so.
Keyboards/mouses are built with male sizes in mind, increasing rates of carpal tunnel/tendinitis in females.
It's really good that there is increasing awareness of this. It wasn't done this way with ill intention, just with a lack of awareness. Medicine for ages has focused on and tested it's meds on young, slim, white, male patients as the standard patient because their test subjects were usually university students of exactly that description. We now see that this is harmful to women, children, older people (metabolism changes with age) and anyone who isn't slim or white (skin cancer comes to mind). Male engineers have built tools and cars and many other things from their own personal use experience, without thinking of the fact that people do come in all sizes and shapes. Children live in a world built for adults for exactly the same reason.
This is the most sensible and useful comment I have seen on this page.
I have rarely seen such a display of petty spitefulness in my entire life. What difference would any of these things make? None of these things favour any sex, and both sexes contribute to them. Evil male conspiracy against women. A list of 20 things that men AND women experience, that inhibit women. Yay for anti-sex-discrimination.
Relax, a lot of stuff does not fit me well either (I'm with the patriarchal oppressors)
Oh, well that makes it all just fine, then. Relax ladies, there's a man going through the same thing. Wouldn't it be nice if they made some of this stuff with people of differing heights and body shapes in mind? You might benefit, too.
With the medicine you've got a point, but everything else you've written is crazy talk. There are cars specifically built for woman, and tools and everything else.
Really? I'm trully genuinly surprised about the cars, never heard of that
For years "women" vehicles were only based on pretty colors. Now if you look at a 2021 lists of cars built for "women" it's like a cute little convertible, a mini van, a VW beetle, etc. They are all just cars! Anyone can drive it. And the "tools for women" are literally the same model in pink. No changes for hand sizes or anything. So Remi instead of such a quick denial maybe you should do your own research and open your mind a bit
bryguy Still no skirts in the menswear section. Evil female conspiracy against men. If you try hard and never give up you might someday manage to be more petty.
I’m surprised there was no mention of seatbelts. They are not designed for short people or anyone with boobs.
Or pockets!
Look at the book "Invisible Women". Loads in there on the automobile industry's failure to deal with the female body
I’m 5’6”, but short waisted, so sit shorter than a longer waisted person of the same height. I have to use those seatbelt clips to readjust where they cross my torso, otherwise they would leave a suspicious-looking bright angry red “rope burn”-type mark on the side of my neck, or just out and out garrotte me in an accident.
Most modern cars have seat belts that are adjustable to the height or all. I have not seen any car that doesn't. The boobs thing is a different story. We could all have racing belts, the ones that close at the front in an X shape. More cumbersome. More in the middle but safer for everyone
I know seatbelts and the seat can be adjustable but when you're the passenger the correct position doesn't seem to jive with the drive nor anyone sitting in the back.
Or pregnant women
Sorry but that is a transitory state. I'm any case, I guess there could be an adapter that could be used for that...
Seatbelts! I'm not short (5' 9") or skinny but seatbelts usually ride directly across my neck. I push it down, moments later it's back up across my neck.
I'm a woman, and yes, things are unfairly favorable for men, but this is just getting ridiculous. A lot of the things she mentions do come in smaller sizes, they are just a bit harder to find. I have ZERO problems finding tools that fit my hand. Now, it takes a while to find that one perfect tool, but it does for EVERYONE. The chair thing is a matter of height, not gender. Really short people AND really tall people of all orientations have a hard time finding things that fit them in a mass produced world.
The problem is that women aren't "short people", we are just women. WE are half teh population and for us it's the normal size.
Depends. There are also short men and tall women.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
The average short man is still taller than the average short woman.
The world is not built for tall people, I can assure you.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Depends on what you consider tall. I think everyone over 5'7" is tall.
Also, women are not ‘short men’ not only are we hormonally different, we also have different hip ratios etc
Some of it is ridiculous. I think a broader take on this is that if 50% of the user base for goods or services are female then if you are a woman, you shouldn't have to try harder to find it as you are the normal user. Healthcare and cars are good examples.
I'm a very tall woman, so there's frankly no problem for ME, but my female relatives tend to be petite, so they do have a lot of problems. And I support their right to have the same access to a safety grip as taller people.
I have never seen tools designed for women outside of basic household tool sets that some times include a drill, and from what I can tell, the only thing that makes them for women is feminine color, pink. None of those are brand name, or at least not one I recognize. None of the reputable brands make multiple size tool grips for different size hands, and if there is a tool company making goods for women, they aren't sold in any of the mainstream home improvement stores. Of course I wouldn't doubt that any tools designed for women would be priced higher because women would "choose" to pay more for the specialized option (like they choose deodorant or razors made in scents or designs for them instead of the 'basic' men's), and there wouldn't be much competition because women aren't a very significant market share for this kind of product. We are there, and growing, but half the employees I encounter at Home Depot still look around me for my male chaperone before answering my questions.
Thank you! This post is just looking for things to complain about.
Hey everyone! Someone is pointing out that things designed by men of average height work best for men of average height. How dare they point out how that's a flaw! I can't believe they want to draw attention to that! They should shut up and stop complaining. If you never point out a problem it will definitely get fixed.
People that complain about everything, take away the focus from real issues (like healthcare). I hate that so much.
I would love to get some recommendations. I cannot find power tools small enough for my hands at all. Can you suggest a circular saw or other power saw that comes in a smaller size?
I have small, arthritic hands and bought myself a cordless drill / driver and corded jigsaw by Black & Decker which are lightweight and small enough for me to use properly. These are not contractor grade tools; they're mostly for light work and priced accordingly at around $20 each. They made all the difference in the world for me when it came to home improvements.
It's really good that there is increasing awareness of this. It wasn't done this way with ill intention, just with a lack of awareness. Medicine for ages has focused on and tested it's meds on young, slim, white, male patients as the standard patient because their test subjects were usually university students of exactly that description. We now see that this is harmful to women, children, older people (metabolism changes with age) and anyone who isn't slim or white (skin cancer comes to mind). Male engineers have built tools and cars and many other things from their own personal use experience, without thinking of the fact that people do come in all sizes and shapes. Children live in a world built for adults for exactly the same reason.
This is the most sensible and useful comment I have seen on this page.
I have rarely seen such a display of petty spitefulness in my entire life. What difference would any of these things make? None of these things favour any sex, and both sexes contribute to them. Evil male conspiracy against women. A list of 20 things that men AND women experience, that inhibit women. Yay for anti-sex-discrimination.
Relax, a lot of stuff does not fit me well either (I'm with the patriarchal oppressors)
Oh, well that makes it all just fine, then. Relax ladies, there's a man going through the same thing. Wouldn't it be nice if they made some of this stuff with people of differing heights and body shapes in mind? You might benefit, too.
With the medicine you've got a point, but everything else you've written is crazy talk. There are cars specifically built for woman, and tools and everything else.
Really? I'm trully genuinly surprised about the cars, never heard of that
For years "women" vehicles were only based on pretty colors. Now if you look at a 2021 lists of cars built for "women" it's like a cute little convertible, a mini van, a VW beetle, etc. They are all just cars! Anyone can drive it. And the "tools for women" are literally the same model in pink. No changes for hand sizes or anything. So Remi instead of such a quick denial maybe you should do your own research and open your mind a bit
bryguy Still no skirts in the menswear section. Evil female conspiracy against men. If you try hard and never give up you might someday manage to be more petty.
I’m surprised there was no mention of seatbelts. They are not designed for short people or anyone with boobs.
Or pockets!
Look at the book "Invisible Women". Loads in there on the automobile industry's failure to deal with the female body
I’m 5’6”, but short waisted, so sit shorter than a longer waisted person of the same height. I have to use those seatbelt clips to readjust where they cross my torso, otherwise they would leave a suspicious-looking bright angry red “rope burn”-type mark on the side of my neck, or just out and out garrotte me in an accident.
Most modern cars have seat belts that are adjustable to the height or all. I have not seen any car that doesn't. The boobs thing is a different story. We could all have racing belts, the ones that close at the front in an X shape. More cumbersome. More in the middle but safer for everyone
I know seatbelts and the seat can be adjustable but when you're the passenger the correct position doesn't seem to jive with the drive nor anyone sitting in the back.
Or pregnant women
Sorry but that is a transitory state. I'm any case, I guess there could be an adapter that could be used for that...
Seatbelts! I'm not short (5' 9") or skinny but seatbelts usually ride directly across my neck. I push it down, moments later it's back up across my neck.
I'm a woman, and yes, things are unfairly favorable for men, but this is just getting ridiculous. A lot of the things she mentions do come in smaller sizes, they are just a bit harder to find. I have ZERO problems finding tools that fit my hand. Now, it takes a while to find that one perfect tool, but it does for EVERYONE. The chair thing is a matter of height, not gender. Really short people AND really tall people of all orientations have a hard time finding things that fit them in a mass produced world.
The problem is that women aren't "short people", we are just women. WE are half teh population and for us it's the normal size.
Depends. There are also short men and tall women.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
The average short man is still taller than the average short woman.
The world is not built for tall people, I can assure you.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Depends on what you consider tall. I think everyone over 5'7" is tall.
Also, women are not ‘short men’ not only are we hormonally different, we also have different hip ratios etc
Some of it is ridiculous. I think a broader take on this is that if 50% of the user base for goods or services are female then if you are a woman, you shouldn't have to try harder to find it as you are the normal user. Healthcare and cars are good examples.
I'm a very tall woman, so there's frankly no problem for ME, but my female relatives tend to be petite, so they do have a lot of problems. And I support their right to have the same access to a safety grip as taller people.
I have never seen tools designed for women outside of basic household tool sets that some times include a drill, and from what I can tell, the only thing that makes them for women is feminine color, pink. None of those are brand name, or at least not one I recognize. None of the reputable brands make multiple size tool grips for different size hands, and if there is a tool company making goods for women, they aren't sold in any of the mainstream home improvement stores. Of course I wouldn't doubt that any tools designed for women would be priced higher because women would "choose" to pay more for the specialized option (like they choose deodorant or razors made in scents or designs for them instead of the 'basic' men's), and there wouldn't be much competition because women aren't a very significant market share for this kind of product. We are there, and growing, but half the employees I encounter at Home Depot still look around me for my male chaperone before answering my questions.
Thank you! This post is just looking for things to complain about.
Hey everyone! Someone is pointing out that things designed by men of average height work best for men of average height. How dare they point out how that's a flaw! I can't believe they want to draw attention to that! They should shut up and stop complaining. If you never point out a problem it will definitely get fixed.
People that complain about everything, take away the focus from real issues (like healthcare). I hate that so much.
I would love to get some recommendations. I cannot find power tools small enough for my hands at all. Can you suggest a circular saw or other power saw that comes in a smaller size?
I have small, arthritic hands and bought myself a cordless drill / driver and corded jigsaw by Black & Decker which are lightweight and small enough for me to use properly. These are not contractor grade tools; they're mostly for light work and priced accordingly at around $20 each. They made all the difference in the world for me when it came to home improvements.