Gender discrimination is unfair or unequal treatment directed at a person because of his or her sex or gender. It results most typically from the stereotypical association of certain character traits with women and men, the identification of feminine character traits as less desirable, and the disadvantages that result from this for women. Although gender discrimination also can, at least in principle, be directed at men, its victims are overwhelmingly women.

Cross-culturally and throughout history societies have imputed social significance to gender, assigned different roles to women and men, and used genderbiased language and symbols to suggest a categorical difference between women and men. Categorical distinctions become unfair discrimination when women are identified persistently as subordinate and weaker. All over the world governments, organizations, firms, and households have used gender distinction to allocate burdens and rewards to women and men differentially. Frequently societies have considered gender...