18/01/2026
Sexism is a joke. Seriously a very common joke that your family, friends, boss, colleagues share daily. And that’s just the women you know.
Sexism is so engrained even women tell sexist jokes.
The sexist jokes women tell are different to men but they are still put downs about women’s ability to do ‘male’ jobs in the workplace or at home. We laugh about ‘we can’t do a task because we will break a nail’ 💅
It perpetuates what we tell ourselves and allow others to tell us that we can’t do or can’t handle.
Sexism. Shine a light on it. W**d it from your sense of humour.
A few days ago, a male colleague made a sexist joke.
When I said I didn’t find it funny and that it felt misogynistic, his response was: “Relax, it was just a joke.”
And that’s exactly the problem.
Misogyny doesn’t usually kick the door down.
Most days, it slips in wearing a grin.
It’s the “joke” you’re supposed to laugh at.
The “comment” that’s framed as harmless.
The moment you’re expected to swallow discomfort so no one else feels awkward.
Research shows that when sexism is delivered as humour, people are less likely to recognise it as bias - and women are less likely to challenge it. Jokes disguise prejudice, making it easier to dismiss and harder to confront. Over time, that normalisation creates a culture where bigger misogyny feels more acceptable.
That’s why micro-misogyny matters.
“Micro” doesn’t mean insignificant - it means constant, normalised, and easy to deny. It’s the background noise that keeps the system running. The small comments, jokes, and assumptions that quietly reinforce the idea that women should tolerate being diminished.
And misogyny is deeply embedded in our culture. When a bias exists across almost every layer of society, people stop noticing it. It becomes invisible - until someone names it. And then suddenly they’re the problem.
So when we don’t laugh.
When we say, calmly, “I don’t find that funny.”
When we ask, “What do you mean by that?”
We’re not being difficult.
We’re interrupting something that’s been running unchecked for generations.
