Is life really different for men and women? Yes, yes it is. Besides biological functions, women are often treated differently than men and are expected to look and act a certain way. Everything is not equal.

Reddit user saintssacrafice asked, “Women, what is something that women experience and is seen as “normal” but is actually very wrong/shouldn’t be as accepted as it is?” There were a wide variety of answers to this question. Maybe you agree with all of them; maybe you don’t. If you’re a man, you may not even realize women have these experiences until now. If you’re a woman, you probably have your own experiences to share. 

1. Aunt Flo Isn’t Always Kind

   Reddit user Overalldisaster wrote:

   Downplaying how horrible periods can be. I’ve seen so many men act like women are being babies on their period and it’s just enraging.

2. Kindness Sometimes Backfires

   ohshizzit shared:

   Guys have ALWAYS taken my kindness as flirting. I’m easy to talk to and genuinely like connecting with people (it’s rare for me). Anytime I become friends with a guy they take it too far or cross a line.

3. Childbirth

   AirStoned answered:

   The way the medical community seems to approach childbirth. I’ve watched documentaries etc (no kids myself) and what really struck me is how patronising everyone was to these women who are going through perhaps the worst pain of their life.

4. Hitting Is Not Okay

   professional_joe explained:

   inappropriate behavior from men, especially from a young age. If a boy hits a little girl he “just likes her”. That little boy grows up thinking there’s no repercussion for violence, and keeps hitting women. The cycle just goes on.

5. Mothers Have a Lot of Responsibilities

   FranzLuciferdinand wrote:

   I know way too many women who think it’s normal to have to do most of the housework and childcare, plus the mental and emotional load of household management, even if they also have an outside job. Also to manage their husbands as if they are children who can’t be expected to remember to make appointments or buy their own clothes or things for the children or holidays or take care of menial tasks without reminders and help.

6. Clothes

   Another Reddit user explained:

   dressing little girls in a way that makes it difficult for them to move around. your four year old should not miss out on valuable play because she doesn’t want to mess up her clothes or hair. her appearance should be the last freaking thing on her mind. it makes me so angry to see little girls having to sit on the sidelines while their brothers and male cousins play rambunctiously because their parents put them in a dress and expensive shoes.

7. Not Being Taken Seriously

   elephantasmos shared:

   People speaking over them, and/or the inherent ‘brush off’ that “if a woman says it it needs to be verified somehow.”

8. It’s Creepy

   Monstiemama added:

   Getting hit on at 13 by grown ass men.

9. “Lighten Up”

   infamyinfamy answered:

   Being expected to be nice when a man is overstepping your boundaries. As soon as we express any discomfort we’re made to feel we should be nice to them. Eg: it was only banter, lighten up, that sort of thing.

10. Stop Being So Condescending

    Marjory_SB wrote:

    That condescending and infuriatingly arrogant tone that some men take on when explaining something (be it a hobby, some interesting fact, or the fundamentals of this and that) when their listener is a women. I understand that this may simply be done to impress rather than be irritating, but just knowing that they wouldn’t dare talk this way to male friend or colleague is…well, irritating.

11. Commenting on Appearance

    mermaid_with_pants answered:

    That people think they have the right to comment on how a women looks or what she is wearing.There have been way too many times where someone feels they need to point out my “physical flaws” just because, ex. acne, dark circles under my eyes, body/ facial hair, too pale, etc.

12. Relationships

    thakoconbian shared:

    The idea that men & women cannot maintain healthy, purely platonic relationships w/ eachother (cos sex will eventually come up & get in the way 🙄) + the idea that a woman must drop all her male friends or cannot maintain contact w/ them once she enters an exclusive, romantic relationship.

13. “Girls”

    merrypoppin added:

    Women being called “girls.” Whether it is conscious or not, it implies a lack of maturity and, therefore, deserved respect. Among countless other places I have heard this, I attempted to watch a season of The Bachelor (bad decision for many reasons) and I could not stand how often the women were called “girls.” I couldn’t bring myself to check out The Bachelorette, but I suspect the men are never called “boys.”