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So, who am I to tell other women how they should combat everyday sexism? In fact, who are any of us to do the same?

The everyday sexism that I experience is grating. It angers me, and it makes me roll my eyes. Sometimes, when it’s bad enough, it causes me to second guess myself. I address it. I speak out about it. That said, I’ve never lost a job because of it. I’ve never experienced violence because of it. I’ve never had to worry about feeding my family because of it.

So, who am I to tell other women how they should combat everyday sexism? In fact, who are any of us to do the same?

While I applaud the efforts many women have made to empower other women to address sexism in the moment it happens, we should upend the table. The responsibility for combatting everyday sexism doesn’t lie with those who live with it; it lies with you.

If you read my anecdotes and thought, “She probably was emotional,” or, “she’s too sensitive,” you need to change your thinking.

If you’ve ever held a woman back because you thought they were bossy, or aggressive, why is it her responsibility to tell you why that’s wrong?

If you’ve ever interviewed someone for a job and thought, “I’m pretty sure her uterus still functions, she might have a baby and take maternity leave, so I’m going pick the guy instead,” that’s your sexism to deal with, not hers.

If you’ve ever held a woman back because you thought they were bossy, or aggressive, why is it her responsibility to tell you why that’s wrong?

If you’ve ever sung along to violent misogynistic lyrics, bought a girl a Barbie when they wanted the Meccano set, attributed a woman’s success to her sexual skills, cat-called a woman, assumed a pregnant woman wants her belly to be touched by you, stayed silent during a disgusting sexist joke, assumed your female partner was going to clean your house and make dinner because of traditional gender segregation of housework, stayed quiet while a friend is abusing a woman, or if you’ve abused a woman yourself, you’re the problem, not her.

Bottom line, I shouldn’t have to mentor the young women on my staff with tips and tricks to combat sexism.

If it’s truly 2016, sexism should be your problem to deal with, not simply ours.

National Post

Michelle Rempel is member of Parliament for Calgary Nose Hill.