Sexism

Sexism is discrimination against people based on their gender.

The term usually refers to prejudice against women by men, as most pre-modern civilizations had a a lot of sexism of this type, barring women from certain professions and forbidding them from assuming roles with authority. These policies were largely based on a flawed and exaggerated belief in the differences in the capacities of individuals between different genders, a concept which has been falsified.

The impact of sexism has been significantly reduced (but not eliminated) over the course of the last century, thanks to feminism.