Aldous Huxley's dystopian novel Brave New World projects a society in which its citizens lead dehumanizing and disempowered lives. Many issues are obvious, such as the lack of free thought, the caste system, and racism.
At first glance, it appears that the one inequality that this society does not perpetuate is that between the sexes. Both men and women are granted access to the same sociocultural norms, including an expectation for a wide range of sexual partners, a high standard for physical beauty, and an ability to access the same leisure activities, including sports and transportation.
However, the sexism in Brave New World is insidious and unspoken. A detail that many readers fail to notice or acknowledge in Huxley's text is in fact a detail that is missing: there are no female Alphas. No woman can hold a position in the highest caste of society.
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