There is a difference...

I'm a girl, grown up into a woman, and I love it. Maybe I have been lucky, but I have rarely, if ever, encountered any rampant sexism. Maybe I should say that I have only met the good side of sexism.
You see... people make sexism to be an ugly word, like racism. In my opinion, there is a difference. So I looked both words up in Websters dictionary.

Racism
1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2 : racial prejudice or discrimination

Sexism
1: prejudice or discrimination based on sex ; especially : discrimination against women
2: behavior, conditions, or attitudes that foster stereotypes of social roles based on sex

At first it seems clear cut, but look closer at the first definition of racism, it has two parts: a believe that race is that primary determinant of human traits and capacities AND that racial difference produce an inherent superiority of a particular race.
I do not believe, for an instant, that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and even less that this difference produces an inherent superiority. According to the dictionary, I am not a racist. Wonderful! I agree.
And then there is the second defintion: racial prejudice or discrimination. Wonderful, I am not a racist according to this definition either.

Let's go to sexism.
The first definition of sexism is completely different. "Prejudice or discrimation based on sex; especially discrimination against women." Wait... wait... wait a minute. Why does this definition sound so different when people are often trying to put both words on the same ladder of evil attitudes?
Of course I do not want to discriminate against women, or be prejudiced about them. Prejudice is bad. But what if the definition had sounded like the first one.
"Believe that sex is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities AND that sex difference produces an inherent superiority of a particular race."
I do not believe that the male or female sex is superior, but I most definitely believe that sex is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities. A man is not able to birth a child. A woman will. A woman will enjoy verbal communication more and men will enjoy activity based fellowship. Are there exceptions? Sure there are. There are also albino squirrels, which does not mean that most squirrels are white.
People are different, women are different one from the other. But I think only someone who sticks their head in the sand is going to deny that there are inherent differences between men and women. So why do we need to treat them as if they are the same?
Do we need to treat them as equals? Absolutely. Men and women are worth just as much. Their humanity is equally precious. But they are not the same.