Sexism and Racism

Sexism in China...yes it is prevalent here, believe it or not.
Now I can't say that I have been a "victim" of sexism, victim probably isn't the correct usage of this word in this context, but I can't think of a better word at this moment.


I have felt different in China than in America, as a woman. I feel that woman are looked down upon, I feel inferior, and this is not something that I am used to feeling.


For instance:
I have gone to the gym at Beijing University on a regular basis. All of the trainers are men, and most of the people who teach the classes are men. 
When I go into the weight room, there are NO women. I go to grab some weights that are just thrown all over the floor, I have to search for the correct weights. When I go to grab the weights I feel like ALL eyes are on me, all the men are staring at me. As I proceed to lift weights, it's almost as if an alien is lifting weights in the gym.
Now I am also going to give credit to the fact that this could just be my perception, but I know that it is not only me, because my classmates have felt this way also in the gym. 


In my calligraphy class, my teacher knows that I am capable of speaking Chinese, but he never really speaks to me in Chinese. 
One day, one of the boys on our program decide to try out the calligraphy class, the teacher just went off speaking Chinese to him, and his Chinese is at the basic level, while I have been studying Chinese for more than 2 years and I am at the intermediate level.
This made me think that my teacher thought that a boy would be more capable of speaking Chinese than  a girl.


Who knows if these are accurate perceptions, of what was actually going through these people's minds. All I know is how it felt in my perspective.


I know that there is sexism here though, especially with the rates of female abortions because of the one child policy.


Racism:
I have not experienced direct racism.
But  I now know what it feels like to be the minority in a country.
America sometimes feels like a melting pot, with the majority of people being Caucasian. China however , consists mostly of Chinese people.
I now know what it feels like to question if something is happening to me because of my race or because it just happens to everyone. I now have greater sympathy for people as minorities, I have felt something that I have never felt being a majority in America. 
I am not saying that I have experienced someone being racist towards me, but I have experienced what a lot of minorities have:
Are they doing this to me because of my race, or because they just don't like me as a person?