double standards
Rules applied inconsistently
Double standards, usually in the plural, are different rules or expectations applied to different people or groups in the same situation, typically in a way that favors one over another.
The term carries a negative connotation, implying unfairness or hypocrisy.
It's a double standard that men get praised for ambition while women get called aggressive.
The phrase often appears in discussions of gender, race, or social class where inconsistent treatment reveals bias.
- two-facednessDeceitful pretense of friendship
- hypocrisyPretense of virtue
- moral high groundPerceived position of righteousness
- duplicityDeliberate misleading behavior
- sanctimonyFeigned moral superiority
inconsistency · moving the goalposts · cherry picking · unfairness · unequal treatment · partiality · discrimination · inequity · glass ceiling · old boys club · favoritism · special treatment · sexism · misogyny · patriarchy · insincerity · virtue signaling · privilege
- injusticeinjustice, inequality, discrimination, bias, prejudice
- Victorianaseances, Dickens, spiritualism, Sherlock Holmes, phrenology
- insincerityinsincerity, phoniness, fakeness, falseness, pretense
- normsnorm, norms, standard, social norms, rule
- red flagsred flags, warning signs, warning, caution, alarm
- favoritismfavoritism, nepotism, cronyism, partiality, preferential treatment
double standardsconsistency
Reliable adherence to standards
equal treatment · uniform standards · fairness · even-handedness · level playing field
double standardsintegrity
Moral soundness and consistency
intellectual honesty · walking the talk · authenticity · sincerity · fairness
double standardsequity
Impartial treatment or ownership value
impartiality · fairness · justice · equal justice · blind justice
double, doubled, standards, doubling, substandard, doubles, standardize, redouble, standardization