What term describes actions that negatively affect someone based on their gender?

The term that describes actions that negatively affect someone based on their gender is gender discrimination. This concept encompasses a range of unfair treatment practices that result from biases against an individual's gender, leading to disadvantages in various areas such as employment, education, and social situations. Gender discrimination can manifest in overt actions, policies, or behaviors that treat people unfavorably solely because of their gender.

Understanding this term is essential, especially in the context of equal opportunity efforts, as it highlights the obstacles certain groups may face. On the other hand, terms like gender bias and gender favoritism do not directly carry the implication of negatively affecting someone; instead, gender bias refers to a predisposition that may lead to discrimination, while gender favoritism indicates preferential treatment towards one gender over the other, rather than a negative impact. Gender equality, meanwhile, refers to the state of having equal rights, responsibilities, and opportunities for all genders, which stands in contrast to the notion of discrimination.

Overall, gender discrimination specifically addresses the adverse implications of actions grounded in gender, making it the most accurate choice for this question.