yardstick

IPA: jˈɑrdstɪk

A measuring rod thirty-six inches (one yard) long.
(figuratively) A standard to which other measurements or comparisons are judged.

Examples of "yardstick" in Sentences

I was responding to the statement that English speakers don't like Spanish speakers and trying to convey that Americans who judge everything by a certain yardstick just don't understand what they are seeing when they see illegals doing certain things.
I got involved because I think people shouldn't be denied access to opportunity based on criteria that have nothing to do with their abilities -- whether the yardstick is the color of their skin or the economic circumstances of their parents (or, of course, their gender).