I need to be a better woman.

I don't need to be a better woman for my partner, nor for my male friends, nor for my family. I need to be a better woman for other women. We all do.

Some of you may not know what I'm talking about. With all of the recent allegations of sexual assault happening in media lately, with all of the derogatory comments I'm seeing about women, I can't help but stop and think that we need to be better to each other.

Whether it's blaming the victim, the other woman, or hating the girl who got the job you wanted, we can't keep doing this to each other. I've heard a woman call another woman "bitch," "slut," or "c*nt," every day for the past week and I'm very tired of it.

You don't have to be a feminist to grasp this (though I do think every woman should be a feminist). Calling other women names and using horrible stereotypes to tear them down should not be a thing whether you're a feminist, a conservative, a traditionalist, a Christian, or an atheist. It angers me and saddens me that women still think this way about other women.

Instead of calling a woman a name or talking about her behind her back, ask yourself why you're upset. Are you upset because your boyfriend talks to her a little too much? Talk to him about it. Are you upset because she got that promotion? Ask yourself why she got it instead of you. We cannot afford to keep attacking other women over our own insecurities.

We've been taught to pit ourselves against other women because it's convenient. If all women supported each other, no one would dare touch a woman in a non-consensual way.

Support women in whatever choices they make. A woman doesn't want kids? Support her. A woman wants five kids? Support her. We already get enough criticism from the men in our lives.

Don't agree with a woman's politics? Oh well, she probably doesn't agree with yours. No need to call her a baby killer. You don't need to call her a "libtard" either, nor does she need to be calling you names.

Your political ideology should have nothing to do with how you treat other women. Even the most conservative woman should honor women because of the values you hold. Do you honor life? Women create life. Do you honor marriage? Well, without women, opposite-sex marriage wouldn't happen. Women are integral no matter who you are.

So I propose this: stop using slurs. Stop taking out your frustration on other women. Stop using negative language when you describe other women, and stop blaming other women for your short comings.