Without the strong women before us, we would be nothing. We would have nothing. Women wouldn't be able to work, vote, and so much more.

But rather than just be grateful for what they've done, I believe women should be working even harder for our future generations as well. Progress doesn't stop in the past. I recently read an article about being a girl who would rather raise a family than a feminist protest sign, so here are a few thoughts on that.

To the girls who would rather raise a family than a feminist protest sign:

The women of the past didn't get where we are today by choosing to submit to oppression. Many of them chose to raise families and join the feminist movement.

The beauty of a political movement is that the people that make it up come from so many diverse backgrounds: mothers, daughters, LGBTQ+, students, educators, and so much more. It is not just one type of woman. They fight because the progress we've made today isn't enough. As long as we live in a patriarchal society, we can't stop fighting the system.

Start by asking yourself why.

"Why are most head of households men?"

"Why did only 24% of women hold senior business roles globally in 2016?"

"Why do women only hold about 25% of computing jobs? And women under 25 in the tech industry earn on average 29% less than their male counterparts?"

"Why are certain jobs still stereotyped as male jobs and some are female jobs?"

If you believe we can stop fighting the system because you personally know more women than men in leadership roles, then you are just playing into your own bias.

What you see around you is not a representation of the whole country.

And while some states and towns are more progressive about women's rights and equality, we can't say that's true for most of the country, and especially in the workforce and government.

It's time to stop being selfish.

Many feminists are not targeting you and saying, "It's wrong to be a mother and to raise and love your children."

They are not there to fight other women, but to fight next to other women. They make strong statements about women in the workforce and obtaining power positions because of all of the women who don't get the choice to obtain these things, not to make the women who don't want them to feel bad.

They do it for the women who are pressured by their husbands to stay home, for the single mothers who want to be CEOs and not be considered a bad mother because they love their jobs and their children, and for the women who want to further their education and are told not to because they were always told their only job is "to get married, have kids, and support their husband in his career."

If you want to be a stay-at-home mom one day, then be a stay-at-home mom. As a woman, you were able to make that choice for yourself. Other women fight so that all women are able to make that choice on their own as well. So stop telling other women that their movement is unnecessary. Just because you are privileged enough to make the choice for yourself, does not mean every other woman is.

I have no problem being happily married with children one day AND having an amazing career.

As all political movements work, not everyone in the movement will agree with each other. Some women will believe that no woman should be tied down by a husband and kids, and others will have a happy family. The point is that no woman should have to suffer. No woman should stop believing in something so other women feel better about themselves.

And every woman should have a choice.

Never forget there is more than one side to a movement.

There is so much more to feminism than just supporting women who want more than just a family. These women who march are standing up for so much more. There are women who want more reproductive rights, the women who were abused/sexually harassed/assaulted who are standing up to make sure no one else is, there are the women who fight for workplace equality, the LGBTQ+ movement, and many more.

So next time, if you are someone who says to, "stop fighting the system," just remember that the system has so many more problems with it than the specific one you may find annoying, or than what meets the eye.