The Fight For Respect
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Politics

The Fight For Respect

It all starts with us.

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The Fight For Respect
jaypitsby / Flickr

I wonder who decided that women were less than men. I want to know who thought that male genitalia made men smarter, stronger and just all around better than females. It is such a common thing in history and as far as we can go, women have always been treated as inferior to men. Women were instructed to go in the kitchen and cook or take care of the kids because I mean what else can we do, am I right? Honestly, when the early 20th century came about, we started to make a lot of progress as women and it hasn't stopped since then but that doesn't mean we're done.

Women are free spirits, we work where we want, when we want and how much we want. (Even though there is a constant fuss about women being in positions of power). Then there is the constant fight about women getting paid less. Some people argue that's it's 80 cents to a man's dollar; others say the wage gap doesn't exist. It took me a while to fully notice this but when it comes to the wage gap, it's in the career jobs, the ones that you work your butt off for. They're the top jobs, even some starting jobs have the wage gap implanted in their business tactics. Statistics from the AAUW's The Simple Truth about the Gender Pay Gap shows that women get paid less than men depending on their race and how old they are.

The biggest issue is that women's bodies are still not fully theirs, in so many ways. We worked for so long to have all these rights to be equal to our male counterparts and here we are, struggling to have the right to our bodies; the right to have an abortion or the freedom to have a period and not have people's opinions involved. While abortion may not be something that a lot of people have to go through, it is terrible that so many years later, a group of men want to take that away from us just because they don't like the idea of killing an unborn child. Maybe it's the fact that we can get one, but not without your husband's signature because he's the one that'll carry the baby for nine months. People with no vaginas shouldn't get a chair at the vagina council.

The opposite side to this is men and their constant necessity to comment on women's periods. Us having periods doesn't make us weak and it is so tiring having to hear, "you get it every month, shouldn't you be used to the pain by now?" It's like boxers, they fight and fight but that doesn't mean a punch won't hurt them. There is also the constant over-sexualization of women — the fact that jokes are made about women and their bodies being toys to people. The sex jokes that aren't funny at all and the rape jokes that are really difficult to stomach is still a problem that women face every day. The fear that I know women all over the world feel when they're walking home. The kind of fear that makes you put your hood on or constantly turn around or give yourself wolverine hands with your keys.

We've still got a long fight to go until we are equal and properly respected in society but hopefully, it is one that teaches more than it shuns. One that helps others understand that what they're doing or saying is wrong and can be harmful to others. It all starts with us.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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