I’m usually not the first one to stand up and raise my voice for the feminist movement, not because I don’t believe in it, but because I’ve always thought there were enough people blazing a trail for the cause.

However, today I read an article entitled, “I Am A Female And I Am So Over Feminists” and it made me realize it’s time to remove the tape I’ve put over my mouth and speak out on an issue too many people think is just a case of bored women complaining about what they already have.

If you haven’t read the article (and I think you should), it is one woman’s opinion on how feminism is a concept being “shoved down our throats.” Women have already come so far since the 80’s when we were barely present in the workforce, and we should just be content knowing that we have never been more respected and that “women have more rights in the United States than anywhere else in the world.”

That’s it. We’ve won the battle, right? Wrong.

I’m not trying to deny that women’s rights have come a long way in recent decades, but a move in the right direction doesn’t mean we’ve reached equality.

It’s true, we’re doing a “kick-ass” job breaking through the glass ceiling in the job force, but the fact is, when I walk into a job interview I have to be twice as qualified as my male competition if I want to be offered the position. I don’t think those women who work “hard to make a mark on today’s workforce” are doing so just so we “stop the complaining” and move on.

Being a feminist doesn’t mean “blaming men and society for how we ‘struggle,’” we aren’t asking for free handouts or for someone to give us what we don’t deserve, it means fighting for something we have earned, something we should already have.

I don’t think men are the root of all my problems as a woman, and I don’t think chivalry is a negative thing.

A man who recognizes my value as a woman and offers to open my door or pay for my dinner is someone who should be commended.

The problem starts when men assume that because they were nice to me, I owe them something in return. The problem continues when a man makes a woman believe that buying her dinner constitutes having sex with him.

I don’t think men are the inferior gender; in fact I need men. I have many great men in my life who encourage me, respect me and help me to be a better person.

In the article, the author talks about how men are stronger than women. “Our bodies are different. It’s not ‘inequality,’ it’s just science.” That may be, but science is no excuse for one gender to use their strength against another. No woman should have to fear going on a run through her neighborhood alone.

And if we do go out alone, and something happens to us, it won't do us any good to report it. How many sexual assault cases do you know of that have actually ended in justice?

Our culture has come a long way when it comes to gender equality, but the war isn’t over.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to have to explain to my future daughter that she’ll have to be twice as prepared as everyone else if she wants to be successful. And I never want to have to teach her what to do when someone catcalls her on the street.

We may have come a long way, but there is so much left to do. This is a battle that needs to be fought whether you’re “over it” or not.