In history, women have been fighting constantly for equal rights. The women's suffrage movement dates back to 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution is one that granted women the right to vote in 1920. It was one of many different obstacles women were trying to overcome. Since then, modern times have shaped the way society looks at women. They have progressed throughout time and have broken the stereotype of leaving the man to be the breadwinner of the household. However, modern feminists believe there is still much more to fight for.
In the 2016 election, women across the nation spoke up about how voting for Trump was a vote against equality for women. Since then, it has been a constant battle of conservatives versus liberals over what women's rights actually look like. Specifically, a new hashtag is trending on different platforms of social media calling for the repeal of women's right to vote - #RepealThe19th.
Yes, this is a real thing.
How and when did this hashtag come about?
The origin of the hashtag actually dates back to 2016 around the time of the election. It was made almost as a joke among alt-rights to mock the lack of support Trump was getting from the majority of female voters. The hashtag began to circle around as an attempt to provoke a response out of women. The joke was supposed to trigger what alt-rights call "feminazis," a radical form of the term "feminist" that describes someone who supports the advocacy of women's rights on the basis of the equality of the sexes.
Why is it relevant now?
Nate Silver, a statistician known for analyzing elections, tweeted an election map that shows what would have happened in 2016 if only men had voted. The map shows Trump with 350 electoral college votes, leaving Hillary Clinton with 188. The hashtag came back out and is now starting to make an even bigger wave than before. Following shortly after, some people took the hashtag seriously and others took it more as a meme to make fun of the issue.
People have been using the fact that the hashtag is trending to their advantage and adding it to a post about why we need feminism now more than ever. Some are adding it to express how women are emotional creatures and should not be able to vote because of that reason. Some have even gone as far as to compare the repeal of the 19th amendment to the repeal and reform of the 2nd amendment, saying that alt-rights have no issue with taking away women's right to vote but will put up any fight they can when it comes to taking away their guns.
What does a gender gap in the polls mean?
A number of political journalists have taken to the idea of why this was all a big issue for President Trump and the facts are simple - to be able to win the election, he needs the vote of female voters.
What can we do moving forward?
If you have the ability to do so, then vote. As a man or a woman, you have the right to vote just as much as the American citizen next to you. If there is any change you wish to see in the world, use your voice. It matters. Every vote counts, especially your own.
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