I will never say that women are inherently equal to men in Western society. If someone were to say that, then they are being misled; the truth is women are not equal. The pay gap between men and women is significant enough to warrant inherent inequality within our society.

Women have fought for hundreds of years for their equality, much like different races of individuals have as well. I do not believe that women should be treated differently than men; I am an egalitarian who inherently believes all should be looked at as equal. However, the reality is completely different, and this is why I loved feminist movements throughout history. Women's suffrage and the introduction of women into the workplace were huge landmarks within United States history. I am very happy that our society has become a safe haven for women to advance and better themselves.

With that being said, I am also not very fond of the modern feminist movement. In my opinion it seems that women aren't fighting the right battles anymore. Instead they are lashing out and producing their own types of double standards. I do not mean the entire movement, I am speaking about the micro level. In the macro level the pay gap must be fixed and the glass ceiling shattered.

However, I feel like the Western feminist movement is forgetting just how far they've come. In our society, today, women enjoy suffrage, sexual autonomy and can choose for themselves what religion or sexual conduct they partake in. This is not the case in every part of the world. Different cultures share different beliefs -- in this case, beliefs on the value of women in a society.

In Islamic societies, women do not share these individual freedoms with their Western counterparts. Women are valued by their virginity and are punished for public immodesty if they do not wear what is appropriate. This is like being told that women cannot wear a skirt in public. These cultural views are imposed by their prevalent religion within their theocratic states and within the Sharia Laws. These laws are horrible by western standards.

Women in countries enforced by Sharia Law do not share the immunities that women in our society take for granted. That is where I disagree with the western feminist movement. We are not doing enough to improve the lives of other women in different countries and cultures. Why is our main fight today about adding women to the draft cards when it should be to give women around the world the ability to work, become educated and have the opportunity to know what freedom is.

I live in the United States of America, a country that has dedicated its existence to fighting for equality and autonomy. Since the beginning we have fought for the belief that all are equal and we continue to fight for that today. We are the superpower of the world and we are the police force who strive to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Why now are we turning away from this fight? The only way to stop another culture from committing awful acts upon its people is to fight the very beliefs of that culture.

This is what we should be fighting for, global equality. Much like our own country, the social equality we spread to the world may never be perfect. But if we fight hard enough every day for what we know is right, then we will continue to improve and evolve into what we know the world can and should be.