"This election draws into relief how women are penalized for not being perfect while men are rewarded for not being terrible." - Erin Gloria Ryan

Gender Ranking is the identifying of one gender above another and holding this gender to a higher, more powerful standard opposed to another. Sexism was never made one day, but instead formed over time. And before you say "it's the gender card again," please continue reading and hear me out.

In America, we do seemingly have it “better” than some other countries in the world. Our women can vote, and work, and wear what they want, dress how they want, go where they want, when they want. They can marry who they want and get a good education at the school they want. However, although we are seemingly “well off,” American women do have struggles to overcome.

I feel a good example of this is the current US election season. At first, I did not know how to feel about Hillary Clinton, but as a woman, I am angry for her. She is constantly forced to entertain, campaign against, and possibly lose to a man who is no where near her equal in the world of politics, professionalism, and success.

It is disheartening to watch her in these debates. She didn't get to be angry, she didn't get to scream “shut up” at him, she can’t say the things she has every right to say. She has to sit there and pretend that his irrational feelings and unsupported opinions are just as valid as the literal facts her research, prep, and experience have taught her.

For 90 minutes Hillary stood on the stage confidently demonstrating how prepared she is to be president. She demonstrated capability, knowledge, and calmness. She made an effort to actually form solutions to problems that are inclusive, hopeful, and possible.

For the same 90 minutes, Donald Trump stood at the podium and yelled belligerently into the microphone. His sentences were incongruous and if you really look back you'll see he managed to never actually answer the questions that were being asked. He speaks of the ads on TV being slanderous and mean against him, but also take the time to realize most ads against him are just a stringing together of video clips of him speaking.

Here we are now though. The debate is over. Hillary clearly won. She was organized, prepared, peaceful. She is confidently asking people to have trust in her to be doing something she literally has specialized in for decades. But the thing is the American people still aren’t convinced because "she's a liar" or "she has too many secrets."

Something about politics you should know is all politicians lie and every government official has secrets. She is a high-ranking government official. Obviously she’s keeping secrets. That is her job. If we knew every little thing that happened at the head of our government, we wouldn't even know what to do. School clubs have secrets on how they run, so why do you expect the United States federal government to be some open free for all of information?

Also, what exactly will happen if Hillary becomes President? What would be the worst thing that she could do for us? I have never actually heard specifically what she would do that would ruin our country beyond repair. Trump has made his platform based on the negativities he would cause, but no one can actually lay out specifics on what makes Hillary so scary, other than the fact that she’s overly qualified for the job she’s being interviewed for.

This is literally what frustrates American women in all 50 states every single day, but played out on the biggest national stage our country can provide. This election has reinforced that a man’s ignorance will still be given the same weight as a woman’s research. He can have emotional temper tantrums, outburst, interruptions, and if Hillary did the same thing, you know she would not have made it as far as she did in this election.

Look at the news. Just look at it. Look at what a possible leader of our country is saying. About your parents. About your siblings. About your child. About your friends. About your co-workers. About your neighbors. Look at what a possible leader of the United States thinks of over half the population. Think of all the people calling this man “honest” and “courageous” and tell me what you see. Because all the things he says, could reflect our country.

As many problems as I continue to have with her, I recognize that she deserved a more worthy opponent in this election than a man like Donald Trump, and of the two options, to me, she is clearly the best pick. And this is why I'm with her.