She Is a Person Too
Rhea Sharma
“We cannot succeed when half of us are held back”, said Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist for girls’ education. And by half of us, she means women. As students in school, we all learn about women’s battles from the past for voting rights, equal respect, even representation. But when looking into today’s modernized world, yes, societal conditions have improved for women, but they are nowhere near as open and free as men have it.
Injustice to women is seen everywhere, and a prime area to find women being treated unfairly is just in the ordinary workplace. How many of you have been told you can’t do something? A few? Well now imagine that you have worked really, hard for a solid education and got a stable job at an excellent company. Yet your perseverance and loyalty aren’t appreciated as much as they should be and even your biggest and best ideas are put down. Why? Because you’re a woman. This happens with many people all around America and the world, sometimes even in the greatest environments. Women might hear “Yeah, yeah that’s okay, but look at how powerful his presentation is!”. Who says women can’t be full of power?
Now, along with the usual sexist remarks against a woman’s ability and being put down even for an amazing idea, credit and payment aren’t very equal either. Although it has been over 50 years since the Equal Pay Act of 1963 was established, the law isn’t fully being enforced or being put into action.
Another aspect of equal rights that doesn’t usually come to mind is the societal standards and stereotypes that women are put through. Most of us have heard somebody reference to the term “a dream girl” or have seen advertisements all around that portray this idea of how flawless a girl should appear. Skinny waist, perfect hair, curved hips, zero acne, tanned skin, hairless legs; the list goes on and on. From young teens to grown adults, women everywhere are pushed by society’s endless criteria to look perfect. Is this really what women should be put through? Do they need to try and fit into an ideal description just to please others and be liked?
Commercials are a great example to show how much more a woman is shaped to look “better”. Girls in ads may be exposing skin, looking delicate, and perfectly groomed down to every detail. Men, on the other hand, look more natural, confident, are fully clothed, and might not even have to shave. This is just one example of how women have more standards of beauty and looks than men. Stereotyping women more is just as good as taking away their right to look however they want without being judged. Oh, she’s wearing sweats and loose clothes? She’s trying to hide her weight. Oh my god, she’s wearing a short dress? Now she’s a try-hard. A little extra makeup? What a wannabe. Most of the time, people don’t even realize that they are judging girls simply based on their expectations of a woman’s appearance.
Adding to the stereotype, women are underestimated in many tasks – everywhere and every day! Even the littlest girls hear objectified expressions such as “You’re pretty good for a girl” or “Guys go easy on her, she’s a girl”. What’s that supposed to mean? Girls are human too. We can run. We can jump. We can play sports, win competitions, receive awards. Still, so many people underestimate women and think they aren’t capable. There are so many mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends that have brilliant ideas but still can’t express themselves because of all the opportunities that these stereotypes and standards keep from coming to them.
A more recent realization regarding elections is influencing women to move forward and stand up for positions in politics. Women’s presence and representation in politics has always been significantly lower than men’s. However, the number of women in politics has started to improve and increase. Even though all the states are very far from equal representation, many women have started gaining the courage to run for positions.
Not only that, more and more women are joining the protests and marches held in multiple areas to fight for causes they believe in. In the past, The Suffrage Movement brought attention to women’s voting rights and The March for Women’s Lives targeted the anti-abortion policies. Now, there’s a new wave of enthusiasm that’s working to add to the already present causes. The #MeToo Movement, political injustice, immigration, employment, and discrimination are some striking roots to the non-violent protests. Just like Gandhi and MLK’s morals, women use peaceful marches, gatherings, and even give speeches to empower each other and bring attention to their beliefs. In addition, many organizations are supporting women and motivating them to step up and take charge. Women’s March, WriteGirl, Girl Up, and She Should Run are just a few foundations that give women the strength to act.
Some people may say that men often are put into the more difficult jobs, but when looking more closely at how this happens, women are still stereotyped as incapable and weak, along with wages still as a major problem. When most women are already under pressure playing the common roles of mother and housewife, do people even expect them to have their own freedom, let alone a job?
All these protests, marches, organizations, leaders, and activists are moving towards one goal; equality. By spreading the word and bringing attention to the unjust matters taking place, we can change laws and make amendments to our society. When an equal environment is created, women and men can prosper and lead together. After all, gender equality isn’t just a women’s issue, it’s a human issue. It affects us all.
Injustice to women is seen everywhere, and a prime area to find women being treated unfairly is just in the ordinary workplace. How many of you have been told you can’t do something? A few? Well now imagine that you have worked really, hard for a solid education and got a stable job at an excellent company. Yet your perseverance and loyalty aren’t appreciated as much as they should be and even your biggest and best ideas are put down. Why? Because you’re a woman. This happens with many people all around America and the world, sometimes even in the greatest environments. Women might hear “Yeah, yeah that’s okay, but look at how powerful his presentation is!”. Who says women can’t be full of power?
Now, along with the usual sexist remarks against a woman’s ability and being put down even for an amazing idea, credit and payment aren’t very equal either. Although it has been over 50 years since the Equal Pay Act of 1963 was established, the law isn’t fully being enforced or being put into action.
Another aspect of equal rights that doesn’t usually come to mind is the societal standards and stereotypes that women are put through. Most of us have heard somebody reference to the term “a dream girl” or have seen advertisements all around that portray this idea of how flawless a girl should appear. Skinny waist, perfect hair, curved hips, zero acne, tanned skin, hairless legs; the list goes on and on. From young teens to grown adults, women everywhere are pushed by society’s endless criteria to look perfect. Is this really what women should be put through? Do they need to try and fit into an ideal description just to please others and be liked?
Commercials are a great example to show how much more a woman is shaped to look “better”. Girls in ads may be exposing skin, looking delicate, and perfectly groomed down to every detail. Men, on the other hand, look more natural, confident, are fully clothed, and might not even have to shave. This is just one example of how women have more standards of beauty and looks than men. Stereotyping women more is just as good as taking away their right to look however they want without being judged. Oh, she’s wearing sweats and loose clothes? She’s trying to hide her weight. Oh my god, she’s wearing a short dress? Now she’s a try-hard. A little extra makeup? What a wannabe. Most of the time, people don’t even realize that they are judging girls simply based on their expectations of a woman’s appearance.
Adding to the stereotype, women are underestimated in many tasks – everywhere and every day! Even the littlest girls hear objectified expressions such as “You’re pretty good for a girl” or “Guys go easy on her, she’s a girl”. What’s that supposed to mean? Girls are human too. We can run. We can jump. We can play sports, win competitions, receive awards. Still, so many people underestimate women and think they aren’t capable. There are so many mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends that have brilliant ideas but still can’t express themselves because of all the opportunities that these stereotypes and standards keep from coming to them.
A more recent realization regarding elections is influencing women to move forward and stand up for positions in politics. Women’s presence and representation in politics has always been significantly lower than men’s. However, the number of women in politics has started to improve and increase. Even though all the states are very far from equal representation, many women have started gaining the courage to run for positions.
Not only that, more and more women are joining the protests and marches held in multiple areas to fight for causes they believe in. In the past, The Suffrage Movement brought attention to women’s voting rights and The March for Women’s Lives targeted the anti-abortion policies. Now, there’s a new wave of enthusiasm that’s working to add to the already present causes. The #MeToo Movement, political injustice, immigration, employment, and discrimination are some striking roots to the non-violent protests. Just like Gandhi and MLK’s morals, women use peaceful marches, gatherings, and even give speeches to empower each other and bring attention to their beliefs. In addition, many organizations are supporting women and motivating them to step up and take charge. Women’s March, WriteGirl, Girl Up, and She Should Run are just a few foundations that give women the strength to act.
Some people may say that men often are put into the more difficult jobs, but when looking more closely at how this happens, women are still stereotyped as incapable and weak, along with wages still as a major problem. When most women are already under pressure playing the common roles of mother and housewife, do people even expect them to have their own freedom, let alone a job?
All these protests, marches, organizations, leaders, and activists are moving towards one goal; equality. By spreading the word and bringing attention to the unjust matters taking place, we can change laws and make amendments to our society. When an equal environment is created, women and men can prosper and lead together. After all, gender equality isn’t just a women’s issue, it’s a human issue. It affects us all.