You are not the only one. Have you ever been put in an uncomfortable situation? Unfair maybe? Have you ever been treated less than how you deserve? Or maybe even singled out based on your gender or physical appearance? Have you ever had an individual attempt to take credit away from you and what you have earned and worked towards? Maybe even tried to belittle and break down your aspirations? Have you ever had your word not taken and meant for what it is? Well, you are not the only one. You are not alone. Women wake up every single day, to this very day, working twice as hard to prove themselves. To show the world how powerful we really are. To show those who are ignorant, that we are equals, that we are significant, that we are intelligent and strong-willed and worthy of acceptance and equality. That we will not be silenced. It is a constant battle with the outside world that the female population faces on a day-to-day basis. And quite honestly, I’m over it. It needs to end. The fact that we can’t use America and equal rights for everyone in the same sentence speaks for itself. The shear excuse, ‘It’s just the world we live in’, is pathetic enough. Our word means something. And it needs to be heard. We matter. We are equal. We make a difference every day. Frances Perkins. She was the first woman to serve on the U.S. cabinet. Susan Kare. She assisted Steve Jobs into making Mac more easily accessible. Roberta Gibb. She was told women were not physically able to run long distances in marathons, but took a stand and proved that ignorance wrong. Kamala Harris. She fights for complete equal rights for all and refuses to not allow her opinion to be heard. These women are just a minuscule amount of the astronomical number of women who have taken powerful stances and have either been almost unrecognized or not fully acknowledged or appreciated. The world we live in today should be a place of total respect. Not having to go into a workplace with the worry of being taken advantage of. The world we live in today should be a place that promotions and pay go to those who deserve it, based on their work ethic and not their gender. Not having to work your fingers to the bone, just to have that work be unappreciated and unrewarded. The world we live in today needs to realize women have fought hard to get to where they are. We are mothers, and daughters, and workers, and sisters, and friends, and politicians, and students, and equals. Nothing makes us separate. Nothing makes us more than anyone else but that does not make us less. It’s okay to have been affected by any of these things: it’s not your fault. What’s not okay is the stereotypes. The act of taking advantage: in any shape or form. It’s okay to have a voice and make it present and heard, no matter the potential consequences. What’s not okay is to make excuses. We are individuals with purpose and we are individuals with rights and neither should ever be taken away or diminished. And I hope, one day, we no longer are a population of ten million females subjected to domestic violence. One day, we are no longer earning 79 cents to a man’s dollar. We will no longer have others be the judge of our truth. We have to keep fighting and not let the downfalls halt our stride. We are no longer objectified and treated unfairly, in more ways than one. But above all, one day, I hope, we no longer have to say the words, ‘It’s just the world we live in’.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Monmouth chapter.