With the pandemic still in full affect, a lot of other issues are overlooked, and that’s what I will be educating you about in my monthly homophobia/sexism/racism series. In this article, I’ll be focusing on the sexism and misogyny that’s still going on today.
First and foremost, it’s important to look into the history of women’s rights. Women were given the right to vote on Aug. 26, 1920, just over 100 years ago, in the Nineteenth Amendment, stating that women would not be denied their right to vote on account of sex. By now, it would seem that the gap between male and female would be nonexistent, or at least very small, but that isn’t the case. Yes, we’ve gotten better, but there are a lot of small ways that women aren’t equal to men. Everything between getting dress coded more often for no reason, to the pink tax, and the fact that women get paid less.
A few minor issues that should be easy to fix are usually just things society has to normalize. One of these things is that girls and women should be able to wear what they want. There are girls getting dress coded in schools for showing too much shoulder or their skirt/shorts are just a little bit too short.
“I understand why we have it… but, I kind of think it’s stupid,” sophomore Tatum Byars said.
Most of the time, the only people that they’re distracting are the adult teachers who should be more concerned about their job than what these girls are wearing. Their clothes shouldn’t even be distracting the students. These girls should be able to wear what they want without having a boy stare at them inappropriately or, in some cases, touch them.
This branches off into a lot of other issues, one of which being the fact that society, movies, and shows teach girls from an early age to fear men and do what they tell you to do. Most of the female population are scared to go out alone at night, just because they’re scared of being attacked. Most girls get unwanted catcalls on the streets that make them incredibly uncomfortable, just because they’re a woman.
Another example of an easily-fixed issue is that most items are better catered for men. Which brings me to the pink tax, which is a harder issue to fix.
The pink tax isn’t a literal tax, rather it’s the fact that “pink” items, or items made for girls and women, are more expensive than “blue” items, or items made for boys and men. Anything from baby diapers and bibs to colored tool kits and those blackhead strips for your nose, the items advertised for girls and women are a few dollars more expensive than those for boys and men.
“I think [the pink tax] is very sexist,” Byars said.
Which, in turn, makes literally no sense as women are still getting paid less than men. According to Wikipedia, an average woman only gets about 81%-82% of an average man’s salary. At the rate we’re going, it’ll take at least another hundred years to bridge the pay gap.
This is caused by gender roles and the fact that women are usually seen as staying home and caring for the kids, while men go out and work. This can be easily fixed by society normalizing stay-at-home-dads and women who provide for the family. Women who genuinely want to stay at home are also valid, while women who want to go out to work can as well. The government should hold more women in positions of power as well, as I don’t think it’s fair for rich old white men to decide the rights for everyone.
The general population is partly to blame for this, as they’re not electing women in positions of power. A lot of people might use the excuse that women get emotional, because of their menstrual cycles, but it is scientifically proven that during a menstrual cycle, a woman’s body releases more testosterone than usual. The general population should educate themselves when looking at candidates rather than choosing based on prejudice.
These are just a few of the issues going on with gender gaps today. You don’t have to dig too deep to find a lot of other problems within and around these big ones. To take a stand for equality, you can educate yourself and others about everything that’s happening. You can also attend peaceful (emphasis on peaceful) protests, speak out for women, and do little things to spread equality. I think everyone will want equality sooner rather than later.