Everywhere we go, all humans carry with them personal biases. Whether those biases be against a particular race, sexuality, or gender, or in favor of one or all of those things, they are still there. These biases come from where we were raised and the way we were raised. These environments range from family values to religious beliefs. And once again, whether you realize it or not, everybody has some sort of bias. However, these biases can be much less harmful if an individual does not act on them. If he or she acts on this bias, then it can create a loop of hurtful actions, and in many cases, no consequences. This leads me to the feminist movement. Women have been treated differently than men since humans could first fathom the difference in gender. This comes in forms, including people believing they belonged to their husbands, not being able to join the army in the Civil War, to the gender pay gap that is still being fought against today. Women, in response to these actions, have decided to fight back. They organize marches to show their support for each other. They protest the toxic masculinity that they experience at work. They are even going the extra mile to teach young girls about their rights and how they should be treated. Women are not treated equally in the USA and in the rest of the world. They are silenced, mistreated, and given a smaller amount of opportunities, all of which sprout from the belief that they deserve to be treated as lesser because they are different than men. In my essay, I argue why women deserve rights and why they should be treated equally.
Especially in modern media, women are being told to not speak their minds or to 'keep quiet'. Up until the 1920s, women were denied the right to vote. In those times, their husbands would make a decision for the family on who they would support in the elections. “I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand”, Susan B. Anthoney said once. Susan B. Anthoney was very much ahead of her time. She was a feminist in the 1800s. Her quote is an example of how women were being treated, and how she believes they should be treated. Unfortunately, not everyone agreed or agrees with Anthoney. As stated in ''No Votes Thank You' - Lord Curzon of Kedleston and the Anti-Suffrage Movement', “Anti-suffragism was rooted in popular prejudices, and especially in a deep-rooted fear of women becoming ‘masculinized’ by their entry into political life”. Lord Curzon was a British viceroy of India. He is only one of the people who disagreed with Woman’s Suffrage. This quote from National Trust shows his attitude towards suffrage. While he did not say this directly, he has been quoted as saying “No Votes Thank You”. These two people are on the opposite side of the spectrum. Their views can show these two sides accurately and demonstrate how divided people were over this issue. In 1920, women finally gained their right to vote.
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You can classify suffrage and the act of opposing it as not only women being silenced but as mistreatment and a violation of their rights. Many women have unfortunately endured abuse. This abuse can come from many outlets, ranging from work to home. It can also be physical or emotional. “The scars from mental cruelty can be as deep and long-lasting as wounds from punches or slaps but are often not as obvious. In fact, even among women who have experienced violence from a partner, half or more report that the man’s emotional abuse is what is causing them the greatest harm”, said Lundy Bancroft. This quote is able to describe the kind of harm that some women go through. And many people dismiss these allegations. One of the main debates going on in America right now is President Trump’s treatment of women. As stated by Amanda Carpenter in 'Trump's Treatment of Women Was His Original Abuse of Power', “Anyone who has observed Trump can see he has always sought to abuse his power and influence. The women who came forward in 2016 tried to warn us about the harm he was capable of. Just think of how much suffering would have been prevented if we had listened”. This quote gives a second example of the mistreatment of women. However, this quote gives us the actions of someone who denies their mistreatment of women. President Trump has been quoted saying, “I have tremendous respect for women and the many roles they serve that are vital to the fabric of our society and our economy” (Blake, Aaron, 'Analysis| 21 Times Donald Trump Has Assured Us He Respects Women', The Washington Post, 28 Apr. 2019). This quote shows that denial. If these allegations of mistreatment of women are true, then this is an example of the mistreatment of women and the denial of such actions.
It is almost undoubtedly that women are given a smaller amount of opportunities than men. And not only in this country. They have fewer opportunities all over the world. In Saudi Arabia, up until 2018, women were not allowed to drive. In America, one of the biggest issues facing the country is the gender pay gap. “When I joined four teammates in filing a wage-discrimination complaint against U.S. Soccer late last month, it had nothing to do with how much I love to play for my country. It had everything to do with what's right and what's fair and with upholding a fundamental American concept: 'Equal pay for equal play'”, noted Carli Lloyd. Carli Lloyd is a player on the U.S. women’s soccer team, who has continued to fight against the gender pay gap. This quote from her can demonstrate their mission and how she views the gender pay gap. Her perspectives represent what Barak Obama was trying to do as president. Unfortunately, a lot of the progress he made was reversed by President Trump. With both legislation and his own actions. We need to be taking steps toward eliminating the gender pay gap, as this will allow women to have more opportunities.
I have yet to bring up the important point that the feminist movement has been taking off more rapidly for the past century. These perspectives, stats, and quotations were meant to show both sides of that argument. I began writing taking about bias and how we carry that with us everywhere we go. I apologize if I have let my own bias and opinions slip into my writing, but it only proves the point. We need to begin looking at gender as something that doesn't define people if they wish it not to. We need to be looking at people as people first. If we achieve this, we can solve so many problems. One of those being women’s rights. As it has and as it now stands, women are silenced, mistreated, and not given as many opportunities. I believe that if we work hard enough, we can change that. We can begin to reverse some of the things we have done to put them in this position. I will leave you with this thought. Why should we be waiting to give people respect and equality?
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