Part II: Overview

This experience is one of many that has shaped my life differently than it would have for a male in the same situation. Being a woman is a large part of who I am; I enjoy my gender and feel empowered by it, even though it is the same reason I face many injustices and sometimes begin the race ten feet behind the starting line. There are many unfair things to being a woman, whether it is discrimination in professional life like the workplace, in politics, or through societal norms. The 2017 Women’s March, where people were protesting the election’s results because of what that means for women, The 1976 Equal Rights Amendment Marches, where women were protesting the states resisting the E.R.A., The 1913 Suffrage Movement, where women campaigned the right to vote, and many other examples show women coming together to fight for a common goal. These rallies, which include women from all over the country, and even in some cases the globe, demonstrate the overwhelmingly powerful force that can come from women uniting to achieve the goal of fighting injustice. Throughout a female’s life, it is impossible to not experience chauvinism. It occurs in professional places, in day-to-day activities, and even when doing the most simple tasks where it would never register that gender could make that big of a difference. Even with all of these hardships females have do ordeal, by rising above the hate and ignorance while continuing to feed from inner power and belief, it is possible to improve the bias for generations to come. Change is necessary, and like Martin Luther King Jr. said, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” (King 1963). To receive the freedom to be treated as equals, we must force a change through education and advocacy to better the situation now, and more importantly, instill that justice for the future.

Click for Part III: Gender Inequality in Politics