It’s all hard. Life is hard. Work is hard. Taking care of your family is hard. Just taking care of your emotional well-being can be a challenging trial that makes everything else ten times harder. Women have come so far just to have a job, to vote and to have basic human rights. That’s why more and more women are taking a stand against it all. I’m not saying that every male is bad. They aren’t, but some have a bad habit of trying to maintain the old ways and put down women as if we are subjected to be traditional. We all want to be successful, why do you need to put someone down to get ahead?

But being a young woman in college working towards a degree is makes it a bit more difficult when you live in a patriarchal society. My female friends and I have had several conversations trying to understand how and why this world was made this way. Especially now that its 2016, we’re literally running around waving our arms trying to show how worthy we are. Here is the top three grievances women are subjected:

1. Seen as a sexual object:

“Guys are very emotional creatures trying to be completely the opposite. But there are signs that are very blatant. Whether you choose to see it or not, is up to you. However, it does not give them the right to walk around and objectify us. We are not pieces of meat for you to grab and devour. With that said, use caution and protect your heart. Seriously, protect your heart.”
-Jasmine, 26

2. You are just 'emotional' or 'angry if you stand up for yourself as an independent woman

“Hi I am a woman and I have a critical mindset. Please allow me to express myself. I may come off as aggressive, and I may come off angry, but whatever the case is I am allowed express myself.”
-Grace, 24

3. Treated as if we are inferior:

“I, myself, have been put down for not only being a hard of hearing person, but a young black woman. I have worked too hard to be the person that I am. Yes, I am someone who speaks grammatically correct. I am someone who is working towards an English degree, so that I can achieve my dreams of being a writer. I am a someone who can barely hear without her hearing aids. I am someone who wears braids down the length of her back. And yet, somehow, I am still seen as inferior. I refuse to bow down and be silent. I want to make my own path and be the independent woman that I strive to be.”
-Me, 22

We are young women learning the ways of the world and it doesn’t cease to amaze me that this continues to happen. As I previously said, not all guys act this way and not everyone in the world will feel this way. But something has to give and it won’t be us.