Now more than ever is the time to stand up for women's rights. On Saturday, millions of women gathered and proudly attached feminist to a part of their identity. There are many reasons to become a feminist, and many find personal reasons they stand up for women's rights. But here are three simple reasons every woman should be proud to stand up for female equality.
1. Pay Gap
Twenty percent. Women are paid 20 percent less than men even when they occupy the same exact job. There are a few reasons for this, one being the glass ceiling effect. This means that women are not able to reach senior level positions, even when they have the same capabilities. In 2015, only 14 percent of top executives are female. Some may attribute this to education, knowledge, or skill, but the fact of the matter is that the current trend points towards more women attending higher level education. The American Association of University Women suggests that the pay gap will not be closed until 2059. I will be 60 years old and my mom will be 85. If we don’t do something now, we and younger girls will never achieve the pay we deserve and have a right to.
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2. Your Body, Your Choice
no matter what your religion, every woman should have the right to choose. No woman should be forced to do something she does not want to do; it’s as simple as that. Moreover, the defunding of Planned Parenthood is another reason woman should stand up protest. Many don’t realize that PP is primarily a healthcare provider for women specializing in family planning and breast screenings. Abortions are only 3 percent of what they do! Defunding PP would be taking away healthcare and resources for millions of women across America.
3. The Tampon Tax
Yes, there is a sales tax for the bundle of cotton you stick up your vagina for a week every month while you wonder why you have to deal with the excruciating pain of a period. No woman begged for her period to come every single month, and if you do then there’s something wrong with you. Yet, we have to pay double the price: paying for the pain of a period and for having to take care of it. Many have tried to fight the sales tax women pay on tampons, but no luck has come yet. We must keep fighting this unjust tax on a basic necessity for women, like food. Basically, women are being taxed for being women and preparing for procreation, and that needs to end.
