Women have spent decades fighting for equal rights and these women have certainly come a long way.

In 1848, the first international women’s rights organization formed. The women’s suffrage movement began with the first women’s rights convention in the world the Seneca Falls Convention in New York. The convention was organized by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Staton.

In 1851, Staton was introduced to Susan B. Anthony. The three women worked together to form many organizations for women and to change laws all over the country.

So is it safe to say we’ve come a long way? I’d say so.

The question is do women in 2017 have equal rights to men?

One hundred years ago women were fighting for the right to vote. Today women still aren't hundred percent equal to men. Most people will chose to disagree with this statement thinking “women have too many rights” or “women want to be better than men.” None of this is true.

It is true though that women are still not one hundred percent equal to men.

There are many examples of this such as women's pay. According to author Suzanne Kelly author of "Women: Images and Realities" states women make .80 cents to every mans dollar. Hear that? Every hour women are paid .20 cents less than every man. It is even worse for black and latino women. They are paid about .60 cents to every mans dollar.

Did you know that one in five women in America get raped? Do you know how sad that is? If there is five women in a room there is a high chance that one of them has been a victim of sexual abuse.

Once again According to Kelly 80 percent of CEO’s for large companies are men. Most companies are run all by men.

In the Middle East, women are not allowed to go to school. Could you imagine being deprived of your education? In the Middle East, women also are forced into arranged marriages.

Women are judged for having multiple sex partners while a man is praised.

The list goes on.

So yeah, we’ve come a really long way.

I mean hey at least women can own property and vote now right?

Wrong.

There is no reason that a women should get paid less than a man.

There is no reason the sexual abuse rate should be so high.

There is no reason for companies to be all run by men.

There is no reason women shouldn’t be able to learn.

There is no reason for women to be forced into marriage.

We have come a long way, that is certainly a fact.

But we are not where we should be.

In 2017, women should be getting paid the same as men.

All these small stereotypes that no one notices like how a woman is known for “cleaning or being in the kitchen" need to stop.

People don’t realize even with the small phrases they say women are being degraded.

It needs to end today.