Throughout history, there has constantly been a struggle for equality. One of the longest running struggles is the difference between the two genders. The debate of equality has always sparked controversy and men have typically won in the fights.  I say it is time for a change! Males were, and to many today- are, considered to be of the superior gender, the stronger gender, and the more intelligent gender. Men have always earned more money, held better job positions and received more respect from society. According to a 2013 report by Institute For Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), “Women are almost half of the workforce. They are equal, if not main, breadwinner in four out of ten families. Yet, female full-time workers made only seventy-eight cents for every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of twenty-two percent.”
     

Women have been fighting to make a change for 167 years; however, IWPR estimates women will have to continue fighting for at least forty-four more years. Women’s Rights Movement began in 1848 when Elizabeth Cady Stanton met with other women to create a petition for equal rights. She, along with Susan B Anthony, ignited a spark in women who wanted to make a change but were too afraid to speak up. This event was just the beginning of the long journey for rights and equality. In the years since this revolutionary date, women have slowly accumulated more rights. Even in 2015 the two genders are not completely equal, however. Society learned to hide its faults and has trained people to ignore obvious injustices. The Center for American Progress designed an informational graph that displayed the extreme differences between male and female jobs. Women earn a whopping sixty percent of undergraduate and master’s degrees; yet, a miniscule fourteen-point-six percent of women are executive officers, and an even sadder eleven-point-nine percent of colored women hold managerial positions. With women earning a majority of the previously mentioned degrees, I find it unfair and rather concerning how few women hold important and high-paying jobs. From my perspective, it seems as though women are more intelligent because of the amount of degrees they have earned. Women of a non-Caucasian background receive less recognition and hold fewer high-level jobs. If racism is dead, why are these other, non-white-women facing such a struggle to find adequate work?
     

The individuals who believe in equal rights among women and men are called feminists. Before you scrunch your nose is disgust, I would like to properly explain feminism. According to the definition in the Miriam Webster Dictionary, feminism is, “The belief that men and women should have equal opportunities.” To me, feminism is a way for me to express my feelings about the gender inequalities. Feminism to me is a collection of women and some men who feel it is time for a change. Feminism is not an attack on men, but a giant question that challenges society and its beliefs. Women, who support the movement, receive a social marking and are harshly judged. Based on personal experiences, women who want rights are labeled as misandrists. Even in my age bracket, I have come to find that boys my age do not take my feelings about gender equality seriously. As I have grown older, I have noticed how males are being raised to feel entitled and females are being taught that men are superior. Young females who excel in school to try to improve her future awe me. The sad fact is; however, a woman pinned against a man in the battle for a job will most likely lose. A teacher of mine has even made a point in class about the fact that women have to try much harder than men for a job and how many females eventually reach a point in which they will never surpass their current position.
     

An unfortunate problem feminists face is the new group of “meninists.” The trend of men who want equality is an undermining movement to end feminists. Meninism originally started as a joke, but took a turn for the worst when it became a trending Twitter hashtag. Meninism is a way of poking fun of women trying to earn equality. Certain females have taken feminism too far and this caused Meninism to form as a backlash. Meninism makes me extremely upset because it is an example of how society hides its problems and encourages others to mock the problem and cause it to die down. Meninism is an attack on change and is a pathetic attempt to keep men in power. If others believe feminism to be a joke, it loses its power and effectiveness. The goal of Meninism is to take away the edge of feminism and destroy the hopes of equality. “Meninism to me,” is the introductory slogan used by supporters and a mockery of women’s feelings follows. Meninism to me is a sign that men are afraid of falling off their high horses. I think that men who support this fad fear that women really are making a change.
     

Times are changing and women are the future. I hope and believe that one-day females will conquer the gender discriminations and become equal with the opposite sex. I know that when I reach the age of requiring a job I will have to fight to prove myself worthy, but I am ready to give my all. I am a feminist and I am proud of it!