by Blaise Stone
White women were not granted suffrage until the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, nearly 130 years after white men were able to vote. White men naturally got the right while women endured a century-long reform movement full of protests and disobedience to the strict gender roles that were restraining their rights. Furthermore, black women largely remained disenfranchised until the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which outlawed discriminatory voting practices. Despite having the vote, women today still struggle to receive the same level of dignity and the same amount of opportunities as men. Here are some examples of how equality has not been achieved: women receive 80 cents for every dollar men receive, women make up nearly 51 percent of the U.S. population but only 25 percent of the Senate and 23 percent of the House, women overall are at a greater risk of rape and domestic violence, women pay more for common household items than men do, in the majority of companies women remain underrepresented in board members and CEOS (At Fortune 500 companies, women currently account for just 25.4 percent of board members and 6.6 percent of CEOs). The fight continues today and will not end until women are justly equal to men.
Now that all American citizens can vote, we must use that ability to help achieve gender equality. That starts a president who will advocate for women’s rights and who will be a respectful ally. Donald Trump has countless times spoken inappropriately and pervertedly about many women including his own daughter, Ivanka Trump. He continues to oversexualize women and has over 25 sexual assault allegations. There is no way women will gain more rights if we are perceived by our president as, in his own words, “dogs” and “pigs”. If elected, Joe Biden plans to pursue an aggressive and comprehensive plan to further women’s economic and physical security and ensure that women can fully exercise their civil rights. Teaming up with a woman of color, Kamala Harris for Vice President, truly shows where he stands on gender equality. Though it cannot be ignored that Joe Biden also has 8 sexual assault allegations, Biden actually has an agenda for womens rights and is the lesser of two evils compared to the misogynistic Trump who merely tweets disrespectfully about women. A vote for anyone but Biden is a vote for Trump to continue in office. If you truly believe in equal rights, voting for Trump only puts women at a greater risk to continue being the inferior gender among men. If you are eligible, use your vote to help end sexism and gender inequality once and for all.
Sources:
https://www.marieclaire.com/politics/news/a15652/gender-inequality-stats/
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/news/a44629/donald-trump-insults-women/
At a Glance 