I'm a young woman living in a [white] male dominated world, and sexism is everywhere. In fact it's so common that I think I've just become numb to it, and I don't even notice blatant sexism sometimes.
I've never understood why woman are discriminated against, and why any human is seen to be lesser because of something they can't change. Me being a female doesn't make me any less capable than any man. Me being a female doesn't mean that I am any less than a man. Me being a female doesn't mean that I am any less entitled to being paid the same as a man for doing the same job.
This world enforces gender roles on girls and boys so easily, and it's so difficult to make any progress to abolishing sexism when impressionable children are being told what they can and can't do. As a child I was always told to play with the 'girls' toys and I was never played the traditional 'boy' games.
There is this myth that woman are less able than men because they are too 'emotional' or too 'indecisive' and this is simply not true. Have you ever met a woman who is on mission to do something? Nothing will get in her way.
Gender equality needs to happen, and it needs to happen for all genders. Men shouldn't be treated in a different way to women or to anyone of any gender (yes there are more than two genders, deal with it).
And a message to any people who call themselves feminists yet only notice the problems and daily struggles of white woman- educate yourself. 'White feminism' is not the way forward either. Acknowledge the individual struggles that WOC (women of colour) have to go through as well. Acknowledge the struggles of women in the LGBT+ community. Acknowledge the struggles of every women.
I thought I'd leave this spoken word poem which is directed at young girls that never fails to make me tear up (there's this part near the end). Watch it if you want to.
