On the basis of sex.

Whether it may be culture, society, or religion— sex plays a detrimental role of who you are, what you do, and how you’re treated. Growing up in a society where a woman’s light is dimmed by those of the men who rule the work place, home, and evidently the world as a whole, this places females in this gray area. This gray area that there is no instruction manual on how to get out of— a gray area that no mother has the answer to, or no father has the guts to utter. Whether or not you classify yourself as a feminist, each and every one of us has a woman in our lives that we at least have an inch of sympathy and compassion for, an inch that eventually will become a foot, and a foot eventually a meter. And with that inch, we build a generation of half decent people who are sympathetic enough to lend a care or two towards woman’s rights. Of course, with all the respect to countless officials, lawmakers and people of the senate, on paper, woman are just as equal as men. In terms of, acquiring credit cards in our names instead the names of our husbands, or landing a job in a predominantly male work space.

Throughout the years, women have come a long way in terms of breaking boundaries and re-writing herstory. But, for some reason, we’re still not taken as seriously. For example, if a woman was to provide for her family while the man carries the weight of the home and responsibility of the children on his back, it is such a taboo, even in the twenty first century, it is still looked down upon, and for what good reason, because a mans masculinity or pride can’t handle the job of a woman or is it that woman cannot take care of their families on their own financially. Aside from the taboo and misconstruct of our society, women always have been and always will be mistreated, by society and the world as a whole. But this isn’t a cry for help, or an epiphany to have, this is a reminder that no matter the construct of how things are, how things used to be, or how things eventually will be, women always have and always will be the basis and foundation of each and every civilization, society, city, town, and country. Because whether or not she stands on the stage, she is behind every man that is. Every mother’s foundation, every grandmothers imprint, every aunts stamp, every first loves impact, men cannot live without woman. And for the all the feminists who cannot agree that the same goes for women, it’s time to change your title to an extremist. Because a feminist is not one who places the rights of women above men, they are one who place them at the same exact standard. Because just how behind every great man lies a woman, for every great woman lies a man. Because we were created as equals, why else would god have Eve tag along with Adam if he only wanted Adam to run the world. Whether or not you believe in religion or god, the idea is crystal clear, both men and woman were put on this earth to compliment the other, not compete with the other. Because a mans strengths may be a woman’s weakness, the same as a woman’s strength may be a mans weakness. What we will not do however, is decide these strengths and weakness for women, because that is their job and their job only. Women are the rulers of their bodies, their decisions, and their lives. And no man can ever change that. So to every man who never wants his daughter to be mistreated, or his wife to be taken advantage of, or his mom to be made fun of, treat women the same way you’d want the women in your life to be treated. Because without change, everything said here today, are just words. Words that eventually lose meaning over time, so just let this be a constant reminder, that the way you treat a woman can define the rest of her life. Think of it this way, for every woman mistreated, manifests into a warrior of change. Rosa parks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and so many more, mistreatment turned into lessons learned, lessons that changed the lives of women all over the world. In a way that can pose as contradictory, but the point here is, instead of tearing down women, raise them up — on a pedestal so high you can’t even see them anymore. Raise your daughters to fend for themselves, not to rely on a man to do it for them. Teach your sons that women are their partners and equals not just beings who will take place of their moms, teach your children that both men and women were created equally therefore they should be treated equally and then maybe just maybe, we’ll see change. Because there is no point to standing up for women’s rights if you don’t have the guts to implement them in your own household.

And to every woman who has been brought down by a man, just remember, people only ever hate and bring down people who are above them. So congratulations to you for having the power to intimidate a man to such an extreme. You are strong, you are fierce, and you will make it to where you want to be. Because regardless of what that man said, it is in your hands to give him the power to make it true. So use your power. Use your voice. Stay strong, and rise above the hate, because you are more than capable of it, you were born to do it.

On the basis of sex, women and men were created and should rightfully, lawfully, morally, and ethically be treated as equals. It is in the power vested in us as the new generation to overturn and eradicate archaic ideals and ways that place women beneath men, and to advocate for equality, because if there was a cure for a better world, I assure you this is it. Imagine living in a world where it is not a ground breaking news line that a woman is running for president or that laws have been created condemning a woman to have freedom over her own body and what she chooses to do with it. Imagine a world where young girls never had to experience inequality of discrimination based on sex. Imagine a world where little boys weren’t raised to believe they have even the slightest bit of superiority over a woman. Imagine a world where sexism didn’t exist and equality wasn’t something that had to be fought for. Instead of imagining, lets make it a reality, because this isn’t a project that can be funded, or a venture that could be pitched and advertised. All you have to do, is change yourself, your mindset, and your attitude towards things. Educate men and woman on the perils of inequality and sexism, implement such ideals in your own homes. And eventually, we won’t have to imagine anymore.