“Why doesn’t a woman need a watch? Because there is one on the stove.” Every guy has a similar joke that is demeaning towards women. It is a sad fact in this country, men and women are not treated as equals.

Throughout history women have been treated as property-unintelligent and inferior. Women did not even gain the right to vote until 1920 because they were thought to be too stupid and would make unintelligent decisions. This right came 50 years after African Americans gained the right to vote.

Since then, women have made great gains toward becoming equals with men. Slowly but surely they have developed more facets to their lives than simply running a home and raising children (though this is a challenging job). Even though women have joined the workforce more and more, there is still inequality in the workplace. Women who work full time only earn 77 cents to every dollar earned by a man while performing 60% of all the work according to In Conflict and Order: Understanding Society.

In addition to doing 60% of the work, women are still expected to run a household and do a majority of the housework after working a full day at their job. A working mom then comes home and puts in a second shift at home such as cleaning, cooking and taking care of children.

There is inequality in classrooms as well. Boys tend to get more attention in school than girls do, usually because boys have an overabundance of energy and have more issues following classroom rules. Counselors also inadvertently channel students into gender-specific classes, majors and careers. At LHS, how many times do counselors suggest boys take child development and parenting and how often do they suggest girls take a shop class? This is not fair for either gender because students do not take classes they enjoy. Instead they takes classes they “should” take because the people in this society tell them that it is what a “man” or a “woman” “should” do.

Since women gained the right to vote, laws have been passed in attempt to give men and women equal footing. In 1963, the Equal Pay Act was passed (obviously not being upheld as previously stated); 1978 the Pregnancy Discrimination Act was inacted and in 1974 the Educational Amendments Act became law. Even with these gains, there was still inequality in the legal system and society.

Gender inequality not only affects women. It forces men to be overly masculine, engage in high-risk activities and seek control over others. This is also linked with suicide, violence, stress and illness. Because men have to control others to be masculine, it limits their ability to form intimate and trusting relationships according to In Conflict and Order: Understanding Society.

There is no reason for men and women to not be equal. Women are no less intelligent than men and have no less ability than men. If men and women are equal, it would decrease both their stress levels and allow them to develop the relationships most people desire.

Amanda Blenden
-Co-managing Editor