Centuries-old literature portrayed women as fragile beings that only have two functions in life: to bear children and to serve men. We have gone a long way from not being able to own land, open our own bank account, or get this, pay our own drinks in a pub! Fortunately, we can now get jobs that we weren’t thought capable of, like being successful accountants, lawyers, and journalists. Yet, despite all these changes, the gap still clearly exists – even 100+ years later.
Inequality, still.
The 1970 Equal Pay Act paved the way for better wages for women, but why are we still fighting for it today?
I, myself, have experienced this in my past career when I found out that I was paid less than my male counterpart who had a similar skill level and expertise. Sadly, as most women do, I turned a blind eye, hoping that one day my employer would recognise my value. Of course, that didn’t happen. I did get the chance to express my sentiments when I resigned and yes, they made a counteroffer: a higher position and salary. Nevertheless, I stood my ground. l said what I had to say, encouraging the management to make some changes.
Have you also noticed that we grew up in a society where strong, powerful men are idolised, while women in power are called bitches? At work, we are judged for the way we dress and how we look, not our skills. We work twice as much to be noticed and to reach the top of the career ladder, whilst it takes half the time for our counterparts to do so. Read “Men have been promoted 3 times more than women during the pandemic, study finds”.
On the other hand, we can finally report domestic violence to the authorities, but the fear still reigns. Domestic abuse has been more rampant during the pandemic and even though women technically have the right to report, we are still afraid that no one will believe us and will be victim-blamed — and for good reason. Read “Why victim-survivors don’t report domestic violence”.
Before 2013, did you know that French women were forbidden to wear trousers? I guess that’s one step towards equality, but why do educational institutions these days still ban students (even kids in grade school) from wearing certain types of clothing? Authorities urge parents that “It’s for your children’s safety,” but is it really? Shouldn’t we be educating these young impressionable boys that the female body shouldn’t be sexually objectified? Imagine what kind of men they would grow up to be with these rules set against girls.
A fighting chance.
Lo and behold, for a society so advanced and intelligent enough to travel galaxies and build AI, we disregarded what really matters – humanity. Be it gender and race equality or LGBTQ+ acceptance, we are light years away from making our world a less dangerous place to live in.
Yet, we know how much we deserve it and we shall keep striving for it, no matter how long it takes. My alter ego, The Modern Day Damsel, stands for equality in all forms, regardless of gender or skin colour.
Our brave ancestors have done their fair share for us. You don’t have to go to rallies to show your support or post about it on every social media platform. It can be as little as correcting your peers and speaking up to your employers. Damsels nowadays have to learn to stand on their own and stop waiting for a fictional knight in shining armour to save the day.
Ladies, we are not barbie dolls that they can just play around with so go ahead and be proud of the boss woman that you have become. Wear those damn trousers loud and proud, and never ever be ashamed to show your skin. But of course, pepper spray is always handy for those thick-headed monsters.
That’s all for now,
Kyra