The Pros And Cons Of The Oppression Of Women

For centuries, men have dominated the world, they have had rights, respect, and authority over women since the beginning of our time, but the question is, why over women? Aren’t women human too? Instead of both men and women leading, our world has become a patriarchy, women who are the exact same species as men, have become minorities. Women face several inequalities to this day, including an unfair wage gap, a barrier to advance in a profession known as the glass ceiling, and basic unequal rights. However, this must come to an end because women not only deserve, but are entitled to the same equal rights as men simply for the fact that we are all human and capable of the same things. It is time for women to finally become equal to men and no
Phyllis Schlafly, a conservative political activist, was against feminism and believed that women didn’t need equal rights. In an interview with “Tell me more” from NPR news, she said, “[Feminists] have this, I think, ridiculous idea that American women are oppressed by the patriarchy and we need laws and government to solve our problems for us”(NPR). Schlafly’s statement that women are not oppressed however, is just not true. According to a statistic from the U.S. Department of Labor, African American women earned 67 percent of what white men earned and Hispanic women earned 62 percent of what white men earned (U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics). This is a clear fact that women are being oppressed due to the unjust treatment of unequal pay compared to men. Schlafly continues on by saying, “[Feminists] taught that the only fulfilling lifestyle was to be in the workforce reporting to a boss instead of being in the home reporting to a husband.That is an attitude toward marriage and homemaking that I think is intolerable and false”(NPR). Schlafly argues for women gender roles and stereotypes that are now unrealistic and not accepted by today’s society. Women should be able to, just as men, pursue a career if they wish, they should not be restricted by gender roles. Equal rights for women has become a great topic and issue throughout decades. Women have dealt with oppression and their rights have been disregarded and denied for too long. Women deserve to be equal to men, and have the same rights as men, and that means putting an end to the wage gap and breaking the glass ceiling. It is time for women to be given equal rights as men due to the fact that they deserve them simply because of their basic rights of being