As the world is progressing forward feminism and its movements have taken many leaps and bounds towards the future. Some of the more popular movements that we have learned of have been the HeForShe movement, the MeToo movement, the Women’s March and while these are catered more towards white feminists, it’s a step in the right direction. It’s still crazy to believe that women to this are still fighting for their rights. When you think about it, how many women are in positions of power, and how many of those women are women of color? I can think of a couple but can you?
In the United States alone those who identify as a woman make up 50.8% of the population. They are ready to enter the workforce and are readying themselves by pursuing higher education like undergraduate studies but they are also pursuing even higher education like graduating from master programs, law programs, and medical programs. As we enter the work force, we see that there is a disproportionate ratio of women to men. Many times men will dominate the workplace. In education, only 27% of colleges have female presidents, in business only 6% of women were partners in venture capital firms, and in 2014 only 20% of women made up executives or any higher ups in the high tech field.
Women also still have to deal with a pay gap, no matter how many people still want to tell you that it doesn’t exist. Demographics such as race, ethnicity, religion, education level, and much more affect your pay as well. For every dollar a man makes, a white woman earns 80 cents, an Asian woman earns 93 cents, a Black woman earns 74 cents, a Native woman earns 74 cents, and a Hispanic woman earns 74 cents, and a Pacific Islander earns 79 cents to his dollar. This is something that we must fight for. It is unfair treatment and cruel to all the women who work just as hard as a man. Despite these obstacles, women will prevail. We are taking ginormous steps forward, and we do it in heels and a smile.
For more information, check out these websites:
https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/reports/2017/05/21/432758/womens-leadership-gap/
https://www.aauw.org/research/the-simple-truth-about-the-gender-pay-gap/