As I was sitting in one of my classes the other day, my teacher was lecturing, and to lighten the mood she began making some funny comments and jokes. This is most definitely a normal thing, but what caught me off guard was what exactly she was saying. She would slide in comments about how the girls in the room might get offended about whatever she was going to say, or only girls acted in certain ways, or only guys would think something was funny.
My ears perked up, and I thought to myself, “Why is my teacher perpetuating a gender gap?” This made me realize that the gender gap that does exist in our society is not one that is inherently programmed into the human brain, it is inadvertently taught to us throughout adolescence, and then carried over into adult life. Why, then, do we continue this cycle of beliefs when they don’t make any progress and preserve female inferiority?
As women, we’ve all encountered that person in our life that has told us we can’t do something because we’re women. For me, this started happening in my childhood. But instead of actually believing it, I started letting it motivate me. This is why I can’t understand how a woman, of all people, could make comments that would put down other women just based on the fact that they are female.
Why should I feel guilty for being a woman? Why should society continue to tell me I can’t handle a joke or an opinion because of my gender? My XX chromosome didn’t do anything to you, so why are you acting like I should take my vagina back to the kitchen and be a better mother? The fact that anyone is giving off this vibe in 2016 is ridiculous, and enough is enough.
What do we do about it? Let’s change our attitudes. This is a group effort, and it’s incredibly interactive. Why must people even have to consider holding back opinions because there’s a possibility of a woman being in the room? We should put this way of thinking in a history book and leave it there; these ideals are ancient. We shouldn’t let people single women out just because a subject is touchy. Women have opinions. And I know I won’t let someone tell me I can’t handle something just based on my gender, will you?