“I pledge allegiance
To the flag Of the United States of America,
And to the republic for which it stands,
One nation, under God, Indivisible,
With liberty and justice for all.”
The Pledge of Allegiance is drilled into the heads of children from the day they enter elementary school. Most people give no thought to these powerful words which profess the undying love for our country—“the land of the free, and the home of the brave." It seems we have almost forgotten about the oppressive past of the United States—that is, if you consider it to be the past. “Liberty and justice for all” still is not a true statement, and never has been. The sexism and racism, as well as other forms of injustice that America faced in the 1900s, still remain in our society today.
Feminists such as Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott were protesting for the rights of women across the country over 100 years ago, when no woman had the right to vote. Because of their efforts, the 19th Amendment was passed in 1920 and women were granted voting rights. So once women were given the right to vote, they were finally equal to men, right? Wrong. Even today, women are looked down on in legislature and the workplace.
By August of last year, 468 bills intending to limit women’s reproductive rights were introduced, with a whopping 0 restrictions introduced to limit the reproductive rights of men. Out of all the bills presented, 21 were passed. For example, in Arizona, it is now a crime to help a minor gain access to an abortion without parental consent. This means that no matter what, in the end it is a parent’s decision whether or not a young girl should have to go through childbirth and raise a baby. When bills are passed that limit accessibility to contraceptives and abortions to those who need it most, they are taking away the rights of a young girl to choose whether or not she wants to have a child. In the words of Senator Nina Turner, "This isn't about one bill or about one state. It is about the unrelenting obsession with regulating a woman's womb. If representatives want to make intimately personal decisions about women's lives and their anatomy, I strongly urge them to go to medical school.” Allowing women to decide when and if to have a child can give them the opportunity to further their education and make a difference in the world.
The gender pay gap is another example of inequality of the sexes. The difference in pay between genders has barely shifted in the last decade. According to the national average of weekly earnings in 2013, women earned only 78% as much as men in the same job, the same percentage as in 2004. That may not sound like much of a gap, but consider this: If a woman is working the same job as a man earning $100,000 per year, she may only earn $78,000—$22,000 less than what he is making. If they both work at that job for 10 years, with neither getting a promotion, he will earn up to $220,000 more than the woman. This would be more than enough to buy the man a brand-new Lamborghini.
Of course, the pay gap depends on many variables. Based on your location, you could be more or less subject to discrimination. Washington D.C., our nation’s capital, has the smallest pay difference. Women make up to 91% of what men make there. The state with the largest gap is Louisiana, with women earning a whopping 66% of what men do. Another variable that can affect the pay gap is race. Most Asian women will make up to 90% of what white men make, while Hispanic women may only make 54% of a white man’s earnings. Just as sexism did not end in 1920 with the 19th Amendment, racism did not end in 1963 with Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech.
Is America Really a Free Country?
By Ally R.