Marching. Where would women be without it? American women have historically held marches to call for justice when justice was denied.
Women marched for the right to vote, equal rights, gun control, the right to make choices for themselves and other social injustices.
Without marching, would women have the same rights we have today? Marching has not solved all social injustices towards women, but it has demanded change. Our country still needs to improve, and marching allows women to have a voice. A voice with the power to call for change and justice.
People who oppose marches argue that American women have it better than women in other countries and therefore women should not complain.
Maybe American women do have it better than women in other countries, but that does not take away from the fact that a large portion of our society thinks men are superior to, rather than equal to, women. There are people we walk past, or even interact with, daily who believe there is a hierarchy between the sexes.
During the 2016 presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, #Repealthe19th was used widely by both men and women. The 19th amendment literally gave women the right to vote. I never realized some Americans, including people of my own generation, have the mindset that women are incapable of contributing to a decision that impacts the entire country until I saw the hashtag. I don’t know if I could ever wrap my mind around women advocating for something that would take their rights away.
American women having it better than women in other countries does not take away from the fact that women all across the country are being sexually assaulted and objectified everyday. The recent #MeToo movement brought this problem into the light. American society has allowed men to believe they have the right to a woman’s body, that women owe them something. Women should not have to fear sexual assault from their coworkers, bosses or trainers, yet we do. Women have been hindered by the fear of sexual assault for far too long.
And there’s the wage gap. Men are being paid more than women for doing the same job. How can anyone say men and women are treated equally when our time and effort is clearly seen as having less value than that of a man?
Yes, women have the right to vote. Yes, society’s perception of women has evolved. Yes, the treatment of women has improved. However, women in our nation are still suffering, which is why women should continue marching.
Continue marching for those who marched before them, for those who currently suffer from injustices and for the women of the future, so they can live in a world that values them as much as it values men.
There are people who think that marching is losing its power, that we are marching too often for things that are insignificant and that marching is becoming desensitizing. Those who think this way are clearly not in touch with the world around them. By witnessing a march, you can sense the passion in the hearts of those who participate. They pour their soul into making a difference. Courage flows through their veins and enables them to stand up for what is right.
Everyone is given one life; women should have the opportunity to live their lives to the fullest without societal constraints.
Women, continue marching until the injustices dissolve and then continue to march in remembrance of the injustices that the empowering women before us overcame.
