Imagine walking down the street in broad daylight and having a constant fear that someone is going to stop you and do horrific things to you just because of your gender. Or that just because of your gender, you are thought of a lesser being and told to know your place in society. This is a constant thing I struggle with just because I am a woman. Does being a woman make me less then everyone else? Does it make me incapable? Or is it simply being born a woman that makes it’s ok to be discriminated against?

Growing up, I was always told that I could be anything I set my mind to, but that was a lie. I was constantly told to know my place, to let the boys take care of it, and most of all I was told that what I wanted to do was a man’s job. One example happened to me in grade school. I was a fifth grader at the time, barely even eleven and about the same height as I am now. I wanted to play flag football with all the guys at recess. There was maybe five of us girls and around fifteen scrawny boys on the grassy field that sat behind the school. We got put on teams and I clearly remember being the only girl on my team and thinking to myself, “I’m going to show these boys that I’m just as capable as they are.” Well, the first game came around and the team immediately benched me and had me stand on the sideline of the makeshift football field. I’m not going to lie, I was hurt but I had to keep a straight face so I could show them I was capable. They complained to the teachers that they didn’t want me on their team because I was a girl and I was going to slow them down. They didn’t want me on their team because I was a girl.

I could go on and on about how unfair some things are for women, but that wouldn’t do anything. I could talk about how unfair it is that women have to pay extra for skin care, hair products, or anything of that sort. I could talk about our pay is lower, but I would be reminded that you have already heard this before. So that leaves me in this spot of frustration, if you tell me that you want women to be equal why leave these things out? Why not make a change and help women out all over the world? I could talk about this fear that almost all women have of being alone. I don’t mean ending up alone what I mean is walking down the street alone or even with another person and being taken advantage of. This fear has been with most women all their life and constantly drilled into our heads, why? The answer is simple, because we are women. I among other women fear of being sexualy harrased because we have breasts. Women shouldn’t have to be worried that if th ey have lack of clothing, people will sexualize them, and we shouldn’t be told that the way we dress is more important than our education. Let me say that again, women should not be told that their bodies and clothing are more important than their education. I really want to stress this to you, my education matters more to me than how I dress. I hate how women are constantly told that we need to go put on makeup, lose some weight, show some skin but also don’t show skin and pretty much be a whole different person.

To be completely honest I know there are some people who do fight for women’s rights out there and for that I thank you. But what I am trying to say is that women everywhere need help, our rights have been taken from us and we would like them back. I want the next generation of girls to have better opportunities than I have. I want them to be able to accomplish whatever they have their hearts and minds set on. So I need you to give every person no matter what gender, race, sexual orientation, religion they come from a chance to accomplish their dreams. Overlook your automatic assumptions about what a woman is capable of vs. a man. Next time you instinctively presume, “she’s a woman, so she’s probably better off trying to be a nurse rather than a doctor.” Or anything along those lines, rethink the common gender bias and think how you can help everyone. We tell kids they can be whatever they want to be when they grow up, however when they do gr ow up all that is taken from them. So please understand that if we want to make this world a better place we need to make serious changes that better this generation and the next.

Before I end I want to remind us all of a quote by Mahatma Gandhi, “You have to be the change you wish to see in the world.” So let’s be that change and show the younger generation of females that this world isn’t as scary as it use to be, let’s be the generation that fights for people’s rights, let’s be the generation that makes things right and finally let’s all be the change in this world so no one is discriminated against. We can make this right, we can be the small pebble that causes a big ripple of change. We can do this.

Allison Renninger, Bothell