Equal Pay for Women- Women's Rights and Their Impact on Us

Dear Reader,

Chances are, you’ve heard of women’s rights. It has been taking over the local news for a while, but no matter what your gender is, you may think that women have fought their battles and won equality. However, those brutal fights are long from over. Women everywhere find it harder to get by on lower salaries. They need to support themselves and others around them, yet it is harder to do so when being paid so much less. When one is worried about getting food on the table or about their future, then it’s difficult to stand up for one’s rights and privileges.

Under the large umbrella of women’s rights, equal pay is a very serious issue and continues to affect the lives of citizens, causing multiple difficulties to arise. In 2015, the US Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) filed a formal complaint about the fact that they were paid less than one quarter of what their male counterparts were paid. Most people know that these ladies dominate their league, but the men do just fine (Peterson, 2015). Although athletes like Alex Morgan and Hope Solo aren’t necessarily struggling financially, getting paid higher than the average salary for Americans in the USA, it is still quite unfair that they perform so much better, yet somehow get paid so much less! Hope Solo said in a statement, "’The numbers speak for themselves. We are the best in the world, have three World Cup Championships, four Olympic Championships, and the USMNT get paid more just to show up then we get paid to win major championships.” (Solo, 2015). All in all, it’s clear that the female population has gone through quite a few struggles just to keep up with costs like shelter, electricity, clean pumping water, and needs of a family. This list of things that one needs in order to have a presumably normal, proper life goes on and on. This is something that needs addressing if there is ever to be hope that women and men will both share similar financial situations. Hopefully soon, women will not be suffering through such financial disparities.

No matter your age, you are still impacted by this issue and can make a huge difference while fighting for women’s rights. Whether you are currently unemployed, a women, gentleman, or a small child the wage gap affects just about everyone. For instance, a single mom may not be able to support her kids on her low salary. Then her kids grow up in a financially unstable household, making them more likely to experience hunger. This makes school and education harder, considering how hard it is to concentrate especially on an empty stomach. If you didn’t do well in school or were unable to complete a proper education, career options are more limited later in one’s life. Even if there is a two parent household, it is still difficult to keep up financially with the low wages of women to maintain enough money for various necessities. Clearly, this issue affects massive amounts of people and this wage gap manages to impact more and more citizens every each day. Although this seems very big and scary (which to an extent it is), there are many people out there who want to see change occur. You could be among them. No matter if you are the UN Global Goodwill Ambassador or actress, Emma Watson, Hamilton’s mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda, or even just a regular human being, you can make a difference, despite what the world may tell you. But, what should you, an individual, do to help with equal payment for women? You may think “no way, there’s no way I can create any real change,” but you can. Please check out this link and it will transport you to a digital petition for supporters and fighters to aid in effecting change for women’s rights. This will end up going to the NJ Congress representatives to take action in resolving the problem of equal pay for the greater good. Passing Paycheck Fairness Act Could Effect Change for Equal Pay for Women- Petition. As you can see, women’s rights is a serious issue that affects more than just the female population. It needs many people’s attention in order to effect change.

In the end, if you believe that the battle for gender equality has already been fought and won, please take some time to think again. Women are suffering everywhere because of their gender, race, religion, background, and (of course) the amount of money given to survive. In order to create a sustainable life, one needs to have a decent salary. Women do not have those kind of financial resources, which is rather atrocious. So how will they sustain a living for themselves, even for their children and family? This is an issue that needs support and attention as women are often unable to carry out tasks that seem simple, such as buying school supplies or food shopping on a strict budget. These sorts of things grow increasingly difficult for women trying to support themselves. Adding standing up for your rights to the to-do list is close-to-impossible to actually do alone. We needs others to help out and take action or establish a change for this problem. This will provide support to women who need it. As human beings, we are part of community that needs to look out for one another. We need to get more people involved and hopefully help in the fight to change the status-quo. Go out and raise awareness, and help contribute to your community. Give donations to organizations that specialize in aiding equal rights for women. If you’re looking for a quick and effective way to make a huge difference, please go on this online link and sign our petition for all women around the globe. Passing Paycheck Fairness Act Could Effect Change for Equal Pay for Women- Petition. One signature from you will be one small climb up our ladder of success to make equal pay for women something that future generations will never know to be a problem. The seeming endless endeavor in fighting for women’s rights is becoming a very real issue that many people are becoming involved in. Now, you see there is a ray of light, so help out with women’s rights.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Emily and Sherin

7th Graders Who Want to Make a Difference