Throughout history, society has illustrated women as weaker than men, only important for making babies and incapable of having high paying jobs.  Even though it is the 21st century, women still have to deal with outdated societal norms saying women are the weaker gender.  Personally, I would like to see proof, statistics, studies, really any actual evidence to account for these outrageous claims because I wholeheartedly believe that women are equally as capable as men.

Yes, nowadays, society has been progressing towards gender equality, but there are still significant issues that need addressing, such as the gender wage gap and the ludicrous stereotypes women are expected to uphold. According to The World’s Women, on average women make between 70 and 90 cents to a man’s dollar, despite working 30 to 50 minutes longer a day. Not only do women deal with the unjust wage gap, but women are also affronted by their negative portrayal in the media. Women are either dependent and unintelligent, bossy and rude, or sexualized much more than men.

Personally, I used to fear being labeled as one of those female stereotypes. I didn’t want to be seen as bossy or unintelligent. I went to a middle school where speaking out in class would gain ridicule from other male classmates. Any time I answered a question, regardless of whether I was right or wrong, they would laugh at me. I stopped participating in class because I was so scared to be made fun of.  I realized that not participating negatively affected my school work because I would be too scared to ask questions and I didn’t fully understand the lesson. Stereotypes truly hindered me from getting a proper education. When I came to Marymount, I tried to forget that fear of talking during class. But it was hard to let go of a habit that had become so deeply ingrained in me and I found myself staying silent in all my classes.  

However, I realized that life is too short to be scared of someone laughing at me. Now, I attempt to talk in more classes, and it has benefitted me greatly.  

Female stereotypes frequently affect a woman negatively in many different settings; as a result, women can manipulate the standards which she conforms to for her benefit. Women feel the need to fix certain characteristics in order to distance themselves from ‘typical female stereotypes.’  The volume of their voices, the way they present themselves, one’s posture, their nails, any minor change can have a great effect on the way one is perceived. And women have learned that the way they are perceived is 30x more crucial to their success than it is for men. They have become conditioned to believe that it is only when she reaches the very top that she can be 100% herself.  To play the game, you have to learn the rules.

However, it is important to remember that at the end of the day, we are who we are. Women are powerful and can do anything we put our minds to without changing who we are.  It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks about you because someone will always have something rude to say.  All women deal with that. But, we must not let this hinder us from striving for greatness and proving that we are equal to men. After all, rules are made to be broken.