I am a proud, strong woman and feminist. I think about the things that make me different from men almost daily. I think about society suppressing me. Why should I earn eighty cents to the dollar? Why do women have to wear high heels to gain respect? Why are assertive women seen as aggressive and rude, whereas men are seen as “go-getters?” There are a million of these little questions running through my mind constantly.
Although I’m an avid supporter of women’s rights, I never realized this until college. And though I’m aware of active discrimination against women, I have never been more aware of it than I have been since coming to college. Perhaps the most prevalent sexism at Miami exists in the overwhelming pressure for female Miami University students to get their “m-r-s degrees.” In the words of Andrea Dworkin, “women have been taught that, for us, the earth is flat, and that if we venture out, we will fall off the edge.” The idea that women have to get married in order to gain agency is not only inaccurate but is also ignorant.
Although it may seem that women will never be equal to men, feminists and other activists are making strides to improve life for women in the United States. One of the most important steps for women to take is to find ways to gain agency via alternative ways. If women are able to stop depending on their reproduction for power, than they will eventually gain the power and respect that men have.
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