Sexism in the 21st Century.

The wonders of the modern age are numerous; we have been able to land on the moon, cure or treat a whole host of diseases and create pocket computers. Yet we still cling to the stupid belief that women are somehow inferior. They are not and men have only created this impression out of fear.

Men fear women for many reasons and on many levels for women bring life into this world. They carry and nurture that life and this gift is intimidating and emasculating to some. For years, men have tried to create a narrative that women are inferior and have classified them as the weaker sex. I can tell you this is unequivocally false on a number of levels. Women are far stronger than we give them credit for and far stronger then they feel at times.

People make jokes about that time of the month but each and every month women go through one of the most painful and debilitating experiences that one can imagine. If men had to experience the same thing the world would stop, not to make a jest but if I was hemorrhaging blood from my body I would not be moving from my bed. Women, however, experience this and move on like it's nothing, they raise families, build careers, effect lasting change, and that my friends is strength.

Women in the workforce have to work twice as hard for lesser pay all in an effort to break through the glass ceiling while their male counterparts get paid more to do less at times. Women like Rosa Parks, Emily Murphy, and Margaret Mead, among others, stood up not just for the rights of women but for the collective rights of us all.

The strength within these women is outstanding, to stand up in a world trying to keep you down and shouting no is courage. A world run by men who do anything they can to steal their power to claim it for themselves. Men use any means by portraying women as subservient, weak, or sexualizing them to paint the picture that they are here to serve men. Women owe men nothing and in fact we owe them everything.

They are our mothers, sisters, daughters, aunts, and wives and they deserve the respect that all people deserve. They deserve the right to equal and fair representation in movies, television, and in the workplace. They deserve to be paid the same as anyone doing the same amount of work. They deserve the right to their own body and to decide what is done with it. They deserve to be protected from harm and to be believed when they are harmed in any way. They deserve the rights that men take for granted and the rights that are inherent to all Humankind.

We need to set the example for our daughters and show them a world where they will be treated as fairly as anyone. When you raise your children to give women and all people the respect they deserve you will create a better world for your daughters and your sons. Without the ingenuity and hard work of women we would not have Kevlar vests, medical syringes, or windshield wipers, their contributions are vast.

To all women out there please know that you can be strong and beautiful, you can have anything, be anything you want. If you want to be a firefighter, astronaut, or engineer you do it and let no one stand in your way and never back down. You see the work you are doing is in fact for all of us, your fight is our fight for women's rights are human rights. I was lucky for I grew up watching the example of powerful women like my mom and my sister who showed me the true meaning of strength and courage. They showed me that women offer so much to the world and deserve to be recognized far more for their strength.

We have come a long way over the years but we still have a long way to go, the glass ceiling is still there and both men and women must break it. To all men reading this please remember that the precedent on how you treat women is the standard that your daughters look up to and the worth that they will see in themselves. Ensure that you are building up your daughters strong and powerful so that they can protect themselves and raise your sons to recognize that strength to engender their own for this is the fight for us all.

Thank you.