Millions of years ago, before humans existed and apes were the dominant mammals, males had multiple sexual partners throughout their lifetimes. Leaving females to nurture the offspring, they went off in search of food. Stumbling upon other females with enticing pheromones, they competed for attention with other suitors, desperate to pass on their genes. This may have been the origin of the double standard. However, somewhere between the rise of civilization and aristocracy, this has become a problem. Compared to the rest of the world, the U.S. keeps the balance of equality between men and women fairly equal. When looking into some issues, however, the scales seem to tip heavily to a side. Take the corporate world, for example. Women still make 80 cents of every man’s dollar. Even if it is unintentional sometimes, this shows a lot about the way top executives of major companies think. The Women in Engineering program at Iowa State University recruits many young women to go into the field by offering scholarships, internships, etc. Because the area is dominated by men, there is much more competition between them. The few engineering majors that are girls get positions that some males probably deserved, simply because of the need to have women in science. Although it’s great that ISU is offering more opportunities for women, an inequality amongst men is created. Furthermore, Ames High is the birthplace of self-destroying, slanderous stereotypes and double standards. Although I feel like premarital sex itself isn’t looked down upon as much as other places, casual dating is. If a girl dates two different boys within what may be considered a short span of time, she’s labeled negatively. Worst of all, she is given a reputation that is hard to lose. If this is true for a guy, he’s the center of attention amongst his friends and somehow, even more attractive to girls. Why is it that an insult to a girl is more or less a compliment to a boy? Why aren’t girls allowed to “score” if boys are? Similarly, harassment and physical contact is highly prohibited at AHS. If a boy were to hit a girl, not only would he face the consequences of beating a girl, but he would also begin to be looked upon differently by his peers. Sometimes, though, girls playfully strike their male friends, but other times, not too playfully. If a girl starts a fight, it is natural to assume the boy provoked her and therefore, deserved it. Statistically speaking, men are more violent than women, but the majority of them don’t abuse girls. These differences appear big to us, but take a look at Afghanistan. Up until a few years ago, women weren’t even allowed to be out in public without an accompanying male. They must still wear clothing that covers them head to toe, including most of their face. Having a job was out of the realm of possibilities. Limited to house tasks, these women are almost imprisoned. So when looking at the dark side, the conditions we live in appear brighter. Looking at the past, though, a lot has been accomplished on the behalf of equal rights. The double standard between men and women remains one of the few social issues left that by all means needs to be amended.