Even in today’s society, the discrimination of women is present. Even though we live in the “wonderful country” of the United States, women are not treated equally. In pay, politics, stereotypes, profession or even simply having opinions, whether or not you were born with male parts makes a big difference in how people think of you. Women used to be thought of as property and were not very different from slaves. In cultures all around the world, men have had the upper-hand. He got to choose his mate, order her around, essentially rape her, give her no property rights, and do with her what he wanted. Some societies still have this mindset. Even some religions are sexist. “A woman’s place is in the home” …really, Christianity? There are way too many cultures and individuals that believe this. A woman’s place is wherever the heck she wants to be. Women cannot be priests, let alone bishops or, God forbid, popes. That’s not the only sexist thing about Catholicism. Birth control is a right. Women should have the right to control their menstrual cycle, decide when they want to have kids, and be able to enjoy sex without getting pregnant. Why do men get to hop into bed with whomever they wish? They don’t have to worry about getting pregnant. If men were the ones who get pregnant, Planned Parenthood would be just like a sports bar, and certainly more men would be pro-choice. Honestly, men shouldn’t have a darned say when it comes to birthrights. It’s a personal choice for each individual woman, and men don’t have anything to do with it (unless he is the one who knocked up the girl in the first place; then he should just be quiet and feel badly about it). The abortion debate is in full swing now, but it comes down to one thing: the people who want to outlaw abortions would feel a whole lot differently and view things in a different way if they had to dangerously birth and raise an unwanted child. Just like abortion, rape is a sensitive subject, and another reason why I don’t understand people who are “pro-life.” The truth is that it’s hard to detect some rapes. Both women and men lie, so it’s hard to say what really happens in those situations. Prosecution must take place if the girl is underage or if she was obviously abused, but what about the other cases? What do you do with a middle-aged woman who says she was raped by a middle-aged man… or a middle-aged man who says he was raped by a woman? Voting, property rights, equal pay and other suffrage movements are only some of the feats in modern societies. But they’re not universal, yet. Not only is inequality outrageously prevalent in third-world countries around the world, but it’s present in our own neighborhoods, schools and businesses. I’m not sure that the world will ever be equal, or if terrible and unfortunate stereotypes will ever be forgotten, but I know that as you’re a woman living right now, your rights are limited. All you ladies should be pissed.