It's 2016 and we still live in a sexist society. Women and men are supposed to have the same rights, but women still get paid less than men for doing the same job. I've experienced women being considered less just because of their gender. If I were in a position of power or influence I would ensure that both genders are considered equal and get paid they same.

Little girls are encouraged to become teachers, hair stylists. Society doesn't tell them to become mechanics, or firefighters. I think both girls and boys should be encouraged to have whatever profession they want, not just one that others feel is more adequate for their gender. I've been told by a boy in my grade that he wants his wife to become a stay at home mom. This person represents one of many men in the world that are sexist and expect women to give up their jobs to become moms, while being unwilling to give up their own job since they're men.

When I went to Nicaragua for a mission trip two summers ago, I saw how little boys treated girls their same age as less. They taunted the girls if they tried to join in the “boy” activities like soccer. I'm aware this isn't the fault of the children it's societies fault. The kids are copying their parents behaviors, trying to prove they have more authority than women. Many men in Nicaragua and other countries only want women to have children. Some of the girls told me that people they knew started having sex at 15 and most often to older men. This isn't true for everyone but the majority, and it's because of the standards that society imposes on them. The girls allegedly can say no, but sometimes they feel forced to do it because they're manipulated  by someone older than them, they also think that since everyone does it they should too. In Nicaragua I met a little girl, Meiling, who was raped by her own grandfather when she was six. It crushes my heart that someone could be capable of doing such a terrible thing to an indefensible six year old. What's even worse is that the mom of the girl found out and kept her daughter in the same house with the grandfather just because she didn't have anywhere else to go. Women should be able to be financially stable so they don't have to depend on men, which is specially important in abusive situations such as this.

I'm proud to call myself a feminist because I believe that women and men should have the same rights.  If I had a position of power I would make advertisements that tell women that men aren't superior to them and  that they should do whatever they want, and not what society imposes on them. I would also work to help women get an education by providing scholarships and jobs for them, so they can be financially independent and secure.