NEW ORLEANS (Nov. 2, 2018) – The argument whether women and men are equal still prompts considerable discussion.

Throughout America’s history, women and men have never truly been equal, and even today this remains true. Although women are afforded the same rights and provided equal opportunity, men are still held at a different standard and hold more power. We are still paid less than men. The “glass ceiling” hinders many women from holding positions of power in the corporate world, which stems even beyond corporate America. It is even more evident that women are not granted the same equal treatment based on the results of the 2016 presidential election.

Many men still expect women to be domestic even when they have demanding jobs. Women are expected to be in charge of the home; take care of the cooking, cleaning, raising the children, etc. The expectation that men hold for women hinders many of them from living up to their full potential, especially within the workforce and oftentimes, even in sports.

An example of inequality in sports is in the case of Serena Williams. Title IX was created to protect people from discrimination based on sex in education and educational activities. It says: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”

I fully understand that every man does not expect his wife to be submissive, but studies have proven this expectation to be true in many cases. It should not be expected of her to solely take care of the home. More women today enjoy working and, based on this, a woman should not be considered “too independent” for a man.

Perhaps it’s male insecurity that insists some to see a confident woman as being “overly independent” because she is capable of making her own money and taking care of herself?  We must insist on taking advantage of every opportunity afforded.

It’s not a social or cultural norm for women to hold high positions of power,  though it has become more acceptable in society. It is very evident that Hillary Clinton was far more qualified and had more experience than Donald Trump to be president of the United States, but because Hillary is a woman, she faced backlash during the race; even now, Trump blasts her at rallies. I believe  many voters were afraid to have a woman hold such a high position of power.

Men and women are not treated equally, and the question is whether we ever will be. In order for two things to be equal, they must be the same and women and men are not the same. Women and men have different ways of expressing their emotions, handling situations, etc. The expectations and standards for men though are far higher than required for women.

In society, the problem we face is that we want everything to be equal, and at some point, we all have to realize that not everything will be equal. As a woman, I believe certain things men do are directly for a man to do, but the general expectations of women shouldn’t be what they are. Women should be allowed to do whatever they feel they are capable of without being looked down upon because of their gender.