Dear Future President of the United States,

My name is Bella Zucco, and I am a fourteen year old girl who is concerned about the limited rights that most women in this world have today. You see, even in the modern world that we live in, women are still subject to abuse, rape, and gender prejudice. It may seem that women have already fought and won this battle against sexism, however The “Girl Power” and “Women’s Rights” movements don’t seem to be doing quite enough. Women are still viewed as property, not just in our country - but also in countless others. So, I believe - Future President, That there is still much more to be done to protect women against the profound acts of gender bias occurring in our country today.

Ever since this country was founded, Women have been told what they should and shouldn’t, can and can’t, will and won’t do. This can be extremely damaging to a woman’s mental health, resulting in various mental illnesses, depression, phobias, and anxiety, all due to the excess stress that is being put on women by society. Infact, women are 20%-40% more likely than men to develop a psychological disorder due to the roles that the female gender is currently expected fulfil. Women are now supposed to : care for their families, clean their home, make enough money to help support their family, have a perfect trim and slim body, and still be capable of dressing impeccably every day. This is only a sliver of the harsh standards that are applied to women on a daily basis amongst the many more to follow.

Examples of this issue occurs in popular music, social media stories, and videos that depict women as needy, selfish, high maintenance creatures that go “bump” in the night. Also, the popular belief is that feminists are man-hating, anti-lipstick, dress store boycotters who will not rest until they rule the world. When really, we just wish to be treated as equals. Additionally, along with prolonged effects of mental illness, treating a woman as property makes her more subject to rape. And many of these cases, sadly- Go unreported for fear of being hurt or abused as punishment for their actions. Women are told as little girls that if they see a man following them, to run - if he grabs you, scream and kick - try to get away. Why not teach little boys that little girls are to be respected and to be treated as equals? This is in a world that women can’t show too much shoulder, We can’t show too much leg, Can’t wear too much makeup. For some reason, if we do - we are scandalous, there are constantly voices that eventually become your usual background noise, or static - whispering awful things about the length of your dress, width of your waist, and how “fake” or how “real” you really are. The voices are like daggers, slicing away at your insides until nothing is left. And even though you wear a happy face you’re really just being torn down. Because if you smile and brush the hurtful words off - are you really ok? If your internally screaming, do you make a sound? Women have lost their voice over the ages in this world and it is time that we regain it.

Most women in the world at some point have been subject to gender prejudice whether they are aware of it or not. Infact, 1 out of 5 women in the United states will be raped during her lifetime. Four of five of those women will be too afraid to report it. These are dangerously high statistics. Women currently make 76 cents to a man’s dollar, even with the same job position. In other countries, women aren't treated even as humans, but rather like a pet, or goldfish.

The perspectives on this issue are actually rather slim, however, the groups all have compelling arguments. There are: Women who want to have rights, The Men who support women’s rights, the “Man” who doesn’t support women’s rights, and the Women who are perfectly fine with the way that they are treated, even if they are being abused. You see, a man is superior to a woman in various fields - I agree with that. But there are also things that a woman may be more successful than a man. For instance, men are generally more spatially aware than women are. However, women can see several more colours than men, and tend to be more organized. You see, no gender is superior to another - we are all humans, so why can’t we be treated as equals?

In order to fix this problem in our country, we can teach the younger generation to respect women and other genders, and campaign in order to further support women. We can also let other Women know that it is ok to have rights, and it is perfectly fine to talk about their past experiences with rape and/or abuse. Also, We can focus our time on making sure that maternity leave is available for certain jobs that currently don’t think that it is necessary, and ensuring that women are paid the same amount as a man with the same job.

So, Future President of the United States, can I, amongst the other women in this country, rely on you to keep us safe, defend our rights, and stand up to the injustices that we face today? Or will we have to hide in the shadows, hoping that one day we get noticed by a person kind enough to give us the time of day to prove that we deserve to be treated as equals? The choice is yours, Future President, the female gender’s destiny is in your hands.

Sincerely ,

Bella Zucco.