November 9, 2016

Dear President Donald J. Trump,

One of the most controversial topics for centuries has been women rights. In 2016 the topic of equal pay has become very well known throughout the country. The wage gap is unfair to not only women but also people of color, social status and ethnicity. The stereotype that men are superior to women is continually being disproven every day therefore women should be paid the same as men.

As of right now women earn 73.3 percent of what men earn. This is highly unfair. Women who chose the same jobs as men are being paid less just because they are women. In some cases women are better than men at what they do but are still paid less because people feel they are not deserving of it. Before the Equal Pay Act of 1963 women were paid 59 cents to a man’s dollar. After the Equal Pay Act was put in place women still only earned on average 77 cents to a man’s dollar. Even after a law was put in place people still felt that the right thing to do was to give more money to men.

As a young woman in America at this moment I have seen how women are pushing past barriers set for us in the past. One great example of this is Hillary Clinton. Though she did not win the overall election she managed to win the popular vote despite being discriminated against for being a woman. Our founding fathers never planned for any women to make it into government which makes Clinton’s campaign so much more inspiring. Hillary Clinton proved that women are just as capable as men. If women can do the same things men are doing, why are we being paid less?

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Johnson