Dear Madam or Mr. President:

The first few months of your presidency are imperative to the future of this country, so as a concerned citizen I urge you to focus on the issues of gender inequality and women’s rights. Going to an all-girls high school, I have been surrounded by feminist girls and teachers who believe that women should be treated as equals. My parents always taught me that I could be anything I wanted to be, as long as I worked hard. But, as I grew up and became more aware of the challenges women face today, I have learned that what my parents taught me remains not entirely true.

Let us discuss the inequalities women face in the work force. Women still are not receiving equal pay for equal work (receiving an average of 77 cents for every dollar a man earns), and for women of color the wage gap remains even wider. According to the American Association of University Women, Hispanic and Latina women were paid only 54% of what white men were paid in 2015. In order to close these large pay gaps, I hope you work to pass the Paycheck Fairness Act, which provides women with the implements they need to fight discrimination in the work force.

I hope as president you will also protect women’s health and reproductive rights. Abortion should stay legal because women should have the right to control her own body. Putting restrictions on women’s rights will only counteract all actions made in the Women’s Rights Movement during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. If abortion were illegal, women would not stop getting them, causing them to receive unsafe abortions. Whether one supports abortion or not, women should never be stripped of their rights to choose.

Considering all these issues women face today, it remains your responsibility to fight for our equality and our rights. We are in the 21st Century,and it is finally time for women to possess economic, social, and political equality.

Sincerely,

Kayleigh M.