Dear Future President,

Women’s rights is important to America seeing as over 50% of Americans are women. Women are a majority in America and still do not have basic rights such as the right to choose and the right to equal pay. As I am currently attending an all girls school, feminism intertwines itself into many of our conversations and is celebrated constantly as an integral part of our community. One topic discussed amongst the girls at my school is abortion and the right to choose.

A decision so personal as abortion should be made by the person it affects, not by others around that woman, especially men because they do not understand the experience of giving birth and raising a child as a mother. Going through such a traumatic experience such as rape and becoming impregnated against one’s will is enough reason for making the decision to abort the egg. The women who survive rape and end up pregnant may not have help financially, physically, and emotionally raise a child. Being forced to go through an unwanted pregnancy is abuse, making it the obvious decision to give women the right to choose.

Along with the right to choose, a woman should posses the right to equal pay for equal work. According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, in 2015 female full-time workers made only 80 cents to every dollar earned by men, a gender wage gap of 20 percent. It is absurd that women are paid less than men for equal work. Living in Los Angeles, Hollywood life circulates itself through the city and is widely talked about. The film industry is dominated by males, but one famous example of fighting for equal pay in the industry is Charlize Theron negotiating a deal that was over 10 million dollars to get equal pay as her male co-star, Chris Hemsworth. I was baffled by the fact that she, the featured character on the movie poster and fantastic villain of Snow White and the Huntsman, got paid less than the supporting male character. This is only one of millions of instances of disparity in pay between men and women. Many accounts of unequal pay go undiscussed because many women are too afraid to speak out on the issue that directly affects us. Giving women equal pay for equal work will make it easier for women to attest for instances of unequal pay, not to mention giving women what should be ours.

Giving rights to women is giving protection to women, something America desperately needs.

Sincerely,

Caitlin Williams