Dear Future President,

I never realized how much women’s rights meant to me until recently, when I was speaking with my 77-year-old grandmother. She was telling me about what it was like for her grandmother, mother, and also herself, in a time where women were much less valued than they are now. Most of the generations before me grew up in a world where women were never told that they could do anything. It struck me the most that my great-great grandmother was not given the right to vote until she was almost 50 years old- nowadays, something that people often take for granted.

By the year 2016, my great-great grandmother would have hoped that I would have each and every opportunity accomplish anything that I wanted to. To be able to have the same rights as men. While I certainly have more rights than the generations preceding me ever had, and I certainly have more rights than most women in the world, women are still not equal to men in the United States. This is perfectly shown in the gender-wage gap. Women in today make on average 20% less than men. That number was even greater for African American and Latina women. I don’t know about anyone else, but if I had the exact same schooling, same job, and the same amount of experience as one of my male co-workers, I would hope to be paid just as much as them. 

I strongly hope that whoever is elected as the next President United States will realize the gravity of the situation that is women’s rights in 2016. And not only in the United States, but in other countries as well. Because I would like for the generations after me to learn about the gender-wage gap as just a page in their history books.

Thanks,

Grace