Is Feminism Still Relevant Today

Misinterpretations can cause an entire concept to branch out and leave many people unfamiliar with the original idea at all. Feminism has gone through many changes in conception over the years, leaving many confused as to what feminism even is, and if it is relevant in todays society. Living in a patriarchal society makes you unaware of the issues there are concerning civil rights when they do not directly affect you, this doesn’t just go for men, but for women as well. Because many women around the world have been treated as lesser than men for centuries, no matter in what continent, or in what country women have been subject to abuse and discrimination because they simply are not men.

What feminism is is the belief that women are and should

The idea is that women earn less annually than men every year. Many people have argued that the pay gap is a myth and that factors such as the types of jobs and experience aren’t taken into consideration. Or that more men work than women because many women stay at home and take care of the household. These are valid lines of reasoning, but this is not true whatsoever. Most recently in 2013 it was recorded that women earned 78 percent of what men made, from elementary and middle school teachers to computer programmers, women are paid less than men in female-dominated, gender-balanced, and male-dominated occupations (Hill). At every level of academic achievement, women’s median earnings are less than men’s earnings, and in some circumstances, the pay gap is more substantial at higher levels of education (Hill). Not only is it less for women, but even more for women of color, Asian American women’s salaries show the smallest gender pay gap, at 90 percent of white men’s earnings. Hispanic women’s salaries show the largest gap, at 54 percent of white men’s earnings (Hill). Although, the reason that white men are used as a benchmark is because they make up the largest demographic group in the labor force. So it would be valid to say that more men are working, but the medians of the salaries are what’s important. Another shocking statistic is that as women get older the pay gap gets larger, women typically earn about 90 percent of what men are paid until they hit 35. After that median earnings for women are typically 75–80 percent of what men are paid. AAUW’s Graduating to a Pay Gap found that among full-time female workers, only one year after college graduation nearly all of whom were childless women were paid just 82 percent of what their male counterparts were paid. No households to take care of and no children to raise, fresh out of college and working, but still earning less