Be the change you want to see

Gender inequality is a long-standing issue of concern to the world. This gives rise to many other issues that burden women in particular.

One of these problems is violence – either domestic or street violence – which women are confronted with on a daily basis. I thought that in 2023 I would not worry about going out late at night alone. But it doesn’t matter because now I am afraid to be alone even in the daytime. Every time a woman goes out of her house she worries about whether someone will be waiting for her on the corner to harm her physical integrity, she is afraid of “wrongly” expressing her rejection to someone and that someone will react strongly and attack her. She is afraid that what she wears is “provocative” and covers herself up when she is in public places because she is afraid of the “dirty” looks of the world.

The other issue that burdens the woman is her body and her image. There are stereotypes where they make women feel bad about how they look. The standards are very high and oppressive and are usually created by the opposite sex as they seek the “perfect”.

A woman is judged by society for what she wears, for what she says, for how she sits, for how she behaves, and if she makes a mistake she can lose her value, whereas a man, if he makes a mistake, will be “given away”. Society is even harsher on women who stand up boldly because they are seen as either smug or selfish. But women also oppress women. In fact, they are even stricter than anyone else.

Even we ourselves hurt ourselves, leaving room for society to trample on our rights. If we ourselves don’t start the change no one will. So be the change you want to see.