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Brittney Barron
Professor Ogbara
English 101
01 December 2015

Women Have Power

In our society women and men will never be equal. Looking back to our past and now,
nothing has really changed. Yes women got the right to vote, and have more say in their lives, but
are we will really free from the power of men. When children open their history books how is it
they only see the past of men? Why werent the women documented? Even till this day men will
always have bested us. The male-dominated fields have become enlarged, forcing women to
compete with the power of men, which can cause loss of self confidence.
There are many male-dominated fields that women are not allowed to touch, but why
not? Everyone should have their right to try for something no matter the gender. In the story,
Shakespears Sister by Virginia Woolf, the sister wants to become an actor but since she is a girl
the path she is trying to take becomes a challenge. Shakespeare can become an amazing play
writer without any challenge at all, but why cant the sister be the same. Women should have the
chance to prove themselves and be judge by what they bring to the table other than by their
gender. Yes, now women are powerful but there is still a problem with the pay gap as well. If a
man and a women both work in a high corporation, both on the same level there is more likely
the man is still making more than the women. In a ,Journal by Cheryl Lynn Kelsey titled
Gender inequality: Empowering women, she states The female-to-male median yearly
earnings ratio was 0.77 in 2011, meaning females earned 77 percent of what their male

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counterparts were paid, a gap of 23 percent. Cheryl discusses the reason for this theory that
women make less money is because of the choices women make, such as less education and
lower paying occupations. I disagree with her because not all women make these choices. There
are women who try to accomplish a goal in their lives but are still under the power of men.
Women mostly have to compete for their power. If a man and a women are both getting
hired for a job, its most likely the man will be hired because the world figures men have more to
offer, but women have more potential. Women can cause greatness if the world would only let
us. No matter how hard we try their will always be competition between women and men. In the
Journal by Cheryl Lynn Kelsey titled Gender inequality: Empowering women, she states
Studies show that when women violate traditional gender norms by demonstrating to be
competent leaders, evaluators perceived them to be less likeable and less likely to be
recommended for hiring or promotion. Women are not viewed as leaders and once someone
tries to become one the society gives them a hard time.
There are plenty of effects gender inequality has on women, the main one is loss of
confidence. Women will lose their sense of placement in this world if they are not able to
accomplish their goal in life, especially of the reason for not achieving is because of the men in
this society. Men have always treated us as if we need special help. In the story, The Yellow
Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Stetson, the main character is locked in a room by her husband
because he believes she has a severe mental problem. Men jump to their own conclusions about
women and by this its causing women to change to fit society and the standards that come along
with it. Women start to seem less educated just to appeal likeable to the public. Women should
have the confidence to do anything they set their minds to. Men shouldnt just assume they know
whats best for us when in reality they have no idea how womens minds work.

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Although there is clearly a problem with the way big corporations work there is still some
people who believe there is no problem at all. Neal Conan in NPR hourly newscast published an
article, Women In The Workplace Still Face Inequality, and states By the end of 2010,
women will likely make up the majority of the workplace. And though they've made many gains,
they still deal with inequality. By saying so he believes women are powerful but at the same
time still face the inequality in workplaces. Women are treated unfairly and are being
downgraded.
The solutions to improving this problem is by equaling the right to men and women.
Women should get the same equal pay as men. This doesnt necessarily mean a woman who
doesnt do her job should get the same pay also, just the women who actually want to wok and
put the effort to do so. Women should be able to achieve the same level of job areas as men, we
should have the same opportunities. We should be separated based on how we work and how we
manage to get the job done. We should lower the male-dominated fields and enlarge the women
empowerment. Our society should become a new and improved one, where women and men are
being treated as individuals.
Women feel powerless in big corporations. In an article, Women Are Nowhere Near
Reaching Equality In Corporate Boardrooms, Study Finds, written by Mollie Reilly, states A
new report examining gender diversity in the highest echelons of business shows women are far
from reaching parity in corporate boardrooms in California, one of the nation's most progressive
states. We may have the education needed to be in these companies but will never be viewed as
equals because we are women. Men get to sit idly by and get opportunities handed to them by
why not women? We work just as hard why can't we have the same opportunities. Mollie also
states, While the overall picture for women is grim, there has been some progress: The number

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of companies with zero women in top roles has decreased 33 percent over the last five years.
Women are being dropped to be under the power of men. Its time to let women have a seat at the
table. Its time for women to have the same rights as men do and be recognized for it just as men
do.
Another article that shows statistics of the pay between women and men is, International
Womens Day: In Charts, the author states, In 2013, the median annual income for female
workers in the U.S. was $38,097 compared to the $48,099 their male counterparts make,
according to U.S. Census data, or less than 80 cents on a mans dollar. Women get paid almost
2,000 less than men do, and why is that? Because we work less or because we are women? The
author also states,
Earnings disparities between men and women are worse in some industries than others.
Female workers in the legal profession make only about half the median annual earnings that
male legal workers make.
Women can work just as hard even more than men but still get paid half of what men do.
Women achieve great education but now in society that doesnt matter all that matters is what's
between your legs.
Workplaces can never change over night, this might take time for men and women to
have equal rights in workplaces, but why make things worse by avoiding womens
empowerment. Women can accomplish anything a man can do, so we should have the same
opportunities as men do without pretending to be less educated to meet your standards. Women
shouldnt have to feel less confident because of the male empowering jobs. We should be able to
have the same confidence in ourselves as men do. No one should have different pay or a different

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title based on their gender, skin tone, or even religion. We should separated based on how we
work and how we manage to get the job done.

Work Cited

International Womens Day: In Charts. US News. Copyright. Web. March 8, 2014.

Conan, Neal. Women In The Workplace Still Face Inequality. NPR Hourly Newscast. Web. 19
October 2009.

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Kelsey Lynn, Cheryl. Gender inequality: Empowering women. Journal of Legal Issues and
Cases in Business. Copyright. Web. 2013

Reilly, Mollie. Women Are Nowhere Near Reaching Equality In Corporate Boardrooms, Study
Finds. The Huffington Post. Copyright. Web. 18 November 2015.

Stetson Perkins, Charlotte. The Yellow Wall-paper. A World Of Ideas. Ed. Lee. A. Jacobs. New
York: Bedford, 2013. Print.

Woolf, Virginia. Shakespears Sister. A World Of Ideas. Ed. Lee A. Jacobs. New York: Bedford,
2013. Print.