There is no novelty in stating that women have never been treated the same way as men in the general course of history. Nonetheless, this condition has seen significant improvements during the last century in many countries, especially the western ones. However, such changes are not enough for women to finally feel like they are receiving equal treatment compared to the opposite gender.
In the past, girls were taught to take care of the family and behave like proper housewives since they were little in order for them to find a husband that would earn money for the household. Moreover, females were not respected as human beings with dignity, they used to be daily victims of continuous sexual abuses, verbal and physical harm as a normality and they did not have the right to vote for any political decision. It has to be mentioned that today’s progresses are a direct consequence of all our ancestors’ sacrifices and we should be proud of their courage and proceed with their war to stop inequality.
As a matter of fact, although the situation has notably gotten better, the change is not outstanding enough to perceive gender equity. There are still too many developing countries in which women have no say whatsoever and may even be forced to marry old men and have their babies while still being children themselves. All these abuses can cause girls serious terminal diseases, in particular sexual infections like HIV or in the worst scenario their death. Despite the huge difference, in more developed societies many women suffer verbal and sexual harassment regardless.
In conclusion, I do believe that we are still far away from the utopia of gender equity as far as we do not really start putting ourselves in fighting for it. Furthermore, if governments invested in feminist campaigns and in education for little boys about behaving respectfully, perhaps improvements could be seen sooner than everyone imagines.