Equality for women is an issue that is recognized world wide. Looking back on the history of women’s rights show us just how far we have come. Women are more often now being recognized for their achievements and abilities the same way men are. They are being celebrated for more than just physical attributes. Achievements in science and medicine that are lead by women are becoming more and more well known. But, even with how far we have come, there is still a large community of people who are not as up to date with equality as they should be.

One of today’s most well known uses of shock politics belongs to Donald Trump’s comments about women. Whether it is stating that if Ivanka was not his daughter, he might be dating her, or that it doesn’t matter what female journalists write as long as they are attractive, or that just because he is a big star he can do whatever he wants to women, statements like these are recognized from around the world. He used these comments to keep himself trending during the election period. This played a massive role in his eventual win as he remained in the brains of American’s throughout his campaign. Society is doing its best to go against the inequality that has been engrained in our behaviour for generations. We have come so far, from giving women the right to education and vote, to having the first female astronaut sent into space, to having the first First Lady to be elected into public office in the United States. Women are capable of doing the same things men do, and witnessing the President of the United States cut down and degrade women in order to get ahead in politics is only working against the progress we have been able to make within the latest few generations.

Women working hard towards achieving the same goals as men is not just limited to North America. In developing countries, women are not given the same access to agricultural resources that their male counterparts are given. This effects the population of people in the world who do not have enough food to survive. Crop productions could almost double if women and men were held to the same standard in these countries. There would be enough food present to cut the world hunger problem by a large percent. This is outlined in the video “Gender in Agriculture and Rural Development” shown in Module 3. It is stated that the countries that prioritize gender equality in the agriculture industry have been able to obtain a stronger sense of food security for their citizens.

Giving women the tools necessary to contribute to their community only strengthen that community more as a whole. Their contributions are proven to aid in diminishing the world hunger problem, yet many countries do not follow in the equality footsteps of others. Men and women who work with livestock have shown that they both profit equally from their goods, but it has been shown that women typically do not have as many animals under their care than their male counterparts do. The ownership of land also plays a major part in the success of male and female agriculture workers. Male households on average will have two or three times larger land holdings than those of female households. This gives males the opportunity to produce more crop than females, only aiding in the gender imbalance within the industry. If these countries were willing to enforce equality in their distribution and opportunity for growth within agriculture, they would notice a spike in food production, and a decline in numbers of people who would otherwise be going without food. Promoting women’s equality would benefit everyone.

Women around the world have been fighting for equality for many generations. Although we have come very far from where we once were, there is still much of an uphill climb to be made. Whether you are living in an apartment in Vancouver, or you are volunteering in a developing country overseas, equality for women is an issue that will follow you wherever you may go.