Many people associate feminism with hatred toward men, yet it's a wrong belief. When it comes to feminism, the main idea is equal treatment and rights for men and women. You may wonder why we need such a thing as feminism. Women can vote now, take up any job they'd like, and this list can go on. After centuries of inequality, the rights women have now should please them enough, right?

Even though women today have more opportunities, they still face unfair treatment. The most common place where women get criticized is their work. For instance, there is a difference in salary. The website PayScale conducted research on pay equality in 2020. After a series of media outbreaks like the #MeToo movement and lawsuits, the researchers wanted to look into the gender pay gap. The research showed that in 2020, women earned only $0.81 for each dollar men made.

Some may argue that women have less paid positions because they offer more autonomy. This can help women dedicate time to their kids and families as well. Yet, when women choose to become mothers, they shouldn't get punished. Also, there are a group of women who suffer even more. Those are women of color, higher-ups, and women in specific fields. This only proves that discrimination is blooming in the workplace.

Yet, payment is not the only way women get discriminated against. Women often face sexual harassment, and common stereotypes hold them back from moving up the career ladder. For instance, when women are self-assured, they get referred to as sassy. At the same time, men get praised for this quality.

There was also a survey that proved the research of PayScale. In 2017, the Pew Research Center reported that 42 percent of women who participated said they faced unfair treatment at work. On the other hand, only 20 percent of men stated the same thing. The participants agreed that the payment gap was the most common form of discrimination. Twenty-five percent of women said they would earn less than men in the same position. They also would make less than their colleagues who didn't have children. Even though the Equal Pay Act was established over 50 years ago, women aren't treated as well as men. That's why we still need feminism.