Stacy Hartung

9 November, 2015
Global Challenges: Making Hope and History Rhyme
It is the year 2035 and gender equality has transformed leaps and
bounds. Every twenty-dollar bill has Ruth Bader Ginsbergs face plastered
across it, and four out of the last five presidents have not only been women,
but women of color. Strides have been made to close the wage gap. A
perfect example is when the United States Womens soccer team, after
winning its fifth World Cup title, earned a deserving sum of 30 million dollarsas opposed to the meager two million dollars back in 2015. They also played
on REAL grass and not artificial turf-a formality always given to man and only
recently given to women. Aside from the tangible statistics that show how
women are treated equally, there is a different outlook on gender itself. The
millennials have grown up and taught their children that everyone should be
treated as human beings. Little girls are taught to be strong and to always
expect respect. Little boys are taught that women can do everything they
can, and that violence is never the answer. From the classroom to the dinner
table, children have learned that the capabilities of women are no different
from the capabilities of men. Children are taught these lessons from all
aspects of their lives. Role models are no longer restricted to powerful men.
Women, in fact, are each others greatest supporters and allies.
Gender itself has taken on a new meaning. We are no longer confined
to the strict,
binary concept that our genitals shackle us to. There is not one way to be
the perfect woman or the perfect man; hetero-normativity and gender
roles have gone out the window. Men are allowed to embrace their
femininity, as women are allowed to embrace their masculinity. It is a
universal fact that humans take on different roles throughout their lives.
Fathers sport aprons in the kitchen and mothers bring home the paychecks.
Toys-R-Us features ads with little girls playing with trucks and boys with dolls;
they are never questioned about which toy they prefer.
In 2035, the media has been revolutionized. No longer do reporters
ask, Why arent you smiling? or critique a female solely based on her
beauty. Red carpets focus on their subjects accomplishments and not solely
who she is wearing tonight. Tabloids are no longer plastered with shots of
celebrities without makeup or badly edited pictures degrading womens or
mens bodies. Instead, they are dedicated to celebrating the new
Hollywood that contains a wide representation of race, gender, and
sexuality. People can switch on a TV station and find a character that they
can relate to.
In this time, we embrace and celebrate everyones differences.
Women and men who were born in the wrong body do not live in constant
fear. Identity is valued over physical limitations. When asked what women
are most afraid of about men, the answer is no longer, to be raped or
murdered, but rather, the typical fear of rejection or embarrassment.
Stereotypes no longer exist; it is the norm to break the norm. Intersectional

feminism is taught in every classroom across America. Globally, equal

access to education is the decree. In developing countries, progress is still
necessary, but the views surrounding women are changing. It will take more
than 20 years for every woman in the world to acquire equal rights and equal
status, but in 20 years we will hopefully have made a substantial impact.
Women will now be aware of their options, their possibilities, their potential,
and their worth. In 2035, our society, as a whole, will have benefitted from
this massive shift in the mindset surrounding gender.