In Western countries like America, Canada, the United Kingdom, etc. why is feminism still needed? Sure, there was a time when women couldn’t vote. Women were paid less than men. They couldn’t own property etc. But, those days are gone now.

Feminists argue they are constantly catcalled, or sexualized. So are men. I haven’t found any sources with statistics that prove women are sexualized and catcalled more than men. Take the Victoria’s Secret commercial, one where girls are indeed sexualized. Those girls did those commercials by their own will. They weren’t forced to be sexualized in those commercials, they chose to be. As far as men go, have you ever seen a Calvin Klein commercial?

Feminists also like to argue that there are countries where women really are treated like crap. Feminists then argue feminism is needed so they can stand up for the “injustice” in those countries.

Are women being treated as lesser people in other countries? Yup. But does standing up for it solve the problem?  No, because it means absolutely nothing. Those women are treated that way not for the lack of feminism; it’s the overabundance of religion, specifically in the Middle Eastern region. Men treat women like crap there because of their religion, so, who are we to tell those people that what they’re doing is wrong? If so, we are infringing upon their religion. Would you want someone infringing on yours?

Another popular argument is the wage gap. Sorry, kiddos, but the wage gap has been abolished since 1963. In America, the Equal Pay Act (EPA) of 1963 was passed. Other Western countries passed something similar to this. If a woman really is getting paid less than a man for the exact same work, all she has to do is present a pay stub in court. If a woman is getting paid less and not doing anything about it, then it is her fault. The EPA makes it illegal for citizens to be paid less because of their gender, race, or sexual orientation.

Women also do tend to take more time off from work than men. According to The Department of Labor’s Time Use Survey, the average full-time man works 8.14 hours a day, and the average full-time woman works 7.75 hours a day.

Even if it were real, there are other variables. Women take time off more than men to start a family, according to an ICEDR global study. The same study found that women also stop working because they spend time finding jobs that pay more than their current one. Occupations, positions, education level and hours worked per week are just some of the factors feminists fail to consider when arguing about the wage gap.

Feminists also argue that women tend to be at more of a disadvantage than men. They even argue that there are more men in politics and government jobs than women. And while this is true, it’s not like it’s illegal for women to go and do these jobs. Women can legally do this job, so the fact that they don’t, simply states that they have no interest in these jobs.

Men also go to prison more than women, however, the issue here is how long the men go to prison compared to women. Based on a study done by an assistant law professor at the University of Michigan, men on average receive 63 percent longer prison sentences than women when both have committed the same or similar crime. With education, in 2010-2011, 55 percent more females were enrolled at a university in the United Kingdom compared to men, which was 45 percent.

So, I’ll ask again: Why is feminism still relevant?