“We can not all succeed when half of us are being held back” — Malala Yousafzai

In this quote, Malala Yousafzai speaks out about how success in a nation is collective, not individual. In order to progress, we cannot hold women back, whether that is by a government or societal norms. Throughout history, society has held women back in more ways than one. As we recently celebrated International Women’s Day, the Peoria Academy Journalism Club chose to confront some of these ongoing issues including underrepresentation of women in government, unfair taxation and wages, and gender-based violence.

When picturing a president or a prime minister or a dictator, there are many people who come to mind. Maybe you think of Abraham Lincoln or Winston Churchill or Vladimir Putin. But very rarely will a woman come to mind, and in the case of the United States, a woman never does. Somehow, in the 250 years of our nation, we have never had a female president. Our first female vice president was only elected in 2020. It becomes more than just representation when there are laws that concern and affect women that don’t actually reflect what women want. Internationally, only 27.5% of parliamentary seats are held by women in 2026, according to UN Women. Only in 16 countries are women the head of state. To look at that objectively, it should be shocking to hear that less than a third of law-making and passing is done by women. The world is split 50/50, and yet women are underrepresented. To the countries that still don’t have a gender-equal legislative body: How can we truly have a functioning, well-established system for all genders if we don’t truly have a gender-equal government?

In 2025, for every 100 men promoted to management positions in the U.S., only 93 women were promoted. These numbers only get worse for women of color, showing that men significantly outnumber women at the manager level, according to Women in the Workplace 2025. According to AAUW, women in the United States working full-time make 81% of what men earn.

Essentially luxurious necessity

Beyond unequal opportunities in leadership, many women struggle with accessibility to basic feminine hygiene. Women’s menstrual products have what is known as a “Tampon Tax,” or “Pink Tax,” classifying them as a luxury item instead of a necessity. This becomes incredibly visible when looking at access to basic essentials: Women receive a lack of necessary materials when it comes to basic hygiene. According to Oxford University, the “Tampon Tax” is a term used to describe the special taxes applied to menstrual products. Many women, including our writers at the Peoria Academy Journalism Club, believe that free period products should be available in public restrooms the same way that toilet paper is. According to the Institute of Biological Medicine and Natural Concepts, period products in the U.S. are the second-most expensive in the world, after the United Arab Emirates. According to Cleveland Clinic, going without menstrual products can lead to vaginal infections and odors, and can be uncomfortable for women. Periods occur naturally biologically and are uncontrollable so providing the necessary supplies is essential.

Discrimination and abuse

Another issue when considering women’s rights is the gender wage gap. According to the National Women’s Law Center, a woman earns approximately 83 cents for every dollar a man earns. According to the Pew Research Center, female-dominated fields are often paid less than male-dominated ones, even if the jobs both require the same level of education and skill.

This is shown through many prominent female occupations such as teaching, nursing, dental hygienists, and secretaries, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. Undervaluing women-dominated fields can reveal the pay injustices that still exist, even after the Equal Pay Act was passed more than 60 years ago.

The same systems that undervalue women’s work are the same systems that fail to protect women’s safety.

“Every person deserves to live free from violence,” is a direct quote from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). The quote affirms the DOJ’s commitment to uphold this promise. However, in 2011, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that “nearly 20% of all women” in the United States experienced rape or an attempted rape at some time in their lives.

More than a third of the victims were raped before the age of 18. The United States has one of the highest numbers of reported rape cases in the world. In 2024, according to Statista, 127,527 reports of forcible rape were documented. This violence is only the first part of the broken promise. Although these numbers are considerable, unfortunately, they are only a small fraction of the actual number of rape cases in the U.S. About 1 in 3 victims disclose the assault. What’s stopping survivors from reporting? RAINN Polls state that about 20% are afraid of retaliation and 13% believed that the police would be no help. Even for the women who do come forward, justice is far from guaranteed. For those cases that are prosecuted, about 2% end with a conviction. For every 1,000 assaults, 50 lead to arrest, 28 of the arrests will get a felony conviction, and only 25 of the convictions will lead to incarceration.

Overwhelming odds

All of these ongoing issues prove how the current system is failing women. Women are dismissed and taken advantage of. Although we have come a long way, we still have more to improve before we reach true gender equality. When viewing statistics, it is shown that the injustice towards women in many aspects is overwhelming. By supporting organizations that give women a voice to be shared, we can create a fairer environment for our society to continue growing. There are many steps we can take towards fulfilling the goal of gender parity, including access to essentials for women, female representation in the workforce — especially in the government — and advocacy for sexual abuse victims worldwide. We are not the first ones to talk about gender equality, and we will certainly not be the last, but we feel that, as women, we want to create an environment for us to succeed.

— By Ilyla Robinson, Lea LaGache, Emelia Stevenson, Ammini Guzzardo & Amelie Egan