I've been fortunate to have had a childhood where I was given the impression I could be anyone and do anything. That confidence has served me well through my forty odd years but I can, like all women, easily pick out a dozen instances, off the top of my pretty (but empty) little head, where I’ve encountered direct inequality. Mostly my experience has been with the casual sexism that has become part of our language, the throw away comments about women being weak (physically and therefore mentally and emotionally) or ‘family men’ being given more resources, respect and pay than working mothers by comparison. I’ve raised the odd comment in rebuttal but I mostly just let it slide, easier in the long run, I keep telling myself. I find it deeply saddening that inequality has become so ingrained in our society that on some level all women understand (and almost accept) that they will be treated as less than their male counterparts. After time the imbalance becomes the norm and social structures become reinforced. Equality rights affect everyone, think of how much stronger our nation and our world will be if everyone could take their place as equals. You can't sing with half a voice, you can't have vision with half an eye and you can't have a whole society without half the people being heard. Despite the backlash we need to find our voices. Up the women! (but obviously not higher than the men, just high enough to be equal. If we could sneak a brief period of dominance that would be great but let’s not run before we walk).