Weaknesses Understanding the prompt Counterclaim paragraph Have we achieved equality? NOT were we equal in the past or should we be equal today Counterclaim paragraph State the opposition Explain why the opposition is wrong No counterclaim = 1 for PFO Evidence & elaboration Focus on one reason per paragraph Choosing evidence that is relevant 3 sources referenced throughout 1 or 2 sources = 1 or 2 for EE

Introduction “Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud puddles, or gives me the best place. And ain’t I a woman?” Back in 1840- 1986 women were treated like they needed help with everything, but they didn’t.

Introduction Well, I think we can all debate on whether equality is equal for both men and women. No, I do believe that men and women are not treated equally. We all come together to be a part of America, yet we are not treated all equal.

Introduction Women back in the day went through a lot of pain and suffering to get equal rights and to be treated the same way as men. Are women today treated equal?

Introduction Since the beginning of time, women have always been treated lesser than men. Even though women have come a long way, there is still much more work to do to achieve full equality. From double-standards to paying more for women’s products, it seems like society thinks men are “better.”

Introduction Over the last 150 years, women all over the United States have fought persistently and courageously for our rights. The changes these strong women have made by just taking a stand are truly astonishing. Although we have tremendously increased the equality of women to men, how successful have women really been at achieving it? Yes, we have fixed many wrongs, but whether we want to acknowledge it or not, men are still viewed as the superior gender. Gender equality is still not fully developed for a number of reasons, but mainly because of unequal pay and double standards.

Body Paragraphs Women’s wages were lower than men’s wages because of occupational segregation. Occupational segregation caused unequal wages.

Body paragraph Women’s rights are still not justified as equal. Females are most likely to live at poverty wages but they still have to pay more for female versions of everyday items. Women are not only judged by how they look and body shamed, but are judged by the color of their skin. In “Ain’t I a woman?” by Sojourner Truth, she talks about how men say women should be treated but nobody does that to her because of the color of her skin. There’s many double standards with men and women. People expect way more from a woman, but have less respect. There’s much more rape and domestic violence with women.

Body paragraph One major reason behind the idea that men are still viewed as superior to women is the pay between genders. Often times, no matter the job, men are paid more than women. According to “Women’s Wages are Lower Due to Occupational Segregation,” “Weekly earnings for female full-time workers were $691 compared with $854 per week for men.” This evidence is outstanding proof of unequal pay between genders. Men get paid nearly $200 greater than women do weekly. This is an example of gender inequality because even in doing the same thing, in the same way (maybe even better at times), men are still thought to be the greater sex and are rewarded increasingly and undeservedly over women. Due to the fact that the gender wage gap exists, it is clear that we have not been completely successful at achieving equality.

Counterclaim (argument=are equal) Now to say women are treated perfectly is not fair. It is well-known that women are paid, on average, less than men. And women are more judged on looks than intelligence.

Counterclaim (argument=not equal) Furthermore, lots of people would argue that women should not have the same rights as men, because if they do they are taking jobs from them in lots of ways like being a soldier, a construction worker, or even an engineer. Also, to counter that, women fight for what they believe in. It took over a century just to let women be able to do what the men do.

Counterclaim Some people believe women are equal because they have the right to vote. However, having the right to vote doesn’t stop a man from putting his hands on you or raise your pay check. Having the right to vote is a step in the right direction, but it does not solve the problems that women face every day.

Counterclaim (argument=not equal) Some may argue that in 1963 congress passed the Equal Pay Act, making it illegal for employers to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for the same job, and this is true. However, in “Women’s Wages are Lower due to Occupational Segregation” by Hegewisch and Matite, it explains that “Male dominated occupations tend to pay more than female dominated occupations of similar skill levels.” Even though congress passed a law to stop this unfair treatment, the fact that the wage gap still exists proves that inequality has not been achieved.

Conclusion Women fought for the right to vote for over 70 years. Unfortunately, that fight is not over. We may have come a long way from being denied basic human rights, but society still considers men to be the better gender. We owe it to the women that fought for their whole lives to keep fighting until women are considered equal.