It’s 2010. Ninety years ago American women won the right to vote. In 1973, women won the right to choose via Roe v. Wade. In 1984, the first woman, Geraldine Ferraro, received a vice presidential nomination from a major political party. In 2007, Nancy Pelosi was elected the first female Speaker of the House. And finally, in 2008 the U.S. received its first realistic female candidate for president, Hillary Clinton.

Yes, it’s 2010, and despite all these accomplishments, I’m here to say sexism is alive and well in America.

How do I know this?

I know this because despite the fact that 35 percent of women between the ages of 25 and 29 have a bachelor’s degree, compared to 27 percent of men the same age, women still make 78 cents to every dollar men make. I know this because despite women making up over half the U.S. population only 17 percent of the U.S. Senate is made up of women. And I know this because despite the rise of stay-at-home dads, women continue to do 70 percent of housework. But perhaps, more importantly, I know this because a few years ago a drunken relative “humorously” said to me, “Sarah, you can be senator, but you can’t be president.”

Despite all these statistics and accolades, I know there are many who disagree with me. There are many who say women don’t make as much as men because they choose to take time off from work. To those I offer the following recent news stories:

Google Tells Sites for ‘Cougars’ to Go Prowl Elsewhere
This New York Times article explains that Google has banned dating sites like CougarLife.com (a site that caters to older women looking for younger men) from appearing as sponsored links or other types of Google advertising. However, Google continues to allow sites “like DateAMillionaire.com, which assures its clients they can meet sugar babies” to advertise.

K&L Gates: Closed to Associate Mothers?
This article discusses how the large New York law firm, K&L Gates, somehow finds a way to get rid of their female staffers once they have children.

Is This Woman Too Hot To Be a Banker?
A single mom was allegedly fired from her job at Citibank because “her bosses told her they couldn’t concentrate on their work because her appearance was too distracting.”

Do you think blatant sexism is a myth? Please feel free to share your thoughts and stories.

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