Civil Rights Article

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/344937/gender_equality_in_the_united_states_pg2.html?cat=47
Gender Equality in the U.S.
The Civil Rights Act (1964) and Voting Rights Act (1965) obviously were major accomplishments in our nations history to creating a more equal society. Our country has moved forward, and made progress concerning this topic. But, the question of whether or not true equality has been accomplished yet in our society hangs over the heads of many.
Men and women have always had their differences, but placing one above the other crosses the line. Men have been known for thousands of years as the "head honcho" in the family, brings home the money, and is dominante over the woman. This image has been placed behind many, and women have started to take over some of these positions. Women have made progress in society, and have made a place for themselves. But, men are still favored over women.
More and more women have become educated, and the ratio of men to women eduacted has become more level. But, when applying for a job and recieving income the favoring begins. In 2000, a study between men and women that earned their bachelor's degree had a differnce in pay. Women receieved $35,408 and men recieved $49, 982. This is a huge gap in pay, and it was all based off of the persons gender. This example shows crystal clear that our society hasn't fully reached true equality.
Politics is another field that women lack representation in. A study was done betewen the U.S., Mexico, UK, and Sweden to compare statistics. In each place, women weren't represeted well in government, except for Sweden (45%). U.S. was 14%, UK was 18% and Mexico had 23% representation. In each of these places around the globe, the populations are made up of about 50% women, which shows how poorly we are represented. The U.S. has the lowest representation percentage, which concerns me. After passing the two bills in 1964 and 1965, we still have not reached true equality in our country. There are other factors that play into inequality, but I would think that by the 21st century the U.S. would be a leader in this area.
As a country we still need to work toward true equality if we want to be the best country, and believe through and through that we are the best country.