By ELEANOR TAYLOR, aged 17

‘FEMINISM’ is a word that confounds many people still to this day. It is a word that has been highlighted by so many celebrities. A word that women risked their life for.

Yet the term is constantly misused and misunderstood.

This article isn’t about burning bras and that women have the right to be better than men. It’s simply about equality.

The description used by the dictionary states: “The advocacy of women’s rights on the ground of the equality of the sexes.”

And this is what we need to strive for.

After picking this subject for my coursework at school, I began to research and look further into this term and the issues that still have an effect on women today.

Men are still paid 22 to 35 per cent more than their female counterparts.

I’ll be honest with you; this fact shocked me. I assumed that living in the 21st century we would have equality by now in the workplace. Hearing that angered me!

Another issue that is important to think about is abuse. According to the National Violence against Women survey in the US, nearly 25 per cent of women were raped and/or physically assaulted by a current or former spouse (not forgetting, however, that male abuse still exists at 7.5 per cent).

This is not acceptable. This is not right.

It wasn’t right hundreds of years ago, and it isn’t right now.

When Emma Watson made her He/She speech at the UN, she affected many people in a positive way. I admire her strongly for putting so much effort into such an important issue.

I only wish to know that if I might have children when I’m older, their gender gap might be slightly smaller than what it is now.

Now, I’m not suggesting that writing an article in the local paper will get this issue anywhere.

But my aim for this was only to give an insight to other people, men as well as women. This should not be forgotten and pushed aside.

Too many people have fought for this issue, and we all need to carry on fighting.