Life

Are Women's Equality Facts True Of 1915 Or 2015?

by Emma Cueto

People like to think that sexism and gender inequality are a thing of the past, that men and women are equal, and that no one needs feminism any more. But in reality, things are as enlightened today as you'd think, as a new video asking young girls about gender equality issues points out. The video was created in conjunction with the movie Suffragette , and it shows not just how far we've come in the past hundred years, but also how far we still have to go.

In the video, young girls are told a fact about women and asked if they think the fact is true of the year 1915 or of 2015. Most of the girls guess 1915, when in fact, all of the statements are true of women today. It's heartening that we've raised a generation of girls who are so confident in their equality that they have a hard time believing that things could still be so horribly unequal — but it's also tragic to watch these girls realize that the world really is still that screwed up.

As a planet we've come a long way in regards to gender equality since 1915, it's true. But we also still have a long, long way to go. Because girls today deserve better. And it's not just young girls who might be surprised at how much inequality persists.

Here are just four things from the video you might think were only true a hundred years ago but in fact are still true today.

1. 75 Million Girls Under 14 Are Child Laborers

2. One In Three Women Will Be Physically Or Sexually Abused By Their Partners

3. Two Out of Every Three People Who Can't Read Or Write Are Women

4. Child Birth Is The Second Leading Cause Of Death For Girls Between Ages 15 and 19

If that isn't enough to make you want to fight for equality, I don't know what is.

Images: Focus Features/YouTube (4)