by Georgia Peach

Created on: October 17, 2007

We are a society filled with gender misconceptions which leads to an unfairness between the sexes on many different levels. These preconceived notions and expectations of how women and men are "supposed" to be leads to gender bias.

My first experience with gender bias was while I was working as a salad bar girl in my teens. I was friends with everyone who worked in the restaurant. One day while one of the boys complained about his paycheck, I offered to help him figure out his weekly hours. When he accepted my help I soon realized he made three dollars an hour more than I did.

But wait a minute? We started working at the restaurant at the same time. We were the same age, with the same amount of experience. He was a cook in the rather slow restaurant. But I had to set up the entire salad bar rain or shine and if I looked like I wasn't busy enough they'd send me in the back to clean.

I asked my friend why he was making more money than me, and he said he'd tell me only if I promised to keep it a secret. He confessed that all of the male employees were paid more than their female counterparts, even if their jobs were identical. I couldn't believe it. How could this be?

When I asked some of the other boys who worked there a few more also confessed, but only one said he thought it was unfair. They all begged me to stay quiet, they were told by the boss to never say anything to any of us girls, and they were certain that they would lose their jobs for revealing the truth.

I never went to the manager for fear that all of us would end up fired, as a teenager I hadn't yet learned to stand up for my rights. That was the day I learned that there were major double standards between men and women, ones that didn't make any sense.

I am grateful for the progress that has been made over the years, but still women are not where they should be. Today's woman is still not receiving equal respect in the majority of workplaces, and even in society in general.

Boys suffer as well, being shoved into our cultural definition of what a man should be. Limiting his options in much the same way.

Will gender misconceptions ever change? Only if the way we raise our children changes. There has been a shift in our society, changes that are taking place slowly over time.

I am hopeful that one day there will be a true equality between men and women regardless of differing chromosomes, and at last men and women can find true freedom in being whoever it is they want to be, regardless of their gender.

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