Dear Boys,

Please don't treat girls like we're not equal. 
I would like to start off this blog post with a story from May 18, 2017. I was in fourth period with my friends, most of which are girls, in our least favorite class, P.E. During P.E. we were playing a game that I assumed was meant for kids around the age of 10 to 12. Yet, we were going to play it in P.E. Of course, with simple games like these, the boys tend to get very competitive. The game was similar to basketball. The objective was to get a ball down the court by tossing it to other team mates. Then, the ball would be thrown into a trampoline-like thing, and when it springs back up a player must catch it in order for a point to be made. Some of my friends were put into the first round of the game. I quickly realized that the ball wasn't being passed to the girls at all. Being a person that automatically stands up for what she believes in, I began shouting that the girls were open and read to be passed to. Still nothing. The game ended, and new girl friends were put in. Still, nothin was passed to them. I was getting frustrated. Why weren't we being passed to? We were completely open! Finally, it was my turn to go in the game. My P.E. teacher mentioned something about involving girls, but no one really listened. I ran up and down with the game, but was passed to once. Once.
End of story. The point is: why did boys not feel the need to pass to girls? Are we not equals and both capable of playing the game?? 

Me being perplexed. Courtesy of Green Auto Market
I just want to know why guys do not feel as if it is okay to pass to a girl? Do they not believe that she is able to pass the ball as well? I believe that things like this come from years of gender stereotyping. I make this claim due to the fact that since long, long ago, women have been seen as the baby makers or the weak. The gatherers, not the hunters. Only on occasion have some females branched out and proven themselves as the strong. Kudos to these women for proving the stereotypes wrong, but it doesn't mean they don't exist. My point is that I believe men still perceive women not as equals. I believe that going back hundreds of year and comparing it to the now, women still wouldn't be passed to. Heck, women wouldn't have even been playing.
In conclusion, I would very much enjoy if women could be passed the ball. Give us a chance to show you that we can do it as well, just as well. Women deserve to be treated equally. If we're in the game, let us play.

An Interesting Article

Recently, I read an article that I believe really hit home. This article is entitled "Why Parents May Cause Gender Differences In Kids". You can read the article. This article is really interesting because of what it talks about.
The article is about how stereotyping and underestimation starts at a very young age. It talks about how parents, even though they may not purposely mean it, discriminate against the ability of girls. Parents limit the abilities of girls as they grow up by treating them like they are not as able or need to be safer. 

Kristina and the robot we built.

The reason this article is something that is important is because we are doing something against what is commonly done by parents. The article talks about how parents typically push their boys to be smart and join clubs like robotics. Yet, when it comes to girls, they are less encouraged to go after the educational side, but to go after a slim, appealing figure. The reason that us, as a team, are able to thrive as a team is because we have parents who change it up. Our parents haven't limited our activities; rather, they have pushed us as much as they would push boys. The reason that we are a good team is because we have defied the odds. We have been raised to think less about how our bodies look and more about how our grades look. How will our transcripts as we graduate high school? What will differ our college applications from every other person that has applied? We were taught to be the future. One of the things that the article stresses is how girls have been held back by parents, teachers, and friends. We have pushed our limits and passed our points of expectations as girls. We are making the change. We are teaching others not to hold the girls back. We are setting the example that when a girl does something, it shouldn't be judged any different than from if a boy were to do it.
We are living by the quote "Be the change you wish to see in the world." 
I stress reading this article. When a problem is finally acknowledged as an issue, we are able to begin tackling it. One of the first steps to fixing anything is seeing that a problem actually exists. A change can not be made until everyone recognizes it as a problem. Ultimum Dominarum is working towards enlightening and influencing the people of the world to work to fix this issue.