Millions of women have gathered in the streets. Their voices unite in harmony. Chants that call for equal rights could be heard echoing throughout the country. Handmade signs, which include phrases that plead for action, are seen floating above the crowds. These demonstrators are all fighting for a common cause, a cause that should’ve had its issues resolved decades ago.

It was on Election Day in 1920 when American women exercised their right to vote for the very first time. Up until that day, reformers had spent the better part of 100 years advocating for the right. Now it’s 2018, and while we’ve long had the ability to vote, many women still feel as though men continue to have the upper hand.

In addition to often being mistreated in the workplace, women are routinely paid less than men, in spite of making the same contributions. When it comes to business and politics, it is rare for a woman to be given a position of power, with most of those roles being fulfilled by men. The imbalance is even reflected in Hollywood, where it is significantly more common to see a male protagonist in a film or television series than a female.

To me, one thing is evident: Despite years of activism, women are still not on the same playing field as their male counterparts. It’s difficult for me to rationalize why this is so, and why it seems as though this inequality has existed since the beginning of time. The notion that one gender can be more superior than another is ridiculous, and it’s impossible to imagine where this irrational belief came from.

Women marched in the streets hundreds of years ago, just as they do today, asking for the same thing. Decades have gone by, but little progress has been made. How has this maddening problem persisted throughout so many generations?

My only hope is that one day, preferably sooner than later, we will live in a world where all human beings are given equal opportunities and treatment.