Biologically, there are only two known genders in the world, one is male and the other is female. Everyone, regardless of gender, receives some form of oppression in our daily lives. Oppression is a state in which a person is subjected to cruel or unfair treatment in a way that prevents them from having equal opportunities and freedoms. Over time it is evident that treatments between the two sexes are not equally distributed, even if this is assumed to be the case. Even before the 19th century, it has been repeatedly demonstrated that the ultimate goal of gender equality has not been fully achieved, thus leaving one section oppressed, primarily women. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In today's society, there are well-established patriarchal systems in which men are assigned all or most positions of supreme and authoritative power and/or importance. This system has given women the perception that “they are less qualified and less competent than men” (Glover). Despite a woman's abilities or qualifications, the nature of the patriarchal system discriminates against women of this century almost at the same level as its predecessors, as many women still face similar problems. Another reason why women are limited in the patriarchy system could be mainly due to the underrepresentation of women in government. According to Women in Congress: Statistics and Brief Overview, since women were granted the right to hold office in 1900, it was stated that only “a total of 365 women have been elected or appointed to serve in the United States Congress.” While some may say that there are many famous faces of women seen in politics around them, they are still numerically underrepresented in politics due to prejudice and sexism evoked by oppression. In recent times, the social role of women has radically changed. Typically in traditional social roles, a wife or woman is assumed to take on the duty of raising and raising her children, supporting her husband, and the responsibility of taking care of household chores. Even though times have changed, many women are still subjected to this stereotypical social role which would ultimately lead to marital oppression. An example of martial oppression can be found in the flash story “A Story an Hour” by Kate Chopin, which although published in the late 1800s is, however, still considered relevant to today's major issues. In the story, the protagonist, Mrs. Mallard, is suppressed by her husband's supreme control and her "right to impose a private will on another human being" (Chopin). She is limited to an unhealthy issue that undoubtedly led to her untimely death. In 1963, the United States Congress enacted the Equal Pay Act to protect employees from sex discrimination by their employers. The law prohibited employers from giving a woman or a man different wages or benefits. But despite efforts by the U.S. Congress, the law has not worked as originally intended because many women continue to earn significantly less pay than their counterparts for equal work. For example, according to the Institute for Women's Policy Research it states that in an "analysis of women's and men's earnings over 15 years it was found that women earned only half (49%) of what men earned." To illustrate how large the gap is in terms of pay, an entire day was dedicated to raising awareness of the gender pay gap called “Equal Pay Day” (4 April)..