Gender pay gap
In a world of developing equality and overt progression, why is there still a gender pay gap? Are women’s labors and efforts valued less than men’s? It would be primitive and unethical to render such a statement true.
A Forbes study exposed that for every dollar a man earns, a woman earns 70 cents. Both men and women hold well-respected and high-responsibility positions and should be eligible for equal pay for equal employment duties. We exist in a society where changing is possible and evolving is welcomed, which reveals the possibility of terminating the gender-pay gap. Regression within this agenda would limit society and exacerbate mistreatment and exploitation of minorities, thus labeling women as inferior.
As a united society, we can take this issue to our local councils to advocate and achieve more compelling laws to protect income equality. Let us all make an active effort to be more vigilant in addressing this issue and show our continued support to overturning such disparity that exists today. Our voice is more powerful when it is united and propelled by a unit of invested citizens.
—Ellie Graham
Liverpool, England
Perfect imperfections
Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are placed into a false facade of perfection to uphold the reputation of a Mormon in society. We are bred to live traditionally in accordance to what our parents, grandparents and great grandparents lived by. The problem with this now is that we live in a new world; instead of pressing these issues down to maintain the perfect Mormon reputation, sharing our trials with the masses would welcome unity and trust between the Mormon community and the world.
We cannot avoid the horror in our lives because of what we fear our congregation might say or what the world might think of our religion. There is no commandment that says we would be happier if we just keep our mouths shut and smile. We are human — no matter our religion — and if we want to cry, it’s OK to cry; if we want to scream and shout, it’s OK to scream and shout. Repentance and forgiveness is a real thing. God really is a man of second chances. So, yes, we are people with values and morals, heartache and trials, love and hate, sadness and happiness, more than enough children and perfect imperfections.
—Brenda Solano
Orange County, California
High school sports
As high school sports become more popular in America, many are questioning whether athletics are detrimental to a student’s success in life. While high school sports are very demanding of a student athlete, in the long term, an athlete benefits from participation.
Student athletes acquire many attributes to help them better succeed in the future. Some attributes include leadership, self-confidence, self-respect, prioritization and organization. Athletes receive many life lessons other students miss out on, such as succeeding under pressure, working well as a cohesive team and being confident in their athletic abilities. Prioritization and organization come through a student athlete’s need to manage their time wisely so they can succeed in academics, sports and other areas of life.
Studies have found that student athletes are more successful in their careers and are better employees. These skills are vital to the lifelong success of a person. An athlete learns the skills at an earlier age, helping prepare them for life. Many argue that there is too much emphasis on high school sports in America and that schools need to become solely academically focused, similar to other countries. The problem with this argument is that many exchange students who come to America are looking forward to the experience of playing high school sports.
Individuals who oppose high school athletics fail to see ways students benefit from sports. While being a student athlete can be very challenging, playing sports in high school is beneficial.
—Blythe Petty
Park City, Utah
Baseball misconduct
Open letter to the BYU students who heckled members of the Gonzaga team at Friday night’s baseball game: One of the players you yelled insults to while he was at bat was my nephew. That “mother” you told him to “get off the phone with” was my non-member sister sitting next to me. Your excuse when I asked you to stop was that it’s all part of the game. Really? I was beyond shocked that BYU students would behave in such an unkind way. And I was embarrassed that the school attended in large part by members of my church was represented so poorly at Friday’s game. Shouting insults to the opposing team’s players is not “part of the game.” And it certainly isn’t the way Christ taught us to treat others.
—Nancy Smith
Senior missionary