I am a feminist because I believe that men and women should have political, economic and social equality.

I am a feminist because I see the inequity of a woman earning three-fourths of every dollar that a man earns.

I am a feminist because I recognize the unfairness of the fact that a male with only a high school diploma will earn more in the work force than a female with a college degree.

I am a feminist because I believe that sexual violence, including domestic abuse, rape and sexual assault must stop. I believe that if human beings work together, we can make the world a safe place for women. The statistic that 85 percent of raped women are raped by someone they know is disturbing, as is the fact that battering is the No. 1 cause of injury to women in the United States.

I am a feminist because I am appalled at the frequency of rape and other violence against women in our society. I hate the prevalence of the assumption that just because a woman wears a short skirt or has too much to drink that she is “asking for it.” This is the United States of America, and women should be able to dress however they please without worrying that the clothing they choose might endanger their physical safety—just as men never have to worry about their bodies being violated if they dress a certain way.

I am a feminist because I believe that neither sex should be superior to the other. Rather, men and women should work together to promote respectful attitudes about women and encourage healthy relationships between the sexes that are respectful and free of violence. In this way, women can achieve the equality that the male sex has always known.

I am a feminist because I believe that no one—not a mother, not a father, not a boyfriend and certainly not the Supreme Court—should have the right to tell a woman what to do with her body.

I am a feminist because I believe that the life, health and well-being of a grown woman should be more valuable to society than any potential life she may carry in her womb.

I am a feminist because I believe that until women can physically and sexually take control of their bodies and decide for themselves when to have children, they will never be able to exist on the same level of equality as men.

I am a feminist because I believe that human beings do have the power to change the world. Because the stereotypical ideals of the masculine and the feminine are constructed by society, society has only to look to itself to tear them down so that both sexes can be equal.

I am a feminist because I see and appreciate feminism as a multi-faceted and diverse movement. Feminism has as many different versions as the individuals who support it. Once people can look beyond the stereotype of “femi-Nazis” who hate men, burn bras and don’t shave their legs, they will see that feminism isn’t about one sex being superior to the other; it’s about equality.

We owe it to ourselves to make the world a safer and more equitable place for those individuals who make up over half of its population.

Amy Roebuck is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Science and a member of Vanderbilt Feminists.