In 2016 you would expect men and women to be equal, yet there are still massive gender stereotypes and issues of equality in society.

We know of the incredible effort the Suffrage movement of the early 20th century put in to campaign for women's rights, yet over 100 years later, men and women are still not treated the same in some circumstances.

For example, did you know that the average female earns 24pc less than a male in the same role? That's disgraceful considering they are paid considerably less for doing exactly the same job, to a similar standard.

You also often see products advertised 'for him' or 'for her', but who's to say this should be the case? If a woman wants to wear a suit or a man wants to wear a dress, that doesn't make them any less of a person.

In fact it makes them stronger as they're showing the courage to act out their beliefs and defy gender roles. Girls play with dolls and boys play football - but why is this the case?

There are all these hidden rules that people feel forced to oblige without reason and then they're persecuted if, at any point, they break convention. Everyone should be able to lead their life exactly how they want to without the fear of judgement from others. As long as you're happy and you're not hurting anyone else, then there's no problem whatsoever.

Even though there are no lessons in the subject, children are subconsciously taught the 'rules' of society about how they should behave or what they should wear. Everyone just follows this unwritten law without logical reason. It doesn't make sense, yet generation after generation have followed their ancestors with few willing to challenge this.

This ideology is emblazoned into you from very young so you feel unable to express yourself in a way that defies the norm. This should not be the case and this way of thinking and acting needs to be eradicated.

Granted, we've come a long way, and society is much more accepting today compared to what it used to be, but some of the outdated perceptions people still possess are utterly ridiculous in the modern world.

If we are to move further forward in society, changes need to take place. Hopefully it isn't long before prejudice and judgement are just historical terms and this world is finally truly equal for all.

Aaron Cahill, 17, Attleborough