For years, the battle for the equal treatment of men and women has persisted, and very recently the light of the battle has shown even brighter. Emma Watson, the UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, gave an incredible speech launching the HeforShe campaign at the United Nation’s Headquarters, telling us that the fight for equality cannot be won with only one half of humanity fighting.

“Dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women,” the He for She campaign is revolutionizing the battle for gender equality. With over 180,000 men currently committed, the campaign aims to bring men and women together to conquer inequality as a united force.

According to the Digest of Education Statistics, in the fall of 1970 approximately 350,000 women were enrolled in college, while approximately 500,000 men were. Additionally, women earned only 59 percent of what men earned.

Since then the tables have turned. In 2008, 11 million women were enrolled in college while only 8 million men were, but the wage gap remains prominent. Today, women ages 20 to 24 are earning 89 percent of the income that men earn. For women ages 45 to 54, the wage gap is even larger, earning 75.1 percent of what men do, according to Catalyst.org, the leading nonprofit organization working to expand opportunities for women and business.

If women and men have the same level of education and can perform at the same level of work, it is frightening to know that men are given the upper hand only because of their gender. We continue to progress as human beings but there is still no excuse for the unequal treatment of men and women that takes place in today’s society. Today, it should be unquestionable that our society’s goal is the complete equality of the sexes.

The men of the world must take a stand for women, and their invitation to do so has been extended.