Women and girls make up half the world’s population, but are still often not treated equally to men and boys. This book takes a look at the gender gap, framing issues and arguments in ongoing discussions about women’s rights in the United States and worldwide. The Shaping the Debate series is designed to help readers in grades 5-9 understand social issues from multiple viewpoints and to articulate their own opinions. Each book in this series explains the title issue and how it affects people and policy; introduces people and movements involved in bringing awareness to the issue; highlights applicable major U.S. laws, judicial decisions, and progressive to moderate to conservative viewpoints; and touches on global implications of activism, awareness, and policy change