As a conservative woman, I have always been offended by the political classification of “women’s issues” as if my gender and my body are the only things that define me.

Of course I agree with many women on several different issues, but women in the United States make up more than half of the voting population, and I do not agree with all women on every issue.

I am proud of the fact that I am living in the greatest country in the world. I am not a second-class citizen in America and I have never felt that way. I realize that prior to women’s suffrage in the United States, circumstances were different, but this country has made tremendous progress regarding women’s rights.

Many people in today’s society tend to classify women’s political issues solely as free birth control, abortion and equal pay. As a woman, I find this problematic because women are concerned with more than just these issues. Every issue is just as important to women as they are to men. I do not feel comfortable when certain issues are singled out as only being a concern for women, when in reality they affect us all equally.

While many claim that Republicans are declaring a “war on women,” they are actually facilitating positive change for everyone.

For example, the Republican-controlled state of Wisconsin from 2011-2014 rebounded from an unemployment rate of 7.7 percent to 6.2 percent.  Like Wisconsin, the state of Florida, under Republican Rick Scott’s control, recovered from a rate of 11.3 percent to 6.7 percent.  Similar stories can be found in many Republican-controlled states including New Mexico and Oklahoma. If you do not think that the issue of unemployment affects women, consider thinking again. A state’s unemployment rate does not only reflect the number of unemployed men — rather, it reflects the number of both unemployed men and unemployed women. Therefore, an improvement in the number of jobs in a state is an improvement for both men and women. As a woman, I consider availability of jobs to be an imperative aspect of a woman’s ability to be financially independent.

Just as Republican governors are working to make sure that women have a salary, they are also working hard to ensure that women are able to keep their salary.

Going back to Wisconsin, Gov. Walker recently proposed a $505 million tax cut which will further relieve tax burdens on Wisconsin women. Likewise under Walker, personal income for Wisconsinites grew by 4.4 percent. Clearly, this would make women just as pleased as men. Along the same lines, in Michigan, Gov. Rick Snyder also proposed a tax cut designed to save $75-$200 for 1.3 million Michigan residents who make less than $60,000 a year. Meanwhile, in New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie has been talking about a possible 10 percent tax cut for all the people of New Jersey. I can imagine that women in these states are just as happy as I am that Republican governors are working for us by tackling the issues that matter to everyone, men and women alike.

Not only do Republicans recognize women’s abilities to be financially independent through job creation, but they also recognize the need for women to be independent from an overreaching government. Allowing women to keep more money from every paycheck that they earn is a huge step in the right direction.

As a hardworking young woman, I believe that I should be able to keep as much of the money that I earn in my own pocket, and that is why taxes should be as low as possible. Some politicians have called for an equal pay law which they believe will put extra money in my pocket; however, I take offense to the idea of an equal pay law. Why should politicians have the ability to regulate my salary to be equal to a man’s? I find it insulting that certain people in this society today do not think I am worthy or capable of making just as much, if not more, than a man on my own. I think that pay should be determined by one’s work ethic and skill, and not by one’s gender.

All in all, Republican efforts to focus on job creation, lowering the tax burden and opposing an equal pay law are benefiting women. To think that the only issue that women care about involves having free birth control is both offensive and inappropriate. The real “war on women” is assuming that the economic initiatives and policies implemented by Republican governors across the country are not as important to women as they are to men. It is now time for all politicians to stop classifying women as one homogeneous group defined by body and gender and start treating us as equal to men.

Courtney Mullen is a member of the College Republicans’ executive board.