Political Science Discussion Post Response (Ericka)
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There are many groups in America who need protection from the inequalities society presents. Not only are there differences on how society treats race or gender but also many other groups like religion, age, national origin and others. The government understands that every American, regardless of their differences need equal opportunities to ensure their pursuit of happiness. If employers were allowed to hire only white Americans and no one else, it would create many economic issues for the minorities. This goes for other groups like women who need a fighting chance to compete with male workers. Currently in todays situation, there is a lot better equality then there was fifty years ago. We are not 100% equal but new laws are created to help make sure all American have a fighting chance at success.
There has been great achievements in providing equal rights for certain groups, especially rights for women. There was a time when the way a woman could get equal employment was when all the men were at war during World War II. When the men came back, women were forced to go back to the kitchen and work for the family, usually without pay. Women who refused to bake bread all day went through the daunting task of fighting for equal rights so they can find employment that was close to the same wage rate as their male counterparts. Even though, there will always be instances where you have more men or women performing certain duties. For example, there will always be more women as medical nurses, and there will be more men pursuing engineer positions. Men today probably make more money than women make because they work more hours and seek higher paying jobs. Does this mean women are still experiencing economic inequalities? Maybe so, but they are far from how it used to be. At one point, it was frowned upon to have a unisex bathroom for both men and women. The issue of having a separate one posed financial issues that ended up being todays standard. Discrimination in educational institutions was perceived as a big issue because many schools would grant entrance to mostly male students. Before 1996 there was even all male schools but the Supreme Court ended that practice, at least the ones that were supported by public funds. Military schools fought hard against allowing women to enter, citing the difficulty women would have completely their programs. Even though the Supreme Court voted against it.
When it comes to the differences between types of discrimination, the main difference are the groups that are affected. The way women are discriminated against compared to race comes in different forms. For example, there was not an issue with women eating at all white restaurants unless of course those women were black. People experiencing discrimination based on age simply did not have it as bad as people discriminated against race. That might be just my opinion but if you were an older black male in the sixties not only did you face issues because of your age but also your race. They had it twice as bad, that goes for black women as well. It is a beautiful thing how are Constitution protects us from the government and there idiotic policies. Without it, there would be so much inequality. With it there is more balance and harmony.
