Irving Kristol once said, “Democracy does not guarantee equality of conditions. It only guarantees equality of opportunity.” These words from Kristol spur an interesting debate about whether equality truly exists in the United States of America. The idea that every citizen has an equal chance at happiness and success is nice in theory. But true equality does not exist in America. Among other factors, socioeconomic status, gender, and ethnicity significantly impact the opportunities available to individuals.
Children born into wealthier families simply have more opportunities than children born into poorer ones, and today, income inequality between the upper, middle, and lower classes has reached an all-time high. In 1976, 9% of income went to the top 1%. Today, 24% of income goes to the top 1%. The bottom 80% of Americans own only 7% of the country’s wealth today, while the top 1% has 40% of its wealth. The United States might have been more equitable in the past, particularly in the decades following World War II, but in today’s economy, the rich are becoming richer while everyone else suffers. The rich can afford to send
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The statistics vary, but the average female worker is said to earn $0.77 cents for every dollar a man earns doing the same job. Likewise, Yale University conducted a study where they gave identical job resumes to potential employers labeling one with the name John and the other Jennifer, and John was offered, on average, $4,000 more in annual income. Both “John” and “Jennifer” had the same qualifications and the same amount of education, though for some unknown reason, the male candidate was viewed as more valuable. This kind of gender discrimination displays how women have an unfair disadvantage in the American workplace. Until women earn a dollar for every dollar men earn doing the same work with the same level of experience, equality will not exist in