Social Conventions Affecting Work Opportunities and Success

During the period of the American Revolution, revolutionary colonies did not only fight for political liberty but also the economic freedom to participate in competitive markets. The United States would soon become powerful with economic forces set in motions by American entrepreneurs. Following the American Revolution, the Industrial Revolution brought forth machines that was capable of doing more work than manual laborers. The rise of the new machines transformed the economic structure by reducing the cost of goods and increasing its availability to everyone. The new machine era generated industries that offered room for investment and development. However, industrialism and capitalism posed a threat to human labor. Workers are seen as commodity as they struggle to find labor to support their families. Modern day society becomes vigorously competitive, raising expectations on employees’ qualification and labeling jobs as if they were social classes. Because society’s social methods of inequality hinders individuals’ work opportunities, achieving the pinnacle of success becomes difficult.

Gender inequality oppresses women’s opportunities. Society upholds the domestic tradition of the past by perceiving women as domesticated workers. Based on patriarchal ideals that men are the sole provider of the family, women are expected to stay home and perform “womanly” duties while men went to work. Bound by duty, women are confined to the comfort of their homes. In contemporary times, women broke free of the domesticated image and joined the workforce. However, women are under appreciated and not taken seriously. Despite federal and state laws executed in hopes to rectify gender inequality in the workforce, the problem persist in subtle ways that disguise itself through wage gaps. Naomi Barko provides statistics on the gender wage gap, stating “American women working full time still earn an average of 74 cents for each dollar earned by men” (618). Others might dismiss the statistics and state that men are paid more because they perform harder tasks and do not take maternal leave. However, this statement is flawed and invalid. Women cannot control their maternal needs. The workforce should not find reasons to undermine women for factors beyond their control. Women’s International Network News claims that “the best paid jobs are still reserved for men everywhere because women who have children cannot spend the excessive time required at work as well as accommodate the frequent absences from their families due to travel” (75). Women are being held accountable for low wages based on the claim that they might have to take time off for childbearing. The patriarchal employers embed beliefs that women are not capable to handle the working world for they have domestic, maternal activities to take care. Likewise, women can perform the same task as men. Barko narrates about Hazel Dews who makes barely $22,000 a year cleaning the Senate Office five nights a week while men who perform the same job makes $30,000 (617). Hazel argues that they both perform the same task except the men handle the scrub machine, claiming that women can also do it too. Men are offered more opportunities and promotions while women are overlooked. The workplace underestimate women’s ability and strength, automatically assuming that they are not strong enough or not qualified to operate a machine. Barko explains that the men are called laborers, receiving promotions up to five grades compared to women who are referred to as custodial workers, advancing only two grades (617). The perception of work, men’s work v. women’s work, brings clarity to women being discriminated for their domestic and maternal image. Women are bound by stereotypical labels where jobs such as nursing, teaching, or any type of secretarial work are seen as feminine and weak. Women working hard in these occupations are paid less, along with men who enter the “feminine” occupations. Because women still struggle with job discrimination, this suggests the social acceptance that “feminine” jobs are not as valuable as “men” jobs. Steven Pinker discusses, based on biology claims, that women accept low paying jobs because they are programmed to be artistic and go into nurturing fields, doing what they love (630). However, just because women accept “feminine” jobs, it does not mean they have to settle for lower pay. Women have all the qualification for work as men, even surpassing men in academic achievements; however, problems arise when both gender try to balance work and family which usually result in the women carrying the childcare responsibilities . Women are robbed of their opportunities for success for natural reasons and social standards that they cannot control.

Job discrimination handicaps a person’s value. Society classifies occupations into two categories: blue collar and white collar. Blue collar jobs are labor