Minimum Wage and the American Dream - 1258 Words

Living in a nice home, a good neighborhood, and having nice cars is what most people think of as part of the American Dream. How are you supposed to get there though? Unless youre going to win the lottery you’re going to have to work in some form. Achieving the American Dream while earning minimum wage may take a person longer but it is still attainable. Through higher education or hard work individuals can achieve a higher standard of living. What is minimum wage? Minimum wage is the lowest hourly rate (dollars per hour) that employers can pay their employees. According to minimumwage.com Minnesota’s minnimum wage is $7.25 per hour but will be getting raised to $9.00 per hour. Minnesota’s minimum wage is a common rate among many†¦show more content†¦Other states that have recently voted on raising minimum wage include Washington ($9.32), Oregon ($9.10), California ($9.00), and Colorado ($8.00) according to usatoday.com. These states are raising the mi nimum wage in a similar way as Minnesota in the way of raising it over the next couple years. These states are already in the top 25 for highest unemployment rates according to http://en.wikipedia.org/. Raising minimum wage is going to negatively affect this because states will have to fire more people to try and compensate for the pay increase. In a recent speech from President Obama he said he would like to see minimum wage be increased to $10.10 an hour by the end of his term as president in 2017. This increase would be a federal increase in which every state would have to follow and pay their workers a minimum of $10.10 an hour. This pay increase is meant to help people with lower paying jobs such as janitors, elderly, cooks, and anyone else you makes minimum wage. This will be very hard for many companies to achieve and will make them either go out of business or have to cut workers to make up the difference. Although many workers were affected negatively by the recession, most workers who lost jobs were blue collar workers and laborers. When the building boom occurred a few years prior to the recession many workers were living large. However, few saved and many continued to spend and did not have a securityShow MoreRelatedMinimum Wage1535 Words   |  7 Pagesstandard minimum wage level has been a controversy over its insufficient wages set for working class Americans. The minimum wage was established to protect unskilled workers from being exploited by employers’ low pay. Introducing the minimum wage provided stabilization in the workplace, but as the cost of living increases, working Americans are demanding a livable wage. In the recent past, the American dream fadedness changed the way Americans view the economy. For many wageworkers, the American dreamRead MoreThe American Dream1344 Words   |  6 PagesIs the American Dream Still Alive? Being equal means that all Americans have the opportunity to succeed, it doesnt mean that all Americans have the same things. Some people will work much harder to succeed, those people have more than people who dont want to work to succeed. The American Dream is that every United States citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, initiative, and happiness. But many wonder if it is still alive todayRead MoreThe American Dream Is Still Alive Today1078 Words   |  5 Pagesto work to succeed.The American Dream is that every United States citizen should have an equal opportunity to achieve success and prosperity through hard work, determination, initiative, and happiness. But many wonder if it is still alive today. Many studies have proven that the American dream is still alive today. The American Dream still exists because the unemployment ratio has decreased , the salary for the jobs has increased, and people have freed om. The American Dream is achieved by sacrificeRead More Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller1344 Words   |  6 PagesSince the beginning of the Industrial Age, Americans have idealized the journey towards economic success. One thing people do not realize, however, is that journey is not the same for every individual. Media often leads its viewers toward a â€Å"one size fits all† version of success that may help themselves, but will rarely help the viewers. This is seen in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. Miller includes multiple instances of symbolism and personification to reveal to the reader the situationalRead MoreHow Americans Are Not Getting What They Came For America?1015 Words   |  5 Pagesothers would call it the American dream. The idea that one can take nothing and turn it into something beautiful and new is at the root of our civilization. Though in the past half a century, America and its economy has drastically changed, as options for the poor have been taken away, and their ability to become successful has been stripped away by cooperations. This topic has been examined by articles such as Crumbling American Dreams, The Pernicious Economic Trap of Low Wages, and the book NickelRead MoreThe Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald937 Words   |  4 PagesFitzgerald uses the character of Jay Gatsby to explain his idea of the American dream. His depiction had a lot to do with â€Å"rags to riches†. Jay Gatsby starts without much money but through bootlegging he is able to get an incredible amount of wealth. The American dream is about achieving your goals through hard work and determination in this world of the Great Gatsby. Does this sentiment still hold true? The economy is different today than it was in the 1920s. According to the Economic HistoryRead MoreThe Minimum Wage Of 22 Swiss Francs1219 Words   |  5 Pages In May of 2014, Switzerland rejected the world’s highest minimum wage of 22 Swiss francs, which in American dollars, is roughly $25 per hour. Even Switzerland, one of the more famous countries remaining on the gold standard, has a problem regarding their minimum wage. As a high school student working off of American minimum wage, Switzerland’s presented amount is considered lofty and idealistic. In America, the minimum wage is $7.25, not nearly enough for an adult, let alone a teenanger living atRead MoreLiving Off Of Minimum Wage1490 Words   |  6 Pages Living off of Minimum Wage in the United States In Barbara Ehrenreich’s documentary novel, Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America (2001), she claimed that it is almost impossible to live off of minimum wage in the united states. She supports her claim by writing a documentary novel explaining the details of the life of the American struggles caused by the minimum wage. Through her book, she supports that minimum wage salary is insufficient means of survival and leads to a difficult lifeRead MoreMinimum Wage And The Wage1176 Words   |  5 PagesThe American Dream is that all citizens can fulfill their potential through hard work and perseverance. Many Americans work long hours under the belief that they are fulfilling their social contract. Yet, even lengthy work weeks at minimum wage can be insufficient to provide for life’s necessities. Many minimum wage workers must supplement their income with taxpayer-funded federal assistance programs in addition to working beyond the standard 40 hour work week. Ther e is an economical and ethicalRead MoreWho Is The American Dream?1326 Words   |  6 Pagesachieve success and certainly no way to achieve the American Dream. Critical to ensuring any chance of achieving the â€Å"American Dream† in this day and age is to obtain a college education. Although it is possible to attain without attending college, it is extremely unlikely. For those with an education, the dream still at least has a pulse. For the majority of people who either do not think they need an education or cannot afford one, the dream probably lost. Adults are often saying â€Å"when I was a

Gender Segregation - 926 Words

Davis Anderson Sociology 3337 Prof. Korinek October 23, 2012 Group 7 Analysis of: Revisiting the Glass Escalator: The Case of Gender Segregation in a Female Dominated Occupation This critical examination and study, done by Karrie Ann Snyder and Adam Isaiah Green, dives into the data of a predominately women’s job, nursing, to find out if men really have a â€Å"glass escalator† when it comes to advancing up to top positions and dissects the notion of horizontal segregation. The glass escalator theory is one that assumes males in female dominated professions are pushed up the ladder to administrative and supervisory positions much easier and faster than women. Throughout the article, they explain the methods used to gather the data, both†¦show more content†¦For example, men are over represented in ICU, OR, and ER while women are over represented in outpatient, post anesthesia, labor/delivery, and general medical-surgical departments (p286). When interviewed about why they chose their specialization, men seemed aware of the gender connotations of their job, while women rarely mentioned it as a factor. This is a direct cause of why segre gation across different areas of work is much more prevalent than segregation through the administrative ranks. The name nurse often carries with it negative connotations in the eyes of males. It is inherently feminine in its perception and plays a large role in scaring men away or causing them concern about what others think and leading them into positions that are thought of as more manly. Nursing is unique in the wide range of specializations that it offers, and that may play a part as to why horizontal segregation is so widespread as opposed to vertical. Oftentimes males seek positions of prestige and in nursing those desires may be filled by working in masculine roles as opposed to higher-ranking positions that would typically validate success in other professions. From the data gathered and personal accounts reviewed, it seems that men chose positions thought of as more masculine based primarily on fulfilling the conceptions of gender identity. Financial interests and personal desires do have an effect, but it seems that sticking to the gender â€Å"rules† is theShow MoreRelatedGender Segregation2160 Words   |  9 PagesGender segregation in our society begins at a very young age and plays a major role in all aspects of our lives. The onset of gender segregation begins from when we are toddlers and plays a role in all aspects of our educational years. Even as we enter the workplace, our gender dictates some of our career choices. It sets the standard for salary, job titles, and certain levels of success. Some of the barriers have come down allowing people to cross the terrain of gendered work, but there areRead MoreGender Profiling And Gender Segregation Essay1697 Words   |  7 PagesFor many of us, name and gender are the two foremost criterions we judge a person by. It may be true that these two criteria complement each other most of the time. We do assume one’s gender based on their given name; being given a female name directly attributes the person to the female gender, vice versa if someone we to be given a male name. It is definitely not surprising since gender policing or gender segregation has occurred for many years such that it seems natural for us to practice it.Read MoreGender Segregation And Gender Roles1170 Words   |  5 PagesAmerican write about racial segregation, or perhaps a religious man writes about the religious persecution he faces. People remember authors, such as Lorraine Hansberry, for writing about both racial segregation and the changing role of women in society. This is evident in A Raisin in the Sun. In her A Raisin in the Sun, Hansberry makes use of gender roles as part of characterization and the plot; she does this by switching the roles of genders, showing the different views on gender roles, and the battleRead MoreGender Segregation During The Workplace2700 Words   |  11 Pagesmany fields of work in our society, the positions they do hold show the unequal sexual segrega tion by men. Through gendered practices presented to us at birth and childhood, our society forms the basis as to what field’s men and women can work in separately. Through the processes of patriarchy and capitalism, men have become the powerful actors in terms of dominating work. Because of this gender segregation among occupations, we see a pattern where female dominated occupations are typically paidRead MoreGender Segregation Of Canada s Labor852 Words   |  4 Pagesto fair wages and the possibility of being able to work any job around Canada. Gender segregation in our labor market can be explained as, not being able to receive that same treatment as the opposite sex. This is because women are stereotypically looked at as a weaker gender; they expect women to work part time jobs, and the unfair wage gap between women and men. Firstly, because women are thought to be a weaker gender, their access to jobs diminishes because women are looked at for only being goodRead MoreEssay on The Segregation of Gender: Digital Divide1788 Words   |  8 PagesIn todays society, the factor of segregation is no longer based on the discrimination of race, but rather the knowledge of digital capabilities. The development of technology and its advancement separates many individuals through its availability. The term â€Å"digital divide† represents the increase in the gap between those who have technology readily available to them and those who do not have access to computers and Internet usage. The lack of access to these technologies and the lack of understandingRead MoreGender Segregation in the Worplace Separated by Vertical and Horizontal Hierarchy1035 Words   |  5 PagesAccording to the Dictionary of Sociology (1998) gender segregation refers to the unequal distribution between men and women in the work pla ce, sometimes also (and more accurately) called ‘occupational segregation by sex’. There are two forms: ‘vertical segregation’ describes the clustering of men at the top of occupational hierarchies and of women at the bottom; ‘horizontal segregation’ describes the fact that at the same occupational level (that is within occupational classes or even occupationsRead MoreGender Segregation926 Words   |  4 Pages23, 2012 Group 7 Analysis of: Revisiting the Glass Escalator: The Case of Gender Segregation in a Female Dominated Occupation This critical examination and study, done by Karrie Ann Snyder and Adam Isaiah Green, dives into the data of a predominately women’s job, nursing, to find out if men really have a â€Å"glass escalator† when it comes to advancing up to top positions and dissects the notion of horizontal segregation. The glass escalator theory is one that assumes males in female dominated professionsRead MoreGender Roles : Social Learning Theory And Sex Segregation1190 Words   |  5 PagesGender roles play a huge part in society. Gender plays a role in shaping an individuals identify and beliefs. It also helps identify what is masculine and what is feminine. Certain tasks, duties, and jobs are classified by gender. However, gender appropriate behavior should not be enforced in our society for numerous reasons and can be seen on an individual level and be demonstrated by social learning theory and sex segregation. Within and across different cultures, we can find great consistencyRead MoreElementary School s Gender Segregation Peeves Parents949 Words   |  4 PagesSeptember 22, 2015 an article was published on Global News, which was entitled â€Å"‘Girl talk’ or ‘career exploration’? Texas school’s gender segregation peeves parents.† In this article, Patricia Kozicka discusses the controversial issue regarding Borchardt Elementary School in Texas, in which students in grade four and five were divided into separate classes based on their gender (Kozicka, 2015). According to the article, it is reported that, at the beginning of this school year, females and males would

Woollen Mills Pty. Ltd. v. Commonwealth †Free Samples to Students

Question: Discuss about the Woollen Mills Pty. Ltd. v. Commonwealth. Answer: Introduction: The situation of the case study states that Nick was the leader of a political party, which was formed presently and he had arranged a rally that was a component of the campaign. This particular rally had attained plenty of unforeseeable losses. Thus, Nick did not succeed in clearing the payments because of the losses to the various parties as it was promised. Nick was not being able to make progress with the money, which he owed to him by a few particular parties. If the obligations of the contract were held valid and it existed between all the parties, Nick would have then cleared the payments that he was unable to at this predicament and will be able to recover the money that he owed to him. As per the Australian Law, the common principles and their legal conception on the obligations of the contract have been obtained from the principles of the contract of United Kingdom. Five common essentials are significant for a contract to be valid. Firstly, an agreement must be created between the parties. Secondly, a valid lawful consideration must exist in a contract. Capacity must be present from both the parties for entering into a legally enforceable agreement. Fourthly, there must be no absence of ambiguity in the contractual terms. Fifthly, both the parties should have an intention of entering into the agreements, which can be enforced legally. The judgments that were pronounced existed within the jurisdiction by which the judicial stand of the terms of the contract developed. Gibson v Manchester City Council explained the method of offer and acceptance that were dealt with the reference to agreement between the parties[1]. Therefore, in such a case, it was held that a clea r and precise form of communication must be made by the offeree, which was unconditional and therefore the offer must be accepted. If the acceptance has the conditions attached with it, the contract will not be considered to be an acceptance but a counter-offer. In the case of in Barry v Davies[2], it was observed that the offer and consideration was dealt with and it was confirmed that a promise can be treated as an enforceable contract only if it is a valid contract. However, it was additionally established that as per the Australian Law, the consideration value is not mandatory but the consideration should be essential. Certainty is the term which is mentioned above was considered to be an essential of contracts as well. In the case of Australian Woollen Mills Pty. Ltd. v. The Commonwealth it was concluded that the terms and obligations of the contract should be clear and concise. Unless the terms of the contract are separately certain and identifiable, the contract will not be c onsidered to be a valid one. In this given scenario, it can be stated that Nick had formed a contract with John to cater at his rally for a total amount of $5000. A clear and precise form of offer and acceptance can be derived or inferred from the terms as far as the amount of $5000 is concerned. Such circumstances states that a valid consideration is present for both the parties. The contractual terms and obligations were clear till the time they were determined. Nick further offered to pay a bonus of $1000 to John that happened at the end. It had been observed that acceptance, which can be inferred will go against Gibson v Manchester City Council but uncertainty will still remain in the terms and consideration of the contract as Nick will be smoothly running things as he defined in the facts of the case. Hence, it can be taken into account that there was a vague term that formed from smooth running of things and cannot be construed by the court without supporting terms[3]. The rally was engaged with extra security of police to ensure that the opposing political parties will be unable to create any kind of interference to the commencement of the rally. For an additional police security, Nick had agreed to pay an amount of $3000 as consideration. However, in this case both the mentioned terms offer and acceptance are clear and explicit. Consideration and certainty in this agreement formed a valid contract and the police was entitled to receive full reimbursement from Nick. This political cause of Nick was supported by Hanson who had given his word on flying an aircraft over the rally for displaying the flag of the parties. He had promised to execute the plan free of charge as to which Nick had agreed upon. The terms were clear but consideration was missing from Hanson. Therefore, as observed in the case of Australian Woollen Mills Pty. Ltd. v. The Commonwealth[4], consideration was missing and thus no valid contract was formed. However, when the costs of the act crossed the estimate of Hanson, he demanded the money from Nick. He had agreed and promised to reimburse him during the course. This was held insignificant and vague when the time period is concerned. As seen in the facts, Ian too was a supporter of Nicks political agenda as he had promised to pay him an amount of $10000 to help with the expenses of the rally. It was observed that there was a completely unilateral promise formed and therefore a contract was not constituted[5]. However, Ian faced the financial difficulties as he was unable to pay the sum that was promised[6]. There was no consideration for Ian in the present scenario and therefore Nick had no contractual claim over the promised sum of $1000. Conclusion Lastly, it can be concluded from the above analysis that Nick and John had formed a valid contract if the amount of $5000 is taken into consideration but no obligation exists. Secondly, Nick had a valid contract with the police for additional security. Thirdly, there was no concluded contract between Nick and Hanson. Fourthly, an unilateral promise cannot be construed as a contractual obligation and therefore no valid contract was formed between Ian and Nick. References: Peden, Elisabeth. "Incorporating terms of good faith in contract law in Australia."Sydney L. Rev.23 (2001): 222. Davis, Gary. "Taylor v. Johnson: Unilateral Mistake in Australian Contract Law."Monash UL Rev.11 (1985): 65. Barry v Davies[2000]EWCA Civ 235, [2000] 1 WLR 1962. Corones, S. G,Competition Law In Australia(Thomson Reuters Australia, Limited). Halsbury, Hardinge Stanley Giffard,Halsbury's Laws Of Australia(Butterworths, 1991). Poole, Jill,Textbook On Contract Law(Oxford University Press, 2016). Australian Woollen Mills Pty. Ltd. v. The Commonwealth[1954] HCA 20; (1954) 92 CLR 424].