Inequality In The Gilded Age

Words: 1076
Pages: 5
Open Document
SIMILARITIES BETWEEN GILDED AGE AND TODAY A number of conditions exist today that are strikingly similar to the Gilded Age. These parallels focus on five areas: inequality, discrimination, immigration sentiments, extreme partisan politics, and reduction in regulations on business.
Inequality. Wealth and income inequality are at historic levels. Jane Yellen (2014), Federal Reserve Chairperson, expresses grave concern about the increase in inequality in a recent speech, noting that the widening inequality is the result of significant income and wealth gains for the top and stagnant living for the majority of Americans. She compares the rise in inequality to that found in the 19th century. She said in a speech in 2014 “By some estimates, income and wealth inequality are near their highest levels in the past 100 years, much higher than the average during that time span and probably higher than much of American history before then” (Yellen 2014). She went on to say “I think it is appropriate to ask whether this trend is compatible with values rooted in our nation’s history, among them the high value Americans have traditionally placed on equality of opportunity. The superrich have benefited the most from economic gains the past few decades.” (Yellen 2014). According to Yellen (2014), 100 people now have …show more content…
Just as during the Gilded Age, discrimination against women continues to exist. A recent media report said women earn 0.79 for every dollar men earn, even when performing similar work (Harmann, Hegewisch, Phil, Gault, Chirillo, and Clark 2016). . In fact, regardless of how one examines the data, consistently women earn less than men in major occupational. For instance, women earn less than men in the 20 most female-dominated occupations as well as in the 20 most male-dominated occupations (Hegewisch, Phil, and Williams-Baron 2017). Minority groups continue to allege disparate treatment, from lack of adequate education to access to higher paying
Show More

Related Documents: Inequality In The Gilded Age

Gilded Age Research Paper

The Gilded Age, spanning from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, was characterized by contrasting elements. The term “Gilded Age” was actually created sarcastically by the author Mark Twain in 1873. He was describing the period as something gilded in expensive metal; it looked shiny and new on the outside but was full of issues within. During the Gilded Age, the United States became the leading industrial nation in the world, built a powerful navy, defeated a world power, and acquired…

Words 1932 - Pages 8

Essay On The Cult Of True Womanhood

redefined citizenship, underwent economic transformation, and affirmed white supremacy. These changes set the stage for political, economic, and social inequalities that developed and existed in many aspects of society during the Gilded Age. As a result, contemporaries of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era identified inequality as a problem because inequality prevented women from attaining full citizenship due to disenfranchisement, trampled the working class with unfair wages and unsafe working conditions…

Words 1529 - Pages 7

Wealth Disparity In The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age of the late 19th-early 20th centuries defined a new era in American society. The wealthy became wealthier, and the new “working class” became stronger. Regrettably, this age of wealth and industry seemed to fade with time, but history has repeated itself. The U.S. is indeed experiencing a “New” Gilded Age, but at a more extreme degree than the last. After the appearance of “robber barons”, the modern era began to outshine its predecessor. Consequently, it holds a much harsher reality…

Words 583 - Pages 3

The Gilded Age: A Tale Of Today

To begin with, the gilded age was a term coined from the author Mark Twain in his satyrical novel “The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today”. The term meant that on the outside it was as if society was covered with a gold gilding, when in reality it was actually a time of suffering. Nonetheless, there was industrial and economic expansions, despite poverty, panics, and inequality. The economic and industrial growth was primarily due to the millions of European and Chinese immigrants. Majority of them migrated…

Words 132 - Pages 1

American History Paper

American History Final Exam Topic 1: Technology of the Industrial Age The industrial revolution was the transformation of the US from an agricultural nation to an industrial revolution full of new technologies, ideas, and theories. For most people, the impacts of the industrial age were positive. It gave Americans more jobs, better machinery, and improved the efficiency of farming techniques. These improvements changed the overall proficiency of factories using new methods. One of the main…

Words 1280 - Pages 6

A Corrupt Political System In The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age VS Now The Gilded Age was given its name in the late 19th century by Mark Twain. Twain used the word gilded to describe this period of time because on the outside everything seemed to be running smoothly, but in reality everything was corrupt on the inside. The majority of people during the 19th century saw it as a time of guile and greed due to the unequal distribution of wealth because the monopolies during this time, a corrupt political system, and the economy. In today’s society…

Words 1366 - Pages 6

Inequalities During The Progressive Era

transformations in the economy, reaffirmed white supremacy, and reinvented citizenship. The many changes during the reconstruction period brought on inequalities in many facets of the American society. Inequalities during the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era were prevalent, and they were also considered a problem to contemporaries. Contemporaries saw the inequalities as a problem because they were prevalent in the work force due to industrialization and the exploitation of the poverty-stricken and middle…

Words 1062 - Pages 5

Analysis Of Mark Twain's The Gilded Age: A Tale Of Today

analyzed by the famous writer, Mark Twain, in his book The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. Twain eludes to the thought of the widely separated social classes. Citizens at the bottom experienced hardships of immeasurable poverty and debt in the slums of the city; however, those of a higher class sat comfortably on golden plated hills. For 35 years, the nation attempted to cover it's disparity between social status through this thought of being "gilded." During this time, many problems became apparent to this…

Words 681 - Pages 3

Gilded Age Research Paper

The Gilded Age of the United States began in approximately 1878. So named by Mark Twain, it was an era were the rich were lavishly rich and the poor exceptionally poor-- like a gold-gilded object, golden only on the surface. Lasting from approximately 1890-1920, the Progressive Era was an answer to the Gilded Age and its problems: this essay touches on the working conditions and the inequalities of class and race, though that is by no means a complete list. Though it did not cure the world’s problems…

Words 819 - Pages 4

How Did Ida B. Wells Play In The Civil Rights Movement?

Ida B. Wells was an important social reformer, and a good part of her work was done in the 1890s during the Gilded Age. This era witnessed marginalized communities intensifying their fight against discrimination and inequality, catalyzing significant legal and societal transformations in the struggle for civil rights. Ida B. Wells worked in the civil rights movement and used her platform as a journalist to advocate for social justice on topics such as lynching and segregation. Wells also played a…

Words 1952 - Pages 8