The Evolution of Industrialization Theodore Roosevelt, who served as the United States president from 1901 to 1909, wrote to author Upton Sinclair, “The dreams of golden glory in the future will not come true unless, high of heart and strong of hand, by our own mighty deeds we make them come true.” In 1904, Sinclair began his process of writing the novel The Jungle, a muckraking tale in which he depicted the true information he witnessed in the stockyards of Chicago. The book was told from the perspective of a Lithuanian family who immigrated to America. Throughout the entirety of the story, the family had to fight for their successes in their coming times, while facing numerous obstacles and deaths due to the abhorrent working-class conditions.…show more content… Still, this strike helped shape the labor policy for the United States, which led to the government to consider and begin to change laws for the benefit of workers. In an effort to change these conditions that history has shown harmed society, the government passed the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act in 1970, which is still active today. OSHA was created after the public advertised and protested over the rising death rates and injuries on the job to aid an employee’s health and safety. This law states that “employers must keep (the) workplace free of known health and safety hazards” (OSHA Worker Rights.). If any hazards are made prevalent, the employee is allowed to refuse to work and report the incident without punishment. Jurgis did not have the opportunity to fight for himself, so as time and societal efforts changed, more individuals began to receive treatment that should have started years ago. As society continued to adapt to the changing times, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics detailed that involvement in strikes increased by 280 percent in…show more content… Only twenty percent of women in the United States actually worked for pay in 1900 (Costa) because men were supposed to be the dominant source of income. The novel did not show progress in society when focusing on the disparity between men’s and women's wages, but in 1963 the Equal Pay Act was signed and mandated by John F. Kennedy (On Anniversary.). This act called for equal pay when both genders were working the same job in order to allow for more uniform treatment and compensation. With equal pay passing, more people became aware of the unfair gender wage gap that illuminated United States society. While society has made extreme progress, in 2024, women, on average, are earning sixteen percent less than men, which is equal to eighty-four cents for every dollar made (The Gender Pay Gap). The pay gap is improving by half-a-cent per year, however, it is not projected for pay to be completely equal by 2056. Many efforts have been made to alter discrimination against women and wages, but there is still a long way to go for society to have fully equal and lasting
