Reading 3

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Running head: WRITING ASSIGNMENT

Writing Assignment Three: Social Issues

Writing Assignment Two: Social Issues

Topic One: Does Divorce Have Long-Term Damaging Effects on Children? Yes

In the article The Bad Divorce by Elizabeth Marquardt, The author discusses how the divorce has effects on children, and the author also talked about how the children's feeling when his or her parents get divorced. Elizabeth talked about a study which she chose from a book called We’re Still Family. She discusses what a child from a divorced family might say about his or her parents. The author says that an expert on family problems interviewed children from divorced families and find out that average children are better after their parents split up from a high-conflict marriage (Marquardt, 2005). However, the study shows that children from divorced families have many problems with “trust, and dealing with conflict” (Marquardt, 2005) .

The most interesting thing that I got from this article is that the divorce might cause harm for the children. So, the child might behave wrong or blame himself or herself for his or her parents devoice. The most interesting thing that I learned is that the child should be told that the divorce is not his or her fault. In my opinion, one of the most things that affect our society is the divorce and its impact on our children. So, we must be more careful before with our children.

In my opinion, I think that the divorce has a big impact on our children behaviors, so we must have to know how to act with our children when we divorce. I personally suggest that the parents who got divorced must act like they like each other even if they do not, so the child can live a normal life. I also suggest the these parents have to meet and spend sometimes with each others, so the children can live like others and see his parents spend sometimes tighter. Finally, I think that these parents should know how to act well with their children.

Topic Two: Is Increasing Economic Inequality a Serious Problem? Yes

In James Kurth’s article The Rich Get Richer, the author discusses the increasing between poor and rich people and how the rich people are getting more money. James also talks about a certain period of time which has ended in the World War (Kurth, 2012). Kurth says that the rich people are able to make money much more than any other people because they have the money and use to make jobs with low income (Kurth, 2012). James says that the gap between rich and poor people is growing by using illegal immigrants to work for rich people with a little salary. So the rich will be able to have the employees with the lowest salary possible (Kurth, 2012).

From this article I have learned many things, such as that the rich people are getting richer while other people are dying from poverty. So, this article has looked through the history as well to know more about poverty. In my opinion, I think that the huge gap between rich and poor people has to decrease and we have to find a good solution for this problem. Finally, I think that this problem will not have an easy solution.

In my opinion, I think that there is smoothing need to be done to solve this problem. Actually, I think that this is problem is a big problem not just in America but around the whole word, so I thing that there should be an international l movement to stop poverty and try to stop rich people from getting richer. Also, I think that governments should support the lower class. I think that the government should make meetings for low class people to educate them about their rights, so that no one can use them.

Topic Three: Has Feminism Benefited American Society? No

In Women Who Make the World Worse Kate O’Beirne discusses how feminism is destroying the traditional family home. O’Beirne begins by discussing the recent views of feminists that women should not feel trapped in the home or feel pressured to marry. Also that living with someone can take the place of marriage and that you need not to have children in wedlock. O’Beirne then discusses how these ideas are hurting society. She claims that marriage is as important to children’s wellbeing as factors such as race, class, and neighborhood (O'Beirne, 2012).

I think that the most interesting thing that O’Beirne discusses is that people who report being unhappy in their marriage don’t statistically report being happier once they are divorced. In a study the results stated, “When the adults who said they were unhappily married in the late 1980s were interviewed again five years later, those who had divorced were on average still unhappy or even less happy, while those who stayed in their marriages on averages had moved past the bad times and were at a happier stage” (O'Beirne, 2012). This goes against the typical idea that divorce will solve the problems that a couple has and makes them both happier.

I think that this article shows how important a traditional family is, and makes the case for marriage and then babies. Although I had already agreed with these ideals this really solidifies it in my mind. I think that to keep our society strong we should really encourage marriage and not just living together.

Topic Four: Is the Gender Wage Gap Justified? No

In Hilary M. Lips’ article The Gender Wage Gap: Debunking the Rationalizations Lips takes on the common excuses for why the gender wage gap exists, and shows why it should not.

Lips starts by explaining that the gender wage gap is not just a problem among white Americans, it exists across every race of workers (Lips, 2012). She then goes on to say that education also does not make a difference; in fact women with a doctorate make less than men with the same degree. The wage gap is preset across almost every occupation in our country. Lips finally discusses how many people assume that the wage gap is because of the choices that women make regarding family etc and how this is not true (Lips, 2012).

I thought it was very interesting that the wage gap has been proven to not be closing or opening over time. Lips discusses how men and women’s wages when plotted on a graph are almost parallel. There are areas where the gap may open up or close slightly but it always seems to even out (Lips, 2012). It would be an assumption that as time goes on the gap would close, however in the 1960’s it was closing, and in the late 1990’s it was opening; this shows we have not made much progress (Lips, 2012).

Being a female means that this issue directly affects me, and I would like to see the wage gap closed. Lips talks about how some women have tried to get into male dominated fields; this is what I am attempting to do. In the mechanical engineering program at central there are very few females, but hopefully this will help me to better get a job in the workforce. I believe that women should fight for their right to be paid equally to men, especially when doing the exact same job. The idea that women are lesser seems outdated in this day in age, but it seems we will still need to work to get equal pay.

References

Kurth, J. (2012). The Rich get Richer. In K. Finsterbusch, Taking Sides Clashing Views on Social Issues (pp.111 -114). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Marquardt,E. (2005). :Divorce Have Long-Term Damaging Effects on Children. In K. Finsterbusch, Taking Sides Clashing Views on Social Issues (pp. 155-157). New York: McGraw-Hill.

Lips, H. M. (2012). The Gender Wage Gap: Debunkig the Rationalizations. In K. Finsterbusch, Taking Sides Clashing Views on Social Issues (pp. 173-178). New York: McGraw-Hill.