Reform movements have greatly impacted today’s life by creating ideal social, economic, and political transformations and bringing them close to the people. They campaign for the desired change that will preserve and improve the present values and provide better means of implementing policies and frameworks (Young et al., 2019). I benefit from the civil rights movement of the past as they have had a tangible impact on many aspects of my life. The labor movement that dates back to the early history of the United States made sure that a person’s rights and liberties do not cease to exist at the plant gate or office door (Schneider & Stepan‐Norris, 2015). I was not subject to child labor, nor was I forced to work long hours for an inadequate wage with no health benefits.
Gender equality is something that we take for granted today; however, women owe many f improvements in their lives to the suffrage and other feminist movements of the past. I am happy to know that I will partner with a legal equal who has the same rights as me, making our relationship dynamic more favorable. Both my partner and I will have the freedom to choose an occupation without facing sex discrimination. For instance, it was only in 1920 that women were allowed to be licensed bartenders, and in 1948 that they were enabled to serve as permanent members of the armed forces (Peters & Wolpers, 2018). In addition, the 1921 Promotion of the Welfare and Hygiene of Maternity and Infancy Act and successive acts and amendments will make sure that our family is comfortable taking care of a child during the first month of its birth.
For all the great outcomes of the past reforms, there are some questionable changes. For example, during the Progressive Era, small urban governments were given more freedom in an attempt to combat corruption and support local authorities (Judd & Hinze, 2018). Today, the US urban political landscape is incredibly fragmented, which prevents the state from pushing urban reforms on a large scale. I am dissatisfied with the persisting urban-suburban divide that limits me in my choice of dwelling.
References
Judd, D.R. & Hinze, A.M. (2018). City politics: The political economy of urban America. Routledge, 2018.
Peters, J. S., & Wolper, A. (Eds.). (2018). Women’s rights, human rights: International feminist perspectives. Routledge.
Schneider, D., & Stepan‐Norris, J. (2015). US Union and Workers’ Movements, Past and Future. Emerging Trends in the Social and Behavioral Sciences: An Interdisciplinary, Searchable, and Linkable Resource, 1-12. Web.
Young, A., Selander, L., & Vaast, E. (2019). Digital organizing for social impact: Current insights and future research avenues on collective action, social movements, and digital technologies. Information and Organization, 29(3), 100257. Web.