Definition Essay On Fairness

Fairness Paper

“Fairness is a system that rewards hard work, merit, and excellence.” The word fair means that you are not playing favoritism to any specific someone. It means that everyone is treated within reason. Fairness may be interpreted differently from person to person. In my opinion, I believe that fairness is a very broad word that falls into many aspects of society. Whether it is within the government or the career world, fairness is a concept that must always be taken into consideration. As a woman who wants to work in a male dominated work world, I feel that equal rights are always on the forefront of my mind. I have never quite understood why society has always viewed the man as the dominant sex, however I find it unfair that they control the top salaries at many firms across the world. Listening to Rep. Lynn Woolsey argue in favor of The Paycheck Fairness Act (HR12) really grabbed my attention. She stated that when a woman college graduate makes a salary that compares to the gardener and after being out of college just one year they make about 80% percent less than that of a
man’s salary. I have always known that there was a difference in salaries between men and women but listening to the statistics really made me put things into perspective. How is it fair that I will work just as hard or even harder than others (male or female) but I have to take a salary cut because of my sex? “Creating a difference that would not exist otherwise is discrimination, and something can be done about that. As Abraham Lincoln said in his speech at New Haven, Conn., “I don’t believe in a law to prevent a man from getting rich; It would do more harm than good.
So while we do not propose any war on capital…we do wish to allow the humblest man an equal chance to get rich with everybody else.” This is a statement that I strongly agree with. I do believe that all people in this world are given ample opportunity to do as they please in life. What they choose to do with these opportunities is entirely at their discretion. I do feel that it is the government’s responsibility to ensure that individuals in our society must be guaranteed equal opportunity. If government does not intervene then the rich individuals are going to continue getting richer while the poor keep getting poorer. “Real fairness does not mean bringing the top down, it means giving the bottom a chance to
rise.” When looking at the question of should there be winners and losers, I say no. The whole basis behind fairness is that everyone is given equal opportunity. I am a firm believer in hard work and that hard work should not go unnoticed. Good work is good work whether a man or woman or the rich or the poor do it. It is hard to say how I feel that fairness should be implemented. If the government is still attempting to tackle this major concept then I don’t know how I would choose to do so. My first thought is that The Paycheck Fairness Act be passed to ensure that the paychecks given to individuals are based on their abilities and not their sex. Fairness is a word that exists in many categories of life. It is always being depicted differently based on the individual but when it comes down to it, all individuals want to be treated as an equal whole. There is always going to be a time in history where there is a gap between the rich and the poor. Our country was established under this idea and it will continue to be this way until government, companies and the individuals can reach a “fair” agreement.