Suffrage, labor rights, and the equal rights amendment are all related one way or another. Suffrage refers to the right to vote. Throughout history, we have seen time and time again how people fought to gain their right to vote. Having the right to vote can benefit us because we can use this to help fight for the change we want. We can change and improve many conditions when utilizing this tool that is given to us at birth when we are born in the United States. We can work towards making major changes that can impact one’s life. Through the use of voting, people were able to work towards bettering working conditions. From bettering wages to obtaining good healthy work conditions voting can help in obtaining the ideal change we want and need. As for the equal rights amendment, people have come together in hopes of getting a change that involves both men and women. All three of these things connect because of a change that many people want to happen and to be done. Something that stood out to me in the reading was on page 6 when it states ” Advocates say that the amendment is held back by the sense among some people that it’s not necessary, but proponents argue that it could strengthen the legal basis for combating violence against women, pay inequality and maternity leave.” This is referring to the Equal Rights Amendment since this would be focusing on women and how they can help and benefit them. Labor rights can be seen as an issue of gender because there will almost be a line where both men and women are treated differently.

When I watched both videos, I was pretty shocked at what I saw. When I was in middle school I did hear about The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire which was very sad to hear. I hated how all of that could have been prevented if the doors didn’t open inwards and if the door wasn’t simply locked by the manager. Then, when watching the second video, seeing how on the 100th anniversary of this incident another similar incident took place was even more shocking. These historical issues are still presented to this day. Although we may not hear about these types of incidents or the poor conditions some workers are put in, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they aren’t occurring. Many are still to this fighting for better working conditions. Although a man and woman can work the same job, it is more likely for a man to get paid even more than a woman. In a factory, for example, my father used to tell me how the company (welding factory) he worked in only had guys working there. It wasn’t until the end of last year that the company decided to hire women but even so, my father would tell me how they would give the women a job that wasn’t as ‘hard’ as a man. Of course, my father didn’t believe in this nor liked it and he noticed how one of the female workers is an awesome welder and pushed to have her become one of the welders as well.