The American dream is not something that one wishes to achieve one day but it is something one is willing to work hard for. It consists of hard work and says that anyone from any class, religion or race can achieve a family, house, car, and a good job if they really want it and strive for it. The dream has evolved for many years since the 1930s, Americans lifestyle has changed a lot. Women in the 1930s didn’t have as many opportunities that men had, they did not have the chance to go to school and get a good job. Today in 2019, women now have the opportunity to achieve the American dream by going to school, having a career, and birth control gives young women the chance to achieve that dream. Many young women that do not have access to birth control do not have a significant chance of achieving the American dream.
Birth control has been around for many years but not many people have paid attention to the positive effects it has had on young women. Women having the option to prevent pregnancy was not always around. There were not many options to prevent pregnancies in the 1960s, women just hoped that they would not get pregnant. In it states, “In fact, before the introduction of the birth control pill in 1960, couples accepted the reality that sex could — and did! — regularly lead to parenthood”, (Davids, 2018). Without birth control women accepted the reality of becoming pregnant. They did not have the option of having pleasure without the possibility of getting pregnant. Not having that option affected the acquisition of the American dream because as human beings one has the need for pleasure and by not having contraceptives the chances of young women getting pregnant are high.
Women today in 2019 are now able to prevent pregnancy, they do not have to give up their future because of being pregnant and having a child. Birth control has given young women the opportunity to keep on going with their education, to get a career, and a better job without anything stopping them. According to Harford (2017) “By giving women control over their fertility, it allowed them to invest in their careers”.
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Having the option to control their fertility women can then have their full attention without the responsibility of having a child and taking care of the child holding them back. With young women having birth control they can now invest in their careers by finishing their education and then having a well future. Investing their hard time and work with minimal distraction, women can have a career that pays well if they finish school. Having a career gives women the chance to buy what they want and live a lifestyle they want.
Without birth-control women get pregnant and have a baby and their baby is then their main priority. When having a baby most women drop out of college because they have to take care of their baby. Instead of getting their education and having a career they have to get a job that pays them not well. In the article it states, “To face this unexpected reality, they might have to drop out of education or the workforce, or juggle multiple jobs to support themselves and their child”, (Markell, 2018).
These young women can’t afford going to school and having a baby to support, they need to work in order to make sure that their child has everything it needs. Dropping out of school causes women from achieving the American dream, without their education they are stuck working somewhere that doesn’t pay them well enough to attain their dreams. It is much harder for one to attain the American dream when one is getting paid minimum wage or a little more because of dropping out of school.
Birth control has affected women from achieving the American dream in a very positive way. Women now have the chance to achieve their dream, the American dream because of birth control. According to Krause, Guyot, and Sawhill (2017) “Multiple studies have attributed gains in women’s educational attainment and employment to increased access to contraception”. Having access to birth control gives an opportunity to have an education and job with a better pay. It lets them achieve their dreams by having a career and buying a house and car.
Babies are very expensive, and having one at a early age in one’s life is very stressful and difficult.
Young women that do not have access to birth control struggle to have a career when they have their kid as their number one priority. When having a kid, mothers don’t just think about themselves but they think about their child and what is best for the kid. When they get pregnant they lose most of their freedom because the kid is now one of the biggest responsibilities she has. Birth control has impacted the population of young women in a positive way by giving them more opportunities in having some type of control in their future. Women now have the opportunity to attain the American dream because of birth control.
References
- Guttmacher Institute: Contraceptive Use in the United States
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Contraception
- National Library of Medicine: The History of Birth Control
- Planned Parenthood: Birth Control
- Bedsider: Birth Control Methods
- Center for Reproductive Rights: The History of Birth Control in the US
- San Francisco Public Library: Social Effects of Birth Control on American Women
- USA Today: How Birth Control Changed American Culture
