Liberty and equality are closely related to each other. There is no value of equality without liberty. They are the same concepts viewed through different angles, They are two sides of the same coin. Currently we stand in a world where gender, caste inequality still exists. People are still prejudiced against women and do not consider them to be equals. The justice system is governed by privileged white individuals who use their power to suppress the minorities. Equality before the law isn’t sufficient, for liberty, this is because legal equality may be accompanied by economic and political power. Therefore we need our society’s support to pursue our passion for justice and eradicate the existing stereotypes that make people prejudice against women, coloured individuals etc. While the concept of equality and liberty isn’t unique, the examples of past inequalities have shaped today’s society because we now have an increased minority participation in the government.
“Democratic communities have a natural taste for freedom; left to themselves, they will seek it, cherish it, and view any privation with regret. But for equality their passion is ardent, insatiable, incessant, invincible; they call for equality in freedom, and if they cannot obtain that, they still call for equality in slavery.” Equality before the law is not sufficient for liberty, this is because the legal equality may be accompanied by political power and economic power. Bias is generally not visible to people Who is not suffering from it? In the modern world a white male working at a corporate firm would not realize the bias faced by a black employee due to unconscious bias that exists in modern world. Our passion and drive for equality has been inspired by Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King and thousands of people who have sacrificed their lives fighting for equality, liberty and justice.
Inequality doesn’t only affect the economic growth of a country but affects the income distribution among citizens of the country. One of the bedrock principles of the democracy is the equal consideration and interests of all the citizens. This is expressed in principles such as one person one vote, equality before the law and freedom of speech. Equal activity is crucial for equal consideration. ‘‘Since, political activity is the means by which citizens inform governing elites of their needs and preferences, and induce them to be responsive. Citizen participation is, thus, at the heart of political equality”.
“Countries including the US and the UK, chose a path that led to greater inequality, often on the assumption there was no viable alternative. Yet, even under intensifying globalization, many other nation-states have continued to take a different road and have chosen ever-greater equality”. Economic and political equality does not mean that every individual is doing the same work or getting paid the same. “It means moving towards all people being respected and fairly rewarded for the work, they do. The contributions they make and the needs they have”. It means respecting reciprocity. Since the 20th century countries are diverging, because of that we are able to quantify the effects of economic and political influence on equality.
Social structures, and the individuals within them create and reproduce inequalities linked to sex, race, class, religion, ethnicity, and other “differences. Individuals living in the United States are encouraged to believe in the concept of “white supremacy”. Despite recent programs, women are still disadvantaged by their greater domestic labour commitments and impaired access to well-paid jobs; and, in extreme cases, denied the right to live. This has consequences for the well-being of individuals and economic development. “I do not wish them women to have power over men; but over themselves”. “In 1792, Mary Wollstonecraft set out her principles for the emancipation of women: education of girls on the same footing as boys, an end to prejudice against women, and that women should be evaluated on their merits rather than the achievements of their partners.”
Equality is important not only from the intrinsic perspective that women should not be denied well-being, but also from the policy perspective that empowering women has a positive effect on other development outcomes. Over the past decade policymakers and parliamentarians view inequality as “smart economics”. Inequality is a multifaceted concept which has shown to play a key role in political campaigns. Improving women’s access to resources and legal standings have helped politicians strengthen their election campaign. “Men have a crucial role to play in ensuring progress towards gender equality, including through equal sharing of responsibilities for the care of defendants, which is one of the preconditions for women’s equal participation in the labour market”. Racism and injustice are built into the DNA of people. As long as we turn blind to the pain of those suffering under the oppression, we will never escape those origins.
The only safeguard people with colour or gender have is right to defence, and we won’t even give them that. Which implies that the promise of civil rights has never been fulfilled. Due to the failure of our justice system, the public Défense system in particular. Laws that have made it illegal to bury whites and black in the same cemetery, that has categorized people into quadroons and octoroons, that punished a black person for seeking medical attention in a white hospital. People may claim that slavery and inequality has ended, but tell that to the inmates who are kept in cages and denied right to a free and fair trial. There are thousands of blacks and women who are relegated to a subclass of human existence in the world.
The sixth amendment was ratified in 1791. It has been 229 years since then, let’s finally guarantee its rights to all of our citizens. A formal political commitment and active policy initiatives are thus needed to accelerate progress and meet the expectations of citizens. Gender equality is also a prerequisite for economic growth, prosperity and competitiveness and thus for the sustainability and well-being of our societies”.