Democracy Vs American Democracy

The best society for one to live in is the democratic society. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, democracy is defined as a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections (Merriam-Webster). The democratic society is superior to other societies because democracy protects the rights of citizens, promotes equality, and ensures fairness in administration (Asia Pacific Economics Blog). Democracy puts emphasis on protecting the rights of citizens. The 14th Amendment in the United States Constitution is a good example of protecting the rights of citizens. The 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States and forbade the states from denying any person "life, liberty or property, without due process of law" or to "deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” (Library of Congress). Passing the 14th Amendment not only granted citizenship to those previously denied, it also protected the rights of citizens by making it illegal to discriminate against them and made it illegal to take away the citizen’s rights without a fair trial before a jury. …show more content…
One example of promoting equality is the passing of the Discrimination Act in Sweden. The Discrimination Act requires employers to actively work towards creating a gender neutral working environment and makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against those who apply for positions (Swedish Institute). Sweden also allows 480 days of parental leave to be split between both the mother and the father (Swedish Institute). The parental leave eliminates the gender stereotype of men being more involved in the workforce than women. The Discrimination Act has resulted in women being paid 94 cents less per month than men (Swedish