The issue of equality is a crucial part of the American cultural identity. In general, Americans believe that everyone should be treated with equal respect, regardless of race, gender, age, economic status, sexual orientation or disabilities. 

Most Americans also believe that no matter what your economic position, you deserve equal opportunity in life - the same chance to "make it" as everyone else. In other words, if you are born to a poor, working-class family, this does not necessarily mean that you will have low social status your entire life. Americans tend to think that anyone can work his or her way up the social ladder to success. This is the American dream. 

We will discuss in more detail later how this belief in equality is not always translated into reality. Nevertheless, Americans generally take the value of equality very seriously.

 The value placed in America on equality has its roots, at least partly, in the American Revolution. The Declaration of Independence, which most American schoolchildren are made to memorize, states:

 "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness..."

 Translated into modern English, this statement means, "All people are equal and entitled to the same rights." This statement has extraordinary significance in American culture. It has influenced the outcome of debates over labor and employment laws, sexual harassment laws, women's rights, gay rights, and university admissions policies. 

In the U.S. workplace, for example, it is illegal to use race, gender, age, economic status, sexual orientation or disability as factors in deciding who to hire, fire, or promote. In terms of your everyday life, this emphasis on equality means that you should treat everyone with respect. In some other cultures, it may be very important to treat someone of higher status with respect. On the other hand, how a person treats strangers or lower status individuals may not be important. 
In the U.S., however, you are expected to act in a respectful, polite manner to everyone, even if they have lower social status than you do. 

Of course, Americans are often impolite and they do not always treat each other with respect. Nevertheless, this is what "equality" means to most Americans in terms of their values.

 One way that you can show respect to Americans is by saying "please" and "thank you." Always try to use a respectful tone. Americans generally do not like to take orders or be told what to do. They may feel that this is a violation of their equal status and that you are treating them as inferior. Americans tend to respond much more positively to being asked to do something. 

For American managers, it is important to treat employees as equals as well. Many managers seek to form non-hierarchical relationships in the office.
 

Despite the general value placed on equality in American society, equality is not always a reality. One example of inequality is income disparity. In the U.S., unlike in many other countries, top business executives can earn more than 100 times what entry-level employees earn. This disparity does not violate the American concept of equality, however. 

The important thing, to many Americans, is not that everyone be paid the same or get promoted at the same time, but that everyone has an equal opportunity to be promoted based on good performance. 
In the common American view, top executives are "equal" in the sense that they made it to the top because of their intelligence and hard work, not because of their family background, race, or gender. 

Of course, all Americans do not always treat people who are racial minorities (non-Whites), women, homosexuals, or disabled people as equals, despite the value placed on equality. 
Race relations is still a major issue in America, as many minorities feel they are not offered the same opportunities as White people are. And many women feel they are still discriminated against in the corporate world. 

Do's and Don'ts for Equality

DO	DON'T
Treat others with respect	Make assumptions about people based on their gender, race, job title, or disabilities
Feel free to challenge authority	Disobey the law
Encourage non-hierarchical relationships with your employees	Assume that there is no status or hierarchy in the U.S. workplace
Be polite when asking people to help you	Order people to do things for you

Informality

 The general preference for informality in the U.S. is directly related to the value placed on equality. In most situations, in a business or social environment, Americans prefer to behave and treat each other in a relatively casual manner, especially when compared to the norms in many Asian countries.
This informal style tends to make everybody feel comfortable and equal. Generally, Americans will be informal even with people of higher status. "The President of the company should get the same treatment that I do," an American employee might think, "because we're really all just people."

 The most obvious way that this informality is expressed in daily life is in the use of first names. Americans usually prefer to use first names when addressing each other. When an American first introduces himself, he will frequently say his given name followed by his family name, for instance, "Bob Wright." He may then say, "Call me Bob," particularly if he is of higher status than you are. If he is of equal or lower status, he will most likely assume that you will call him Bob. 

You should also not assume that a married woman has the same last name as her husband. It is becoming more and more common for women in the U.S. to keep their maiden names upon marrying or to hyphenate their maiden and married names. When Bob Wright introduces you to his wife, for example, he will probably state her full name. If not, don't assume that she goes by "Mrs. Wright." Instead, you might say "Nice to meet you, Ms?c.." and then allow your voice to trail off at the end. She will most likely tell you her correct name at that point. "Ms. Jones," she might say.

Using Titles in the U.S.