Socoioeconomic status is a difference in the distribution of wealth, power, and prestige. Originally understood as the difference between capitalists (the bourgeoisie) and the working class (the proliteriat), “socioeconomic stratification is not a cultural universal; it arose with the earliest states… which first appeared in Mesopotamia, according to anthropologist Morton Fried. Citizens of the United States face two myths which cause society to stereotype these citizens as lazy and “naturally” less competent. Among these myths is the idea that any individual can overcome circumstances of poverty (also known as the myth of capitalism), and the idea that identity components like race and gender are independent of social class. Time and time again, individuals disprove these myths, but lack the agency to educate others. However, because people in the United States gain agency by attending institutions of higher education, it is necessary for these individuals to go to college to gain agency.
This is extremely problematic for low-income families because college is becoming increasingly competitive. Thus, many colleges only accept students who have come from well-funded high schools. Unfortunately, good education is no longer readily available, but is still an essential component in individual success. Many parents feel that public education contributes to the failure of many students. At this point, it is obvious that college is a luxury that people above the poverty line are able to afford. Evidently, when opinion leaders talk about “family values”, they are only referring to families from the dominant group in society (i.e. wealthy, white, and heterosexual families).
Not only is the decline in quality public education problematic for society, but the way that poverty is measured in the United States is flawed and puts many families at a disadvantage. Many families struggle with this issue because their income puts them right above the poverty line. Therefore, these families are ineligible for welfare.
It is also important to note that a very large percentage of society is below the poverty line, whereas a very small part of society is wealthy. In fact, the top one percent of society contains more money than the bottom ninety percent of society has collectively. Due to this lack of equal wealth distribution, it is difficult and nearly impossible for members of the working class to rise up in society and to gain agency.
Factors outside of socioeconomic status also dictate the agency of individuals in society. For example, many individuals face discrimination based on gender. This discrimination carries over to the economic realm, thus affecting individuals in their income, and consequently in their class. As a result of this discrimination, women earn only 76 cents to the male, and the average female high school graduate from the age of 25 to 65 who works full time earns approximately $450,000 less than her male counterpart. Unfortunately, the discrimination does not end with gender. Discrimination against people based on race and/ or sexuality produce similar statistics.
Obviously, discrimination based on class is not independent of discrimination based on race or gender, and is no less severe. According to Holly Sklar, “if the government were a country, it would be guilty of child abuse” (Sklar, 335). Based on statistics, individual cases, and general feelings of animosity and alienation, the government as a parent would also be guilty of favoritism, neglect, and a blatant misunderstanding. This parent does not hear its children’s cries, refuses to empathize with their situations, and insists on categorizing them based on something as arbitrary as income. It then uses these categories to determine what these children receive, and gives more to the children who need less. It does not teach its children to share, either. Rather, its children are busy buying things like home movie theatres and luxury cars. As Bob Dylan once wrote, “how many years can some people exist before they're allowed to be free?” Apparently, it will still be quite a while before this question is answered.
Works Cited
Conley, Dalton. “Being Black, Living in the Red: Wealth Matters.” Race, Class, and Gender in the United States. Comp. Paula S. Rothenberg. New York, NY: Catherine Woods, 2003. 297-304.
Kottak, Conrad P., and Kathryn A. Kozaitis. On Being Different: Diversity and Multiculturalism in the North American Mainstream. 3rd ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill, 2008.
Krugman, Paul. “The Sons Also Rise.” Race, Class, and Gender in the United States. Comp. Paula S. Rothenberg. New York, NY: Catherine Woods, 2003. 305-306.
Pear, Robert. “Number of People Living in Poverty Increases in U.S.” Race, Class, and Gender in the United States. Comp. Paula S. Rothenberg. New York, NY: Catherine Woods, 2003. 286-288.
Sklar, Holly. “Imagine a Country.” The Economics of Race, Class, and Gender. 2006. 329-337.
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