The Five Social Classes In The United States

There is much debate about the issue of social class in the United States. There are arguments about whether social classes are distinctly separate or fluid, dependent upon one’s community or society as a whole, and if they are subjective or objective (Hughes and Jenkins). However, despite the debate surrounding social classes, it is still important to try to define them and analyze their effects, as they are such an important part of our identity and our opportunities in society. Although our society has tried to appear as though we have no classes, and it is becoming harder to tell what class someone is in by material goods, classes do still exist today (Scott and Leonhardt). The trend has been to divide the U.S. into four major

The book says and it makes sense to an extent that people of lower social status have in general poorer health and higher mortality rate. Beyond that it makes a whole lot more sense that there are numerous and annoyingly complex factors that can lead up to the poorer health that relates to lower status. The book also talks about race, which really goes and links itself with the social status parts, since in America (which is what/where they mentioned) there is a moderate alignment of race to social status. Now when bringing up higher socioeconomic status that doesn't necessarily mean a person will live longer, regardless of race, but it certainly helps. Now to start the rant of the annoying and complex events that relate to social status. When

In Mantsios article “Class in America” he states that Americans hold beliefs that blind them to social classes, citizens in America have four myths they use to ensure talk about the classes never take place. America has the largest gap between rich and poor in the world, and the lower class has no means to an end they can’t afford health care or quality education. The upper class avoids talk about social class the most; wealthy people don’t want to admit that they are better off than others. While the lower class sees how much better off others are than them, but they still don’t like to label themselves. I agree with Mantsios that most Americans avoid talk about classes although I am not one of them. Also I

Society is set up into a hierarchical triangle that essentially determines social class. A social class is any person or group of people with the same educational, social or economical status. Social class can be broken down into many different categories such as race, age, gender, economic status, educational status and many more. Social class can be measured in many different ways such as financial status, family values, appearance, and demeanor. In America there are six main economical social classes which are the: Very poor, Poor, Working class, Middle class, Upper middle class, and the ruling class.

An inequality in society, economy, wealth distribution, and political corruption and the influence in cooperation of government led to

The readings examined how classism has negatively affected economics in the United States, how oppression manifests in taking financial advantage of groups of people who cannot advance financially, and systemic issues contributing to low wage and inability to move out of one’s social class. I was struck by the idea that most people in the United States are disadvantaged financially based on the way the country has set up its economic policies. From the beginning, black people have been oppressed by the inability to attain wealth, which continued through the end of WWII. I unnecessarily read a chapter speaking about financial companies targeting poor people, particularly people of color, with money schemes so they are losing their hard-earned money to fees and interest rates. This scheme continues to keep people in debt and living paycheck to paycheck. I related to the reading about college loans creating a paradox that students with degrees enter the workforce unable to find a job in their their field of study. Then the added paradox of not being able to find work making

America is a complex and diverse web of individuals marked by social stratification, a system by which a society ranks categories of people in a hierarchy (Macionis, 2011, p.204). The film People Like Us: Social Class in America discusses the class system, social stratification based on both birth and individual achievement, which the American people use to define others (Macionis, 2011, p.206). It explores the many variables that contribute to the determination of a person’s class; such as, ancestry, education, and money. Ancestry will be a main focus because it has such a strong influence on the class system of today. The film provided an informative and entertaining

Social class is defined as 'people having the same social or economic status' (Wordnet). In contemporary American society, social class is based on the amount of money and property you have and also prestige. Prestige is given to a person through the line of work or the family that they come from. For example, upper-upper class member Jennifer Lopez reeks of prestige not only because she has millions of dollars in her bank account, but she has very expensive luxuries, cars, and houses.

In this course, we have learned about different social classes and how they developed over time. In fact, the idea of social classes has been around before what we know it as to today. The concept has not changed. The “higher” classes usually have land, money, and jewels. The “lower” classes are broke, servants, and no valuable possessions. Prior to this course, I only knew of the upper class, middle class, and lower class. In today’s society, the separation between classes is not as bad as it use to be. School is an example of this. I grew up in Cobb County, Smyrna- Vinings area and I went to school with people who parents are CEOs of companies, successful entrepreneurs or even music artist. I would consider my family middle class but we did have students who were also lower class families. Some higher-class families enroll their children in private school. Private schools charges tuition whereas public schools are free of cost. The upbringing up children can determine their social status in schools. In this essay, I will discuss “cliques” and their differences in high schools.

Class systems in America are based on wealth and opportunities. It is also somewhat hard to move up from one class to another, however it isn’t impossible. To start, there are three main classes in the US. They are the upper, middle, and lower class. The upper class consists of the top one percent while the middle encompasses the majority of the population. The lower class consists of families with low income and little financial security. The riches are definitely not equally spread in the US. Wealth affects which class you are in. The amount of wealth that a person has is determined by education, occupation, and income. When someone has a college degree they have more job opportunities, and a better job leads to more income. People who don’t

The higher class individuals have more opportunity because of their wealth. They are able to pay their education funds and pay their way through the system. Whereas, lower class people have a difficult advantage because they don’t have enough money to fulfil their dreams. According to Semuels, “the distribution of that growth is more unequal, and more benefits are accuring to those at the top. Those at the bottom, are not able to achieve as big a share as they once did.” The economy is growing, so wealth is an important factor to achieve in America. Wealth is a major key to making through life in America. If they are born into wealth, most likely they will continue the legacy. Seldomly, the individual will

This essay will be discussing the extent to which social class and poverty affects health and illness. Firstly, what is social class? Each person’s perception of social class can be different; is social class defined by a person’s accent, the area they live in, or something as simple as their income? Project Britain describes social class as “The grouping of people by occupations and lifestyle”. (Cress, 2014). To find social class Sociologists group people according to common factors, they compare people and various criteria can be conveniently used to place people in social groups or classes. Next we ask the question what determines a person’s health, the NHS defines health as “Physical and mental, it is the absence of disease”. (NHS 2017).

We have gone from the basics in life as our American Dream, to wanting more than what we could ever have. Fundamentally, the American Dream is about ensuring success for every person in the country. Success not being the newest car or highest paying job, but equal opportunities to achieve goals and contribute to the well-being of society. The Declaration of Independence ensures the freedom of the nation, while the American Dream protects the rights to improve life, despite what social class a person is in. The American Dream was ideal for those in poverty because they knew if they were dedicated to working hard, they could transition from dirty poor to filthy rich. Just the idea of someday, being somewhere better allowed early entrepreneurs

Social class is a division of a society based on social and economic status which can include levels of wealth, success, power of authority, and influence. Status is can be defined or grouped having common economic, cultural, or political interests.

As long as it has been in existence, society has always been fractured into social classes, the very rich and the very poor. I see within our society the chasm growing by the year. The proletariat, boxed into cramped houses, while the bourgeoisie reside in mansions that jut up towards the sky touching the clouds. The rich, who control mostly everything in todays age, capitalize on those less fortunate than themselves and bask in the ignorance of the lower class. It is painful for myself to see the common worker, the average person, being taken advantage of and not even knowing his rights against such things.