Middle Class Family Research Paper

The American middle class is supposed to be living the American dream life. They would be able to afford a home, 1-2 cars, take 1-2 vacations within a year, be able to send their children to college and live comfortable lives. Middle class Americans would shop stores such as Wal-Mart and Kmart and splurge on department

Despite the debates about social class, the United States is usually described as having four major social classes, the elite or upperclass, the middle class, the working class, and the lower class (Goldscmidt). Classes are generally differentiated by income, education, and occupation although other factors do have an effect. The upperclass consists of about 1% of the population making 750,000 dollars or more a year as investors, top executives, or heirs to large fortunes (Hughes and Jenkins). There tends to be no question about who is in the upperclass as they are pretty clearly isolated in their power and wealth. The middle class makes up about 40% of the population making anywhere from 40,000 to 749,999 dollars a year (Hughes and Jenkins). The large disparity in income and wealth have led to a further division of this class into upper-middle class and middle class in some circles. The middle class usually work white collar jobs as professionals and managers, however some highly skilled blue collar workers are included. Those in the middle class have usually obtained higher education degrees and place a high value on individual responsibility for one’s class (Goldschmidt). The working class is composed of about 50% of the population earning 13,000 to 39,000 dollars a year (Hughes and Jenkins). Some also divide this class into a working class and a

The image of a perfect family has been a staple for popular television shows and commercials hawking everything from luncheon meat to microwaveable TV dinners. It is a far reaching concept known by almost anyone living in the country, all over the world and people considering immigrating to the US. It is a fabricated dream, which does not truly exist. It is merely a false goal, striving to achieve this standard, and the aesthetic of the lifestyle is one which has been heavily marketed and changes frequently with the times. Sports utility vehicles, pristine lawns, massive backyards and home security systems are marketed as necessities for the modern American

In America the middle class is nothing short of substantial, and this was paralleled when the class was first born in feudal Europe, due to the Crusades, along with many other impacts. The Crusades’ most impactful repercussions were the expansion of trade and the rise of the new middle class. The former revolves around how the growth of trade lead to the growth of other aspects in medieval times. For example, the Crusades causing more trade led to more complex banking styles, like bills of exchange. Not only this but they also attracted more people into Europe, consequently expanding cities and towns. This is important because the bills of exchange -- although not tremendously influential then -- eventually lead to debit cards today, and the

As the roaring twenties captivated the lives of American families with its great profits, big business, and optimism, the thirties altered the nation’s economic dreams, values, fashion, and everyday life. After ending an abundant decade in the twenties, the 1930’s brought forth pain, poverty, and hardships.

In reality the middle class are the job creators, and they are the heart of spending. When it comes to the upper class you would notice that if spending money was depended on them they would be the first to be ruled out. This is because the upper class makes a large sum of money, but they do not spend all that they make. So the middle class is the most important aspect of this economy. As of 2010 the middle class is struggling to stay afloat. Middle class would be considered to be with the medium being $50,000 dollars, somewhere close to $25,000 to $75,000.

Growing up under a middle class household I was able to experience some of the rules that come along with the class. Each class and rule come with lifestyles that will affect your each and every day. The rules of the middle class can affect our future from talking to our kids about college, to decorating the house as a youngster, and even repairing items in the house right as they break or knowing someone who can fix the problem right away.

Some communities wonder why the middle class has nearly faded away, and what has caused this depletion to initiate. To discover why this dissipation has occurred, research on this topic must ensue to further explicate on the situation at hand. Historically, Time Magazine states that the current “middle class comes from the post-World War II era. The 1944 GI Bill provided returning veterans with money for college, businesses and home mortgages” (Suddath). This provided a way for the returning military to attain a proper life after returning from war. Then in the 1950’s, some African Americans were able to move into the middle class status marked by the civil rights movement, which banned discrimination exclusively based upon race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

Stagflation is a word used to describe both a stagnant economy coupled with inflationary prices. To understand the reasons for this event, the United States global economy must be brought into the picture. Once the leading producer of many exported goods, in 1971, the United States reached a trade deficit. This meant that for the first time in history we were importing more goods than what was being exported. Shortly following this shift in economic power, OPEC implemented an Oil Embargo in 1973, directly affecting America. The price of oil quadrupled which caused prices of most other consumer goods to drive up. With these two together, all Americans felt the repercussions in several ways. The annual rate of inflation rose to 10% during the 1970’s, unemployment soared to nearly 9%, and real wages peaked. Ever since the early 1970’s, real wages have been on a decline, plunging the middle class further into debt. Even with wages flattening out, consumption has not. To make up for this, many Americans have cut back on their savings in order to maintain the suburban lifestyle they became so acquainted with. People became less concerned with saving for their family’s future, but on being able to keep the property and lifestyle they naively invested in. College funds became a needle in a hay stack for most children, forced come up with

The Middle class is often made up people who graduated high school and sometimes have a college degree. People with a College degree tent live more than the people with less education. Some of them do have access to health care via employment. They tend to live in a better community than those of the lower class.

There are three wealth classes in the United States which begins at Upper, Middle, and Lower income or class. According to one source as of December 2014 during the “Great Recession” of 2007-2009 the average income of Upper-income families in the U.S. was $639,400. At the time the minim 2013 household income to meet middle income for one person was $22,000. (http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/12/17/wealth-gap-upper-middle-income/)

The Cadburys were an ideal example of how a middle class family could succeed during the industrial revolution. In Western England, the Cadbury family owned a small cloth and dry goods store, which flourished because of the industrial revolution. The Cadbury retail store ran by Richard and Elizabeth Cadbury, benefited greatly from the new sources of supply and expanding demand for cloth. This demand was derived from the industrial revolution making materials readily available to the public. The industrial revolution also brought more people into cities, resulting in more people able to buy these cheaper-newer items.

Thee middle class is constantly referred to as the “working class”. Former President Richard Nixon explains this in his speech address to the nation on labor day September 6, 1971. This speech was given to talk about something Nixon felt America has failed to achieve: a home without war or inflation. In his speech, he describes that this nation is under the impression that “it is immoral… to strive for a higher standard of living” (Nixon). He was explaining that this nation has come to know that where you are is where you stand you do not shift from that position. If you are making a life for yourself, you should be happy. Middle income Americans, however, cannot be held at a stand still. Because so many people make up the middle class, it is always a question to many Americans if they qualify as “middle class”. Richard Fry and Rakesh Kochhar are two of the many minds behind Pew Research Center. PRC is specific on being unbiased and developing har facts from both sides of a situation. In 2016, they made a study that provides a solution of who is considered middle class. It has been proved that over 51% of all workers are a part of the middle class (Fry and Kochhar). Thus, making up a little more than half of what our economy runs on. These middle class people are people with jobs like a secretary, a truck driver, even a high school teacher. These people contribute in everyday life throughout our society. Because the middle class makes up most of what is the working class, they definitely economically benefit the

Things such as education, occupation, income, or wealth are not the sole determinants that define what class we are. There is no true definition or defining factor that decides who or what middle class is. As Jackson states, “ There is a culture of the middle class, which is not reducible to annual income and other easily quantifiable variables”

Of this group, about 1/3rd belongs to the upper-middle class. The annual income of person belonging to this group is $70-$75,000. The jobs that the typical upper-middle class person holds would have a prestige rating of 65 or higher. 2/3rd?s of the middle-class population is the lower-middle class. White-collared individuals make up the majority of this class, earning anywhere from $30,000 to $60,000 a year. Lower-middle class Americans have a set standard of priorities. They take pride in the fact that they are financially stable, and promote hard work, and press on education. Without education, the members feel that they would not be where they are economically, and preach the importance to their children so that they, too, can live a lifestyle very similar to that of theirs (Norton).