Socio-Economic Status Is Something That Everyone Deals

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.

I was born in to a poor family, we were not very privileged. We made do with what we had growing up. You can say we were a family of modest means. My social economic status remained about the

We live in a world where every day we wake up trying to make a living and get onto the next day repeating the same thing over and over. Waking up each day and realizing that you are not able to survive in this world without any money can have a huge impact towards any goal you are trying to reach. In some cases we tend to set the bar high but there is only one problem, how are we going to get enough money to pay for our future goals? Growing up in the working class has been a ride to remember. Experiencing poverty can also have a great affect in your life. After reading three amazing articles one by Richard Rodriguez the second by Barbara Ehrenreich and the last one by Bell Hook, I have learned that there is so much more than to be classified into a class (working class, middle class, and poverty).

Many people are born into a higher social class than others. However, majority of Americans are automatically born with a struggle. According to the New York Times Class Matters, the marriage of unequals and the way people represent themselves superficially can prevent people from escalating the social class tower. There are millions of people that are dreaming of a better life, to have more opportunities and a better lifestyle not only for them but for their family as well. The stereotypes that come with marrying into an upper class society, and dressing dis-accordingly to your true social class can make the rest of society question what social class truly is.

Social class variations in U.S. family life starts with categories of people who share a common economic position in the unequal society in which they live in (Strong and Cohen 82). Classes indicate economic indicators such as wealth and income earned. These show what people have such as bank accounts, houses, stocks, and retirement plans, but eliminates their debt such as credit cards, loans, and mortgages. Social class is known to have structural and cultural dimensions. Structurally, social class shows our occupations that we depend on for earnings, the power it presents us with, and the opportunities we get to experience. Culturally, social class follows people’s beliefs, attitudes, values, and motivations that separate them from other classes. People are grouped together in classes because of their similar incomes, amounts of wealth, degrees of occupation status, and years of education. Social class is experienced differently by people throughout life.

For most of my childhood, our family had a low socioeconomic status which relates to poverty, lower education and poor health. I was a white male, living as a minority in town with a high crime rate, but the rest of the county was wealthy. More people are arrested in my town in comparison to every other town in the county. My sister was sick all the time and we didn’t have the money to afford all the doctor bills, which only got my father angry and more abusive. We certainly lived below the poverty line and lacked the resources. The elementary and middle school in my area was run down and lacked the funding and resources too. The low socioeconomic status was only delaying my transition into adulthood. Ciabatarri (2017) explains that the middle class is shrinking and the unemployment rate is high for workers in the twenties, which only causes concern and affects the future of these young adults. This

In almost any city in the United States you can observe communities and individuals of different social classes and socioeconomic statuses. From the homeless man begging for change on the side of the road, to the CEO driving a brand new Mercedes, people of different social classes are found throughout society, usually living within proximity of each other. These are extreme, and observable examples of the different social classes in the United States, however it is not also easy to determine someone's social class by first glance. In the United States there are distinct differences among the classes of families ranging from marriage and parenting styles, to health and educational resources (Zinn & Eitzen). Income is a primary component that

I simultaneously grew up poor and privileged. Although that sounds like a paradox, it was a reality given my family structure. Following a divorce when I was just a toddler, my parents became financially independent except for a small (and apparently, inconsistently available) child support payment. After spending five years as a housewife and out of the workforce, my mom struggled. She often lived paycheck to paycheck, while my dad’s job as a banker allowed him to live comfortably. The disparities caused me to grow up in two socioeconomic backgrounds: my dad’s was BMW’s and cruise ships while my mom’s was ramen noodles and frozen dinners five nights a week. As a result, I experienced multiple socioeconomic perspectives by age fourteen, and

I am in the middle-class of American society; however, I grew up in the lower- class reared by a single teenaged mother, who barely graduated high school. Growing up we always lived with some family member that was barely making it themselves. Everyone we lived with had some government issued income or a low paying job. Over the years my mother worked various minimum waged jobs. We also, used various government programs and organizations such as food stamps, clothes and food banks and free lunch programs when she didn’t have enough income to meet our needs.

My mother, being that she was single, worked a lot to provide for us. She would tell me stories of how, at the age of 15, she walked almost 5 miles everyday to and from work just so my first birthday was spectacular. I cannot say that I remember the party, however I still know how much she sacrificed because she still does it to this day. To me, my mom has been a beautiful example of an independent single parent. Since giving birth to me at 15, she had her own car by 16, and her (our) own place by the age of 17. She would always tell me, "work hard to provide an easy

Economic status limits you to just about everything. This may include food clothes shelter and educational potential. “Socioeconomic status (SES) is an economic and sociological combined total measure of a person's work experience and of an individual's or family's economic and social position in relation to others, based on income, education, and occupation.” Socioeconomic status is broken into three sections. The section is also variables. They include income, education, and occupation. Socioeconomic status appears to form a decreasing point of education, health, and money for Black and Hispanic children, when compared to the achievement levels of White children. Black youth from low income area are faced with an uphill battle. Due to diminish

A child can be affected socially as well as emotionally based on their parents economic status. For example as a child my father was our provider in our household. We did not live in a good neighborhood, we did not go out of the yard. It was rare that I was allowed to visit a friend at their house. We also did not eat at restaurants or go out places often, but the times my siblings and myself did, we were very thankful and appreciated it. I always appreciated what I had, even though I didn’t always get what I wanted. This has taught me to always be humble.

She always put others before herself and would do almost anything to help somebody in need. The finest life message I learned from my mom was “if you work really hard and are kind, amazing things will happen.” I haven’t ever seen someone work as hard as my mom has; she always went above and beyond in everything she did. My mother always tells me unpredictable stories about her passion for helping others throughout her life. I wanted to have this kind of legacy of having many opportunities of making differences in people’s life. I think my purpose in life is to help others and make a difference. This statement sounds cliché, but I truthfully that’s my natural

I come from a multi-level class system as far as my family background. As a result, my mom comes from an upper-middle-class background where her father was a senior military officer in her native country. In contrast, my dad came from a middle-class family where his family owns property. Regardless of my parent's upbringing, I have experienced a “status inconsistency” through my parents trying to find a profession that suits them. Consequently, my mom would change professions from nursing to cosmetology in hopes of having time for the family. Additionally, my dad would go between dentistry and real estate, so that he would have time for family as well. But between this transition period, my family felt the difference in income, which caused

What does it mean to have socio-economic hardships? For the longest time, I didn’t know either. That was something for grownups to worry about, it didn’t affect me at all, right? Just like the bills and rent and groceries; I shouldn’t have to worry my little 6-year-old head about it.