Socioeconomic Status

Many questions have risen in this day and age in which ones wealth can greatly effect almost every aspect of their lives. There has been much controversy as to whether the recognition of socioeconomic classes are for the benefit of society as a whole. Socioeconomic class is defined as some combination of occupation, education, and income level (Heimer 802). A good society consists of equality, support for the government, educated individuals, better living conditions, and low crime rates. As research will show, socioeconomic classes contribute to social inequality, lower support for the government, subpar education levels, income insecurity for some classes, lower living conditions, trouble transitioning into adulthood, and higher crime rates. Therefore, socioeconomic classes are a detriment to society and do more harm than good for the people.

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.

Socioeconomic Status is where a particular person or group of people stand in regards to social class. The main measurement that determines one's socioeconomic status is level of education, occupation and income. Although it may not be considered a factor in child development, socioeconomic status can actually play a huge role in determining what kind of adolescent a child develops into. It can influence a child’s morals, self-esteem, grades and many more aspects of a child's life. Socioeconomic status can play a role in determining where a person resides, the occupation they end up getting, their education and their income as well. So, although one’s socioeconomic status is technically made up of these aspects, one can be born into a low socioeconomic status which could result in them continuing to have one throughout their life. It is a cycle that one must break in order to change the outcome. Low socioeconomic status can result in child poverty. Child poverty over the years has risen and fallen but has remained consistently apparent in America. Child poverty can have detrimental effects on developing children and adolescents. It may influence the way they are raised, taught, cared for and many more aspects of the child's life which are important for successful development. Low socioeconomic status can determine how well children and adolescents develop and the type of person they develop into, including

While obesity and overweight levels have been rising for all socioeconomic groups, some groups of people are more affected than others. Relationships between socioeconomic status and obesity undoubtedly have complex explanations. Some studies have shown that people with low socioeconomic status are more likely to be overweight or obese than people with high socioeconomic status. Author also emphasizes that socioeconomic status causes disparities in health and shorten longevity for those who are most disadvantaged. The relationship between overweight or obesity and income is varies by race and ethnicity. For example, in a household with less than $10,000 of annual income about 33 percent of blacks are obese, about 26 percent of Hispanics, and about 19 percent of whites. Culture, race and ethnicity play an important role in determining the obesity rate. Critser emphasizes certain studies that show minority groups tend to have drastically higher obesity and weight related disease rates than

Another study concerning socioeconomic status was done by a group of researchers including Vonetta Dotson, Melissa Kitner-Triolo, Michele Evans, and Alan Zonderman. They examined test scores from low and high socioeconomic status African Americans and Whites in order to determine if socioeconomic status and/or race affect cognitive abilities. The researchers hypothesized that proficiency in literacy would be a better predictor of cognitive abilities than years of education, especially for people of low socioeconomic status and African Americans (Dotson, Kitner-Triolo, Evans, & Zonderman, 2009). In order to measure the theory, cognitive tests from participants were examined and demographic questions were asked to determine incomes and race.

Peter Greene in his article, “Stop Defending Music Education”, suggests that public schools need music for many reasons. In addition to emphasizing that public schools need music education not because it increases test scores, but for many other reasons rather than the obvious reason. Greene is surely right about people defending music education for the wrong reasons, because as he may not be aware, recent studies have

So, what was socioeconomic status? What were the components that constructed socioeconomic status? Socioeconomic status was defined by multiple factors: educational attainment, income, occupational prestige, wealth, and much more. Educational attainment component of socioeconomic status had a long term prevalence on a person’s health. Research shown that children who grew up in low-socioeconomic status households and communities developed academic skills more slowly than other children. Some potential reasons was the lack of literacy in their environment, chronic stress, under resource, inadequate education provided in an area, and much more influenced an individual’s opportunity of learning at an early age (American). The lack of literacy in an environment was attributed

According to a study done in the US (WHO, 2010), persons with lower socioeconomic status had higher levels of PM2.5 exposure than those of a higher status. This was based on the following indicators: Unemployment, education, earnings and poverty. The study revealed that persons with education less than a high school degree had higher exposures than those with a high school degree. This is also true for the unemployed, those in the poverty range as well as those with lower earnings than those of a higher status.

Socioeconomic status measures as a combination of education and income. Poverty levels have similarities of lower education and poor health for children’s and families. Little has been found to understand how poor, single African American mothers view marriage as a strategy to end poverty and their reliance on welfare (Deborah, H., & Domeinco, P,2008). A strong influence on academic level on socioeconomic status within the United States. The delayed of marriage by college-educated women have benefited from marriage later than other demographic groups. Higher education impacted the age and length of marriage. Likewise, women who graduated from high school or some college education have approximately 30 percent and 20 percent lower odds

In the United States, obtaining a higher education is more important than ever. The income gap between a family of college graduates and a family of high school graduates grew 30,000 dollars in just three decades (Porter). Institutions of higher education are engines of upward mobility that is not afforded to the entire population. American society is still plagued with racial disparities; however, they are no longer the main divider separating Americans. Today, the most imminent danger to the American dream is socioeconomic status (SES). The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental economic organization, found that when it comes to academic achievement, SES has more influence in the United States

Individuals from low social class face many health problems as a result of the social level, they are not able to access to health care on permanent basis, and when they do access they have low quality. In addition to this, people from low social class, generally have low educational level, as a result of this people will

able to be trusted to make decisions about what music will be most beneficial to them, because the students are the ones most responsible for their own education.

My music students will be supported by predictable routines and clearly communicated goals, within an organized learning environment. Rules and expectations for learning will be clearly articulated, revisited often, and represent a mutual contract of respect, responsibility, safety, honesty, and caring, in the effort to maximize learning and encourage participation. Students not only know and agree upon the goals of their learning community, but in my classroom they will understand the impact of their poor choices on their grades and the health of the whole. Students who do not use good judgment in their actions will always be dealt with respectfully and promptly, using predetermined and appropriate consequences.

Socioeconomic status has a large effect on poverty rates and occupational status. Commonly, an individual within the lower social classes tends to fall under the poverty line as well. Individuals who live in a low socioeconomic status area and/or are below the poverty line, commonly reside in living conditions that could increase the spread of disease and illness. A low socioeconomic status also means that healthy food is either unaffordable or too far away from resources that provide adequate food. For those in poverty, or with a low SES, this could result in overall poorer health, or even malnutrition.

The article that I chose investigated whether socioeconomic status predicts mortality in people infected with HIV, whether it is because of poverty, homelessness, lack of education, etc. It was extremely interesting to read and I thought the study was conducted extremely well and with a social conscious.