The Effects Of Social Inequality In The United States

Social inequality is a problematic phenomenon that occurs all around the world and affects both the developed and developing nations. It is defined as “the unequal distribution of social, political and economic resources within a social collective” (van Krieken et al. 2013, p. 205). Inequality is closely connected with social stratification, a system of social hierarchy that positions individuals and groups into categories according to social variables such as class or ethnicity (van Krieken et al. 2013, p. 485). This stratification has a significant impact on the opportunity that an individual may have to move up the hierarchy of inequality (Gill 2017a).

Even though they are two different aspects of American society, social and economic classes are very interlaced. Social classification determines where an individual stands in the eyes of society, and whether they are socially accepted and embraced by American culture. A majority of the time, a person’s tier in the system is mainly determined by where they stand in the economic classification. Economic standing depicts where an individual is placed based on their financial success, and their access to the luxuries money can buy. Both have different levels of highs and

Wealth inequality in the United States has grown tremendously since 1970. The United States continuously reveals higher rates of inequality as a result of perpetual support for free market capitalism. The high rates of wealth inequality cause the growing financial crisis to persist, lower socio-economic mobility, increase national poverty, and have adverse effects on health and well being.

Looking at the article “Class Matters” by Peter Sacks, Social classes are divisions in society, which are based on social and economic status. People from a similar social class have a distinct level of power and wealth within a given community or country. The most common social groupings, based on status, are the upper, the middle, and the lower social classes. The precise considerations of determining these hierarchical social categories vary from time to time. Many researchers have come up with different perspectives as far as social stratification is concerned. According to Karl Marx, social stratification is a result of one's position in the hierarchy of factors of production. Therefore, social stratification is a manifestation of financial muscle within society further creating the divide within social groupings as seen through educational divides and inequalities that lie in many aspects of life.

Income inequality has been a progressively growing issue in the United States, even today. The problem dates back all the way to the Great Depression, although some researchers tend to think that it is older than that. The difference between the wealth of higher-income families and lower-income families has become a great issue. Many people, including our government, think that they know how they can fix it. They have tried time and time again to come up with solutions, yet we are still facing the same obstacle that we were almost one hundred years ago. The effects that this dilemma is setting forth for our United States’ economy, environment, and even our education is repulsing.

Living in a peaceful world would mean that no one (and I mean NO ONE) would go hungry or be without basic medical care; denying individuals access to food, clean water and basic medical care is both in-humane as well as ignorant. The inhumanity of denying food to individuals who cannot by no fault of their own feed themselves when we have supermarkets, refrigerators, and pantries over flowing a bounty of food. Turning away from a person who is hungry, while the US as a nations spends more on its household pets than it does in donations to local food bangs demonstrates ignorance of our understanding that perhaps the stem of violence both here and overseas could be stymied if we’d only offered not only bags of rice but a safe place to grow

The distribution of income in the United States, is a growing controversy. Far left and far right groups have distinctly differing opinions on income inequality and whether it is beneficial or detrimental to the economic growth of the nation. Mainstream politics, however, tend to be relatively devoid of discussion about the extreme wealth gap. The rising levels, factors, and opinions of income inequality as well as methods of income redistribution will be discussed.

Social inequality exists in the United States through the Elite’s power to maintain their dominance in the United States capitalist system. The Elite Ruling class is made of the upper class and this class of individuals share similar ideology and are the members of the United State’s Superstructure. The Elite Ruling Class members of society are the decision and policy makers in the United States. Research and history has proven that many policies and decisions made by the Elite Ruling Class serve their own interest and promote their ideas. These decisions are the source of the inequality in the United States and it contributes to their ability to maintain their dominant status. The inequality is trickled down to the other classes through social policy and social institutions that affect our lives everyday citizens. A major example of this social inequality can be seen in the United States housing market or home ownership. A significant amount of studies, statics and data supports the evidence of social inequality within the US housing market or home ownership. The following passages will discuss social inequality in the United States as it is connected to Karl Marx’s theory of capitalism’s power and influence of the Elite Dominant i.e. the Ruling Class view as it relates to homeownership within the United States. Karl Marx’s theory however focuses mostly on economic s and the difference between upper and lower class not race. It is also important to point out that the Elite

The United States is a well-developed country and is considered to have the largest economy in the world. It is ranked high in GDP per capita, which indicates people enjoy a higher living standard in a nation (Mahoney, “Economic Inequality in the United States”). However, the aggregated data collected for GDP per capita could not be taken account for the middle and lower classes. According to the Pew Research Center, statistics show that the US income inequality has reached the biggest gap in 2013 (Desilver). Evidently, not all Americans possess the wealth and enjoy the benefit from the large portions of economy leading by the US. It is also shown through the fact that the US wealth distribution is generally the worst amongst the developed countries (Gongloff). It means that the top 1% of wealthy group is gaining more, but the middle and lower classes are hardly maintaining the same earnings or even making fewer profits than before, arguably the latter happens more often today. This controversial issue - the economic inequality that has been increasing significantly since the 1970s, seemingly attributed to the expansion of interest groups, which in turn negatively impacts the democracy in the United States.

In order to better understand social class and the structure of inequality, a couple key terms will be identified. Social Stratification is the division of society into groups arranged in the social hierarchy. (Ferris & Stein. pg,182.) Social class is a system of stratification based on access to such resources as wealth, property, power, and prestige.

Social Stratification is a system which society ranks people in a class. When you see people it is clear that some people have a higher status and wealth compared to other people. Class standing, although it is achieved, it is achieved, is heavily dependent on family and ascribed factors, such as race and ethnicity. (Schaefer,182) There are four classes; upper class, lower class, working class and middle class. The upper class is about two percent of the United States. The upper class is very wealthy and they associate with their social and exclusive clubs. Unlike the upper class, the lower class is about twenty three percent of the U.S. The lower class lacks money and wealth. The lower class is mostly consisted of single mothers and other

Social class ranks people in today’s society (Solomon, 2011). Individuals who belong to the same social class, typically work together in similar career fields and have similar lifestyles. Changes and prices make it difficult for all social classes by the products they offer. For example, attending college is different for each social class.

As I ponder on my thoughts about what wealth, status, and power means in our society, I think about the six social classes that typically define us as individuals: Upper Class, New Money, Middle Class, Working Class, Working Poor, and Poverty Level. Personally, I would not place myself in any of the six social stratifications listed above. However, I do not determine which class I fall under, society does. Overall, society determines our wealth, status, and power based on the wealth, status, and power we were brought into.

There are all kinds of different ways that you can be placed, and categorized in society. Mainly by education and finances. Social stratification is when you are categorized in society by groups arranged in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority. I had recently did an interview with my husband Danzail to compare our differences in our lifestyle, and social class he was in. Danzail considered his social class with his parents as Working poor social class. Both of his parents worked at a chicken factory call Fosters Farms hanging live chickens, and they had a small house that they lived in on the westside of Fresno. A tree fell on top of his home and his family ad to stay in the Marjaree Mason women's shelter for 6 months.

Social stratification depends on various factors, for example, influence, riches, races, instruction levels and sort of occupations and so forth. The separation in the social classes is additionally reliant on the political and monetary states of a specific country.The social pecking order in America, it can extensively be partitioned into six classes: Capitalist class, Upper middle class, Middle class, Working class, Working poor class and Underclass.