CLASS IN AMERICA

By Alyssa Baker

WHAT IS CLASS?

Many people think discussing class in America is

unacceptable

It is acceptable to talk about “middle class” Americans

because it is such a broad spectrum

Low suggestion of conflict when discussing middle class

Low class & high class are rarely talked about, except

when referred to as “rich or poor”

Life on the street vs. a look inside the rich and glamorous

4 MYTHS OF CLASS IN THE US

1. The US is a classless society. Rich or poor we

are all equal in the eyes of the law

2. We are a middle class nation. Most people have

risen up and have achieved affluence of some kind.

3. We are all getting richer, steadily moving up the

economic ladder.

4. Everyone has an equal chance to succeed.

“Are there significant class differences

among Americans? Do these differences

have a significant impact on the way we

live? Does everyone in the US have an

opportunity to succeed?”• -Class in America

THE ECONOMIC SPECTRUM: THE WEALTHIEST

The wealthiest 1% of americans own 34% of total

national wealth

They also own over 1/3 of all consumer durables

and financial assets

The richest 20% of Americans hold nearly 85% of

the total household wealth in the country

There are nearly 400 billionaries in the US today

ECONOMIC SPECTRUM: POVERTY AND DESPAIR

13$ of the American population, nearly 1 in 8

people, live below the official poverty line ($10,590

for an individual and $21,203 for a family of four)

An estimated 1.4 million of these people are

childreen and experience homelessness in any given

year.

“The contrast between rich and

poor is sharp, and with nearly

one-thrid of the American

population living at one extreme

or the other, it is difficult to argue

that we live in a classless society.”

–class in America

7 REALITIES

1. there are enormous differences in the economic

standing of American citizens

2. The middle class in the US holds a very small share of

the nations wealth and that share is declining steadily. The

gap between the rich and poor is larger than ever.

3. There are enormous class differences in the life-styles

among the haves, the have-nots, and the have-littles

REALITIES (CONT…)

4. from cradle to grave, class standing has a significant impact

on our chances for survival.

5. Class standing has a significant impact on chances for

educational achievement.

6. All Americans do not have an equal opportunity to succeed.

Inheritance laws ensure a greater likelihood of success for the

offspring of the wealthy.

7. Racism and sexism significantly compound the effects of class

in society.

QUESTIONS

1. How has class affected your life? Do you think

would be a different person if you would have been

born into a different class?

Do you believe what this study suggests? That

class plays a major role in the course of your life

from birth? Why?

CITATION

rothenberg, P. S. (2009). Race, class, and gender in

the united states. (8th ed., pp. 177-191).