Inequality In the United States

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Crnpura

Humanities

Description

This paper is a 10-15 page research paper in which I explore the ways which race, sex, religion, or social class hinder or help opportunities in the United States. We had to choose a topic so I wanted to talk about Social Stratification and how it opposes the idea of "the land of opportunity. In my outline there's two potential thesis's I was planning to use but please feel free to alternate anything to make the essay have a narrow enough scope and a solid thesis where I can argue the validity.


Requirements:

I expect at least 10-11 pages for the essay double spaced.

Please use signaling phrases for introducing ideas, and quotation sandwiches are welcome.

Use 3-4 quotes per paragraph

Do not too much intricate vocabulary don't get too wordy with the sentences.

Must use 10 sources I will provide 7 sources if you need images or copies of them because you are unable to access them please let me know or you can look for your own sources Just use at least 10.

Cite all sources

Be very detailed

Ask me for any questions


I have a outline of what I wanted to write my essay about:

Outline:"

Title: The Myth of The Land of Equal Opportunity

Topic: How does social class create inequality in the United States?

Social class a type social stratification and how does social stratification affect the United States.

Potential Thesis:

1.The United States is not a land of equal opportunity, social stratification exists and the divide between the upper, middle, and lower class continues to grow.

2. The United States is not a land of equal opportunity in fact there is much inequality that has been progressively growing within the nation through social stratification.

Introduction (1):

For centuries now people all over the world come to the United States for the most advertised idea of equal opportunity. The goals of those who...

Topic Sentence 1: Social Class

  • What is social class? What is a class system? Why do we have it? What is a purpose of social class? Why don’t people talk about social class?

Topic Sentence 2: Upper Class

- Define and Discuss

Topic Sentence 3: Middle Class

- Define and Discuss

Topic Sentence 4: Lower/Working Class

- Define and Discuss

Topic Sentence 5: Social Class/Social Stratification

- Define and Discuss

Topic Sentence 6: Social Stratification/Education-Future

  • Because of the social class you are destined to

Topic Sentence 7: Social Stratification/San Francisco/United States

  • Gentrification in San Francisco, California and United States.

Sources You May Use:

Source One: Social Class and Changing Families in an Unequal America

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=e7c3b503-7dc8-4431-a3a3-0d2bb6faa523%40sessionmgr4006&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=373123&db=nlebk

England, Paula; Carlson, Marcia J. Series: Studies in Social Inequality. Stanford, California : Stanford University Press. 2011. eBook., Database: eBook Collection (EBSCOhost)

Source Two: Facing Social Class : How Societal Rank Influences Interaction

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ccsf.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=25&sid=8e18f0f9-f724-44fe-b345-94d526e76b41%40sessionmgr120&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#AN=1069710&db=e000xna

Source Three: Social class differences in social integration among students in higher education: A meta-analysis and recommendations for future research.

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ccsf.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=470fdaf7-1696-40de-95b9-cb92037e3eac%40sessionmgr4009&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU%3d#db=pdh&AN=2011-26360-001

Rubin, Mark. "Social Class Differences in Social Integration among Students in Higher Education: A Meta-Analysis and Recommendations for Future Research." Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, vol. 5, no. 1, Mar. 2012, pp. 22-38. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1037/a0026162.

Source Four: Social Class: Hows Does It Work?

http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.ccsf.idm.oclc.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=2&sid=dd364443-d8b1-4c83-b2be-626a847ff3f5@pdc-v-sessmgr01&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmU=#AN=1069722&db=e000xna

Conley, Dalton and Annette Lareau. Social Class : How Does It Work?. Russell Sage Foundation, 2008. EBSCOhost, ccsf.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=1069722&site=eds-live.

Source Five: ( IN CLASS TEXT: PG. 377) Class In America?

Source Six: Social Class and Stratification : Classic Statements and Theoretical Debates

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ccsf.idm.oclc.org/eds/e...

Levine, Rhonda, et al. Social Class and Stratification : Classic Statements and Theoretical Debates. vol. 2nd ed, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2006. EBSCOhost, ccsf.idm.oclc.org/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e000xna&AN=634844&site=eds-live

Source Seven: Social Stratification: Meaning, Types, and Characteristics | Sociology

http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/sociology/social-stratification-meaning-types-and-characteristics-sociology-2446-words/6199

User generated content is uploaded by users for the purposes of learning and should be used following Studypool's honor code & terms of service.

Explanation & Answer

Hello, Please check whether you need any changes. If you need any changes do not hesitate to contact me.

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For centuries now people all over the world come to the United States for the most
advertised idea of equal opportunity. The equal opportunity involves similar treatment of all
people where people are allowed to participate freely and equally in areas of public life. That
means that people should be treated equally in the workplace, in education or when accessing
goods and services. However, this is not the actual case in the United States. People have been
discriminated upon depending on the social classes where stereotypes have emerged leaving
people divided. Lack of equal opportunity in the United States has made people less productive
since some are not given opportunities to explore their talents at the workplace. People have been
divided according to social classes and they are treated differently according to the social class
which later results in conflicts.
Social Class
Social class is a hierarchical grouping of people where they are grouped according to
their wealth, occupation, educational attainment, income and membership in a subculture or a
social network.( Griffin, 2012) A class system is a universal phenomenon that denotes a group of
individuals who have a definite status in a society which permanently determines their relations
to other groups. These social classes are de facto groups. They have an economic basis but they
seem to be more than economic groups. They have a relative benefit and definition of

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membership in a certain class is distinguished over time and between societies, specifically in
societies that contain legal differentiation of groups of people by birth or occupation. For
instance, a socioeconomic class, many scholars have a viewpoint of societies being stratified into
the hierarchical system on a basis of occupation, income, wealth and economic status. Here in
America, people do not talk about class. They believe that Class in America does not exist but it
is actually not the case. They do not realize that there is the issue of class because it is not easy to
see it. The difference is visible when thoughtlessly discuss the uncompensated internships or
when an individual buys drinks for five other individuals and says that it’s on his bill(Griffin,
2012)
Upper class
The Upper Class in America constitutes of individuals with the highest rank and who are
extremely rich. The people in the upper class bare socio-economically distinguishable from the
other classes due to the influence they have, their wealth and power The Pew Research center
released a report in 2016 that stated that between 2000 and 2000, the share of the upper-class
adults had increased in 172 of the 229 US metro areas it analyzed. The upper class has therefore
led to many unequal opportunities in the United States. The members of the small capitalist
class that belongs to the upper class have a great influence on the economy and the society
beyond numbers. Their investment decisions may open or close employment opportunities for
millions of other people. They make contributions to the political parties and they also own
media enterprises that give them the chance of influencing the people in other classes. The upper
class strives to perpetuate itself in terms of values, Assets, lifestyles as well as social networks
which are normally passed from one generation to the next. The inequality is not just about
money. Education is a paramount ingredient as well. A higher education level is associated with

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prestigious occupations and autonomy together with the quality of the job and security. In
consideration of the strong association between education and earnings, it is not really surprising
that the people in the upper class or in the facilities with the top income tend to access higher
levels of education. The upper class also has a great impact on American politics. The super-rich
is able to fund presidential campaigns. They usually vote, lobby, complain and their voices are
listened to. It is a well-known fact that the individuals with higher incomes have a better chance
of voting. In 2012, three out of four top income household head did vote in comparison to the
leaf of those at the bottom who voted. From the above examples, it is clear that the upper class
have brought about much inequality in the United States which needs to be addressed. .( Griffin,
2012)
Middle class
The middle class consists of adults who have size-adjusted household incomes that range
between $30, 00 and $100,000 for families of three. According to the Pew Research center
reports in 2014, around half of the American adults were living in middle-income households. It
is an aggregate of 51% of adults living in middle-income households. The middle class is
divided into two classes which are the upper middle which constitutes the highly educated,
managers are salaried professionals. There is also the lower middle class who constitutes of the
semi-professionals, lower level management, and the skilled craftsmen. The middle-class
individuals are those that are comfortable with their standards of living, a relatively significant
economic security, considerable work autonomy and they do rely on their skills and expertise in
sustaining themselves. The middle class is considered to be beneficial, stabilizing the influence
on the society as it does not have the possible explosive revolutionary tendency of the mower
class. .( Griffin, 2012)

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Lower class
This is a social class that is characterized by homelessness, poverty, and issues to do with
unemployment. In this class, only a few people who might have finished schools. These people
also suffer from lack of medical care, decent clothing, adequate housing, vocational training, and
safety. These people are usually stigmatized especially by the media who refer them as the
underclass as a way of inaccurate characterization of poor people as welfare mothers who have
abused the system through having so many children or as welfare fathers who are capable of
working hard but do not, criminals, drug abusers and societal trash. People in the lower class in
the United States are seen as the individuals who are either at or near the lower end of the
socioeconomic hierarchy. Just like any other social class in the US, this class can be best
described as loosely defined and that its definitions and boundaries should be subjected to
various debates. When a social scientist uses this class, its members are defined as social
employees, the unemployed and lower head manual laborers. The employed ones, on the other
hand, are said to be the working poor. Social scientist always refers these class as the people who
do not take part in the labor force and who majorly rely on social assistance like welfare checks,
and food stamps as their major source of income. In general, a member in this class work in the
easily filled positions of employment that have very little economic or prestige compensation.
This class is made up of individuals who have no high school education (Alhanati, 2012)
Social stratification
Social stratification is a way in which people are ordered and ranked within a given
society. Looking at the western societies, for example, social stratification is basically seen and
better understood through socioeconomic status which is used to produce a hierarchy in which

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accessing resources, possessing these resources usually increase from one lower to the upper
strata. This, therefore, shows that social stratification is all about dividing the society into various
layers that are known as strata. It is all about categorization, classification or dividing society
into up into horizontal layers. Social stratification is also a system whereby people are in a given
society are grouped into various social classes according to their race, birth, culture, economic
positions, ethnicity, income, wealth, education, earning, gender among any other factors. It is a
system through which the society ranks its people. As a result of these rankings, divisions end up
being created in a society.
Types of social stratification
Social stratification can manifest itself to a society in many ways on the basis of different
elements and factors. However, the following are the most common types of social stratification
The Caste system
This is a type of social stratification mainly witnessed in India. It mainly involves
dividing Hindus into four major groups. These groups are referred to as varnas and are very
important in the literature of Hindu. The four Varnas are Kshatriyas, Sudra Xaste, Brahmins and
Vaishyas. Both of these classes have got their powers, financial status, and duties in the society.
When a person is born in a particular caste, he/she remains in that caste forever as a
member. Every caste is defined by its name. Marriage in the social stratification is viewed to be
determined by the caste. Now that sate system is hierarchical in nature, any society that practices
it then must be facing a challenge of class resentment.
The class system

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This system in witnessed in some countries where the society is usually divided into three
major classes; upper class, middle class, and lower classes. The upper class is made up of the
aristocrats who have been born into and living a life of great privilege and wealth. This is a class
that is made up of eminent people in the society. In the societal hierarchy, the upper class tends
to be the richest and generally regarded as the successful members of a given society.
The middle class, on the other hand, is comprised of the people who can afford to live a
decent life but are still not wealthy enough to be able to enjoy a fine living type that the upper
class experiences. In this class, members are able to enjoy earning an average income such that
they can now afford to enjoy a decent social status in the society.
The lower class, on the other hand, is the category that has people who live in the lowest
social status when looked from a perspective of their economic status and positions. These
people do not earn that much. The word lower class is a term that can be best described as
snobbish because it reflects a derisive and divisive attitude towards a group of people who are
not found in the in the upper class of the society. Due to this reason, people living in this class
prefer being referred to as a working class.
A class system may easily be entrenched thus making it hard to move between classes.
Moving between classes especially from lower class to the middle class can be easily and best
achieved through education, acquiring of wealth and marriage. This is what sociologists refer to
as social mobility. Social mobility may either be upwards or downwards.
Estate system this system originates from medical Europe. In this type of stratification,
much importance is given to the original status of birth. The type also considers wealth and many
other belongings to be very important to an individual. This, therefore, means that a person who

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was born in a given class continues living in that same class death without changing. The
stratification type of such a kind usually works best on the basis of the principle that each and
every estate remains the same right from the beginning until the end.
Gender stratification
There are various societies in the world that usually categorize their members on a gender
basis. In gender-based stratification, people who belong to a given gender have got certain
privileges and rights that other gender does not have. Even by looking at the modern world, there
are societies who are defined by this type of social stratification. Due to gender stratification,
many societal changes have taken place especially the issue of women marginalization. A good
example of an example of a fight to end such kind of stratification is the fight for gender
equality(Grusky and David, 2014)
Slavery
Despite the fact that slavery has been done away with in most parts of the world, there are
countries that still practice it. People who are classified in this type of category are called slaves.
Every slave is usually under a master who he/she should belong and report to on daily basis. This
type of social stratification does not change from generation to generation. It continues being the
same. The master, therefore, is the one who owns the slaves and his power remains unlimited.
This, therefore, means that the master may use the slave for various technical reaso...


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