58. Social Class in the United States
Generally people's "class" is defined by how much
they make. In the U.S. generally there are
classes: poor, middle class, and rich. Some people
think there is another class in between poor
middle class called working class. United States culture
based on the idea that people can move
the economic ladder and become middle class or
rich if they were born poor. This is
idea of going from "rags to riches". Moving
the class ladder is not easy though. Higher
needed to get a good paying job is
.
Class in the United States is more than
how much money a person makes though. Education,
job a person has, where they live, and
culture, all play a role in what class
person will be classified as. For example, a
with only a high school diploma and a
-paying service job may be considered poor or low
. While a person with a Ph.D., who owns
own company, would be considered high class or
. In a way this makes sense because high-paying
usually require a high-level education. But for some
, class is something you are born with. For
, the children of billionaire Donald Trump were born
and upper class without having done anything to
that status. Gender plays a role too in
someone can move up the economic ladder. Women
less than men do, so it is harder
them to accumulate wealth. Race also plays a
in how much people earn and their ability
move up the economic ladder. In the United
, most families require both the man and woman
work in order to support the household.
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