In the United States, there are classes. Class is defined as, a status in society based on income, wealth, power and position (Metzger, 2003). In the United States, there are roughly six classes. The top of the class system is considered the upper class makes up about one percent of the population or the elite. People in the upper class generally are those with inherited wealth also called old money. The next step down from the upper class is called new money. This portion of the population makes up about 15 percent. The people in this population have only had their wealth for a generation or two. Unlike the elite or old money population, the new money population has earned their money rather than inheriting it. The next step down from new
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While it was common in the 1960s for the women to be the caretakers and the men to be the breadwinners, this norm has shifted in the twenty-first century. In the 1970s, half of the families in the United States …show more content…
As we jump to the present, about one third of families still fit that description (Rehel and Baxter, 2015). Dual-earning couples have become the norm in the United States, but there is still inequality between the workforce and workplace. Since women are now participating in the workforce; both partners in married couples with children work 59.1 percent and 68.2 percent of single mothers’ work outside the home (Rehel and Baxter, 2015). Part of the reason women are now participating in the workforce in the United States in the twenty-first century is due to the educational advancements and achievements. With an increase in educational attainment, women can now make a living in jobs that increase their financial earnings. A study from the Pew Research Center, found that 37 percent of mothers in a heterosexual relationship made more income than their partner. The Center for American Progress further investigated this study and found that 40.9 percent of mothers in a heterosexual relationship are the primary breadwinners for their family and 22.4 percent participate in a dual income family. Where each couple brings home 25 to 49 percent of the family’s earnings (Rehel and Baxter, 2015). While there are still a percentage of
While it was common in the 1960s for the women to be the caretakers and the men to be the breadwinners, this norm has shifted in the twenty-first century. In the 1970s, half of the families in the United States …show more content…
As we jump to the present, about one third of families still fit that description (Rehel and Baxter, 2015). Dual-earning couples have become the norm in the United States, but there is still inequality between the workforce and workplace. Since women are now participating in the workforce; both partners in married couples with children work 59.1 percent and 68.2 percent of single mothers’ work outside the home (Rehel and Baxter, 2015). Part of the reason women are now participating in the workforce in the United States in the twenty-first century is due to the educational advancements and achievements. With an increase in educational attainment, women can now make a living in jobs that increase their financial earnings. A study from the Pew Research Center, found that 37 percent of mothers in a heterosexual relationship made more income than their partner. The Center for American Progress further investigated this study and found that 40.9 percent of mothers in a heterosexual relationship are the primary breadwinners for their family and 22.4 percent participate in a dual income family. Where each couple brings home 25 to 49 percent of the family’s earnings (Rehel and Baxter, 2015). While there are still a percentage of