Barbara Ehrenreich decided to test an experiment and enter in low- wage jobs to see if it’s possible to live on a minimum wage salary. Throughout her experiment Ehrenreich plunged herself right in and shortly discovered how difficult it was to afford the basic necessities, such as, paying rent, having money for food and clothes, and having health benefits. Through her experience, Ehrenreich finds that minimum wage jobs do not make it possible to get by in America because they do not give workers enough money to provide for themselves or their families.
Through her studies, Ehrenreich works with many different people with many different backgrounds. But a common occurrence with all of these people was that they didn’t really have money to provide …show more content…
For example, with many people working low wage jobs not being able to afford rent is very realistic. Since not everyone in the world works low wage jobs, they can afford to pay the high rents that apartments and motels have. That’s why these places are allowed to raise their prices because they do have people paying for them. However, this leaves many of the low wage workers living in their cars or in a small apartment with multiple people. This is what Ehrenreich observed during her experiment. Another thing Ehrenreich saw was that some of her coworkers could not afford to buy themselves lunch and were skipping meals simply because they just could not afford it. For many low-wage workers this happens everyday. Food Pantries are scrounging for food because so many people need their services and they are low on their food supplies. This just goes to show how many people who work low-wage jobs cannot even provide themselves with enough food. Another aspect that Ehrenreich observed that is a normal for most low-wage workers is that they do not get health benefits. This means if they get sick they most likely have to pay for everything out of pocket. Also most low-wage jobs do not give their workers many sick days, and if they do they do not get paid. Many low-wage workers cannot afford to not get paid for a whole day, so they usually go to work regardless of how sick or injured they might be. The observations that Ehrenreich observed during her experiment are facts that low-wage workers experience
Through her studies, Ehrenreich works with many different people with many different backgrounds. But a common occurrence with all of these people was that they didn’t really have money to provide …show more content…
For example, with many people working low wage jobs not being able to afford rent is very realistic. Since not everyone in the world works low wage jobs, they can afford to pay the high rents that apartments and motels have. That’s why these places are allowed to raise their prices because they do have people paying for them. However, this leaves many of the low wage workers living in their cars or in a small apartment with multiple people. This is what Ehrenreich observed during her experiment. Another thing Ehrenreich saw was that some of her coworkers could not afford to buy themselves lunch and were skipping meals simply because they just could not afford it. For many low-wage workers this happens everyday. Food Pantries are scrounging for food because so many people need their services and they are low on their food supplies. This just goes to show how many people who work low-wage jobs cannot even provide themselves with enough food. Another aspect that Ehrenreich observed that is a normal for most low-wage workers is that they do not get health benefits. This means if they get sick they most likely have to pay for everything out of pocket. Also most low-wage jobs do not give their workers many sick days, and if they do they do not get paid. Many low-wage workers cannot afford to not get paid for a whole day, so they usually go to work regardless of how sick or injured they might be. The observations that Ehrenreich observed during her experiment are facts that low-wage workers experience