Essay On Social Class In America

Social class refers to a large numbers of people who have similar amounts of income and education and who work jobs that are roughly comparable in prestige; but according to Weber, it is a large group of people who rank close to one another in property, power, and prestige; according to Marx, one of two groups; capitalist who own the means of production or workers who sell their labor (page G-6). So how does it affect peoples lives? To understand people, we must examine the social locations that they hold in life. Especially significant in social class, which is based on income, education, and occupational prestige. It is hard to over emphasize this aspect of social structure, because our social class confluences not only our behaviors but also our ideas and attitudes (Page 96-97). I find this topic extremely important and interesting since it is something that we will forever have to live with. Those who are born poor are far more likely to stay poor, as fewer opportunities are available to them. While sociologists debate exactly how social classes are divided, there is substantial evidence that socioeconomic status is tied to tangible advantages and outcomes. …show more content…
First there is the the lower class; the lower class is typified by poverty, homelessness, and unemployment. People of this class, few of those who have finished high school, suffer from lack of medical care, housing and food, decent clothing, safety, and vocational training (page 96).The media often stigmatize the lower class as “the underclass,” inaccurately characterizing poor people as welfare mothers who abuse the system by having more and more babies, welfare fathers who are able to work but do not, drug abusers, criminals, and societal