Summary Of Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel And Dimed

In the book Nickel and Dimed the author Barbra Ehrenreich puts herself through an experiment working low paying jobs to meet her ends meet. Ehrenreich chooses to do this at time in the United States were the economy is booming. The book is a firsthand account of the different experiences working low income jobs. Barbra Ehrenreich’s first job is as a waitress was she then transitioned to a hotel maid in Florida. She then moved to Main were she became a housecleaning maid; and lastly as a Wal-Mart salesperson living in Minnesota. Ehrenreich focuses on the idea that the government has given up a substantial amount of low income citizens and has shifted the attention to middle class citizens. During her experiment working these low paying jobs she does not choose to use her education or prior work experience to search for these jobs. Through Ehrenreich experiences working these low paying jobs she finds it unbelievable that people can survive which such …show more content…
This puts strain on the working poor costing them more money in transportation costs to travel to work. Ehrenreich categorizes this “rent” and “transportation” problem with the poor part of the vicious cycle of poverty in America. She also advocates the issue with public housing and the amount of subsidies being distributed to the poor suggesting that the government has not done enough to provide affordable housing to the poor. The author argues this concept by stating that housing is not calculated in the official poverty rate when it should be suggesting the measure of food as an official measure is quite outdated. Based on a statistic endorsed by Ehrenreich “people who’ve lost their jobs, or at least their second jobs, cope by doubling or tripling in overcrowded apartments, or by paying 50% or 60% or even 70% of their incomes in rent”, (pg.227).