Barbara Ehrenreich’s in her book, Nickel, and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, argues that it is nearly impossible to live in America, work a minimum wage job, and make enough money to feed, clothe, and house a family. Ehrenreich reveals the problems of economic issues that the working class faces. A family “. . . earning nearly $40,000 a year, which makes them officially ‘middle class’ . . .” (Ehrenreich 131) should not be living in a poor neighborhood.
The block is infested with drug dealers; the dining room ceiling leaks whenever the bathroom above it is used; the toilet can be flushed only by pouring in a bucket of water. And why are they here? Because on her $9 an hour as an assistant bookkeeper at a downtown hotel, plus her husband’s $10 as a maintenance worker, minus utilities and $59 a week for health insurance (she is diabetic, the five-year-old asthmatic), this is what you get. (Ehrenreich 131)
Ehrenreich explains how it seems that a family is making enough money to live comfortably, but they have to pay for necessary possessions, such as in diabetes and asthma medication. Ehrenreich has an education, which gives her an advantage; but someone without a degree can easily tell that “. …show more content…
Working a minimum wage job, you think you are “. . . selling your time by the hour . . . [but] you’re actually selling . . . your life” (Ehrenreich 187). A Wal-Mart employee lives paycheck to paycheck; they don’t make enough money to save to go anywhere or continue their education. The employee will work there for the rest of their life so that they can afford just to live. They are sacrificing themselves so that their family can have food on the table, clothes on their backs, and a roof over their
The block is infested with drug dealers; the dining room ceiling leaks whenever the bathroom above it is used; the toilet can be flushed only by pouring in a bucket of water. And why are they here? Because on her $9 an hour as an assistant bookkeeper at a downtown hotel, plus her husband’s $10 as a maintenance worker, minus utilities and $59 a week for health insurance (she is diabetic, the five-year-old asthmatic), this is what you get. (Ehrenreich 131)
Ehrenreich explains how it seems that a family is making enough money to live comfortably, but they have to pay for necessary possessions, such as in diabetes and asthma medication. Ehrenreich has an education, which gives her an advantage; but someone without a degree can easily tell that “. …show more content…
Working a minimum wage job, you think you are “. . . selling your time by the hour . . . [but] you’re actually selling . . . your life” (Ehrenreich 187). A Wal-Mart employee lives paycheck to paycheck; they don’t make enough money to save to go anywhere or continue their education. The employee will work there for the rest of their life so that they can afford just to live. They are sacrificing themselves so that their family can have food on the table, clothes on their backs, and a roof over their