Most scientists in the United States would agree that society has been stratified into a social class. Such a hierarchy of classes is based on various economic elements such as income, wealth and educational attainment. Much of the variations witnessed in the income of adults can be related to family backgrounds during childhood. Majority of the children born in low-income families become poor when they get into adulthood thus creating intergenerational poverty where low social class is inherited from family background. The American society is divided into three major categories which include the low class, middle class and upper class which is the richest group. The socioeconomic status in the United States encompasses not only wealth but also the educational attainment and the subjective perception of the social status and social class. The socioeconomic status involves the ability of society to provide equal opportunities for all groups of people to excel in life. Unfortunately, the United States has never provided an equal opportunity for all groups of people to achieve economic development and wealth acquisition, and this has led to the existence of intergenerational poverty.
The children who are born in low-income families usually struggle to get out of the poverty line with very little success. According to Smarsh (2018), an example of the continued intergenerational poverty and social class is evident in some families in Kansas. Majority of the children born in low-income families undergo a lot of difficulties getting out of the poverty line. Unlike the children from the affluent families who have more opportunities and chances of getting wealthy like their parents, the children from the impoverished families have reduced chances of getting to higher economic status due to their family backgrounds. Despite the efforts that the low-income families make to try and bridge the socioeconomic gap that exists, the gap between the poor and the rich have continued to increase ( Smarsh , 2018). The low-income families living in the impoverished rural areas are forced to work for long hours in the hard labor as they try to increase their income despite their hard labor, they have remained walled by class stratification which constantly pushes them to the low-class group.
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Social class stratification that has existed in the United States since the independence days as a certain group of people remain wealthiest while others live an impoverished life. Despite the current efforts to bridge the income gap and reduce the social class gap. The top 1% of the families in the United States have 26 times the income of the 99% bottom ( Rector & Sheffield, 2014 ). The rich continue to get richer and accumulate more wealth as the poor get poorer. 80% of the wealth in the United States is in the hands of 1% rich Americans as the rest of the population share the remaining portion. The major cause of the rising social class gap has been attributed to various societal factors such as access and equal opportunities for all. Children from rich families have more opportunities in areas such as education, healthcare access, and many other factors. On the contrary, children from low-income families tend to struggle to receive the quality education and the environment in which they are brought up tend to impact their educational attainment.
The low-income families face a lot of challenges which increases the income inequality gap and creates a social class stratification. The low-income families struggle from financial difficulties as they toil day and night to make ends meet. According to the Pew Research report, the impoverished families spend all their income in food thus leaving them with nothing to save and invest ( De Lannoy, Leibbrandt & Frame, 2015 ). The children in impoverished families also tend to be ten times more likely to drop out of school compared to children from wealthy families. As a result of the financial difficulties, many girls in low-income households tend to get into early pregnancy which could lead to school dropout. With early pregnancy and school dropout, such children tend to join the poverty line of their family as the intergenerational poverty continues. Only a few children who manage to go through these challenges without getting vulnerable can break the poverty line and cross to the other category of social class stratification.
Recent studies have also shown that intergenerational poverty level has continued to rise due to the various challenges such as family violence and drug use. According to Whelan, Nolan & Maître, 2013 ), the majority of family violence are experienced mainly in low-income families compared to the affluent household. The existence of family violence tends to have a negative consequence on the children, which can then impact their education and future success. Most children from the low-class households tend to be involved in drug use and abuse which also limit their school success potential. Low-income schools also do not provide better opportunities for children in low-income families to have better educational attainment. With financial problems and low educational achievements, the impoverished families continue into the generations.
The issue of race and racism is also one factor that has led to the existence of class stratification and intergenerational poverty. Smarsh examines the notion of shame and the racial component that accompanies it. Racial prejudice has existed over the years in the United States, and this has led to increased poverty amongst the people of color. A comparison of the income gap between the people of color and the whites reveals how the issue of race is contributing to the issue of poverty within America. According to the Center for American Progress, race remains a dictating factor determining the economic status of people of color ( HE & CAO, 2015 ). Previous studies have also shown that while great strides have been made towards raising the educational attainment amongst African American, the educational gap between the whites and blacks have continued to rise. The major cause of low-class category amongst the people of color is due to the lack of equal opportunities. Throughout historical times, African Americans have been subjected to discriminatory public policies which have over time limited their ability to be successful. Racial discrimination exists both in the employment, education, and acquisition of wealth. Many African Americans remain unemployed and struggle to meet their needs. Even those who are employed, the people of color tend to receive low pay compared to the whites. This has led to increased wealth gap and subsequent intergenerational poverty.
Children from African Americans have low educational attainment compared to whites due to low financial abilities. With low educational attainment and increased school dropouts, the children of African Americans tend to experience low income and increased employment into their future life. Majority of the low-income African Americans are forced to work for extra hours in an attempt to close the income gap. However, this has proved impossible due to the racial inequality that limits their ability to accumulate wealth and get to higher economic status. There is a direct relationship between racial discrimination and social class. Due to the racial injustices, the people of color have dominated the low-class category in the class structure while the whites are occupying the middle and higher class.
The first solution to the problem of intergenerational poverty is to eliminate racial prejudice and create equal opportunities for people to work and create wealth. Elimination of the issues such as the gender wage gap and making opportunities fairly available for all can help solve the problem of poverty. Enhancing better education in poor neighborhoods and creating more employment opportunities can reduce the wealth gap and promote fairness. Solving the issue of racial injustices is the most significant way to help African Americans get out of the poverty line. Discrimination either based on gender or ethnic group should not be present in the labor market or education as this can help reduce the huge wealth gap and minimize intergenerational poverty. Enhancing the growth and development of poor neighborhoods is also a significant process in helping reduce poverty and solve the issue of intergenerational poverty levels. Development of poor neighborhoods can help provide opportunities for growth to the low neighborhoods.
In conclusion, the United States has experienced class stratification that has led to continued intergenerational poverty. The rich have continued to be rich while the poor continue to be poor. The low-income families do the hard labor jobs for extra hours as they seek to increase their income and get out of the financial difficulties. Throughout the United States, impoverished citizens are living in rural areas and are unable to meet the financial needs of their families. Racial discrimination is also an area that has led to the increased high poverty levels amongst the people of color. Due to the historical racial injustices which have continued to emerge today, African Americans struggle to make wealth. The job market is discriminative and even those who get employed, the pay is far much below.
References
De Lannoy, A., Leibbrandt, M., & Frame, E. (2015). A focus on youth: An opportunity to disrupt the intergenerational transmission of poverty. South African child gauge , 22-33.
Rector, R., & Sheffield, R. (2014). The war on poverty after 50 years. Heritage Foundation Backgrounder , 2955 .
Whelan, C. T., Nolan, B., & Maître, B. (2013). Analysing intergenerational influences on income poverty and economic vulnerability with EU-SILC. European Societies , 15 (1), 82-105.
HE, H., & CAO, Y. (2015). Review on the Second Generation Poverty and Aid Policies of Urban Low-income Groups. The Guide of Science & Education , (7), 72.
Smarsh, S. (2018). Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth . Simon and Schuster.
