The foundation of the American Dream is a set of values including freedom, opportunity, equality, prosperity and success. The credo that everybody can make it “from rags to riches” is strong among Americans. The citizens believe that everybody in their country is equal, has the same opportunities and chances and can be successful in life – as long as they work hard enough for that. This belief got carried on through the centuries, its tangibility proven by the few lucky ones who actually made it, exploited by Republicans for their campaign and after all has always been one of the cornerstones of the American culture. Unfortunately the American Dream cannot be lived by every citizen of the States. According to Oxfam between one quarter and one third of the American civilization belong to the “Working Poor”, a group of people that occupy jobs but do not earn enough money to live off. Many live beneath the poverty line even though they are employed in one or several jobs. These people can be met everywhere: working in restaurants, supermarkets, hotels, daycares and private mansions - to only mention a few. When examining the States’ poverty rate there are severe differences between the ages, gender and ethnical backgrounds of the people who are, per definition, poor.
The myth of equality has failed many people in the United States. It still is a country driven by prejudices, inequality and false hope. Many citizens, legal and illegal, do not benefit from the system. Exploding costs for health insurance and a decent education are only the tip of the iceberg. A not so small part of America’s population struggles to feed their families and to offer their children a future filled with chances, better opportunities and improved living conditions. Escaping a social class is not easy, overcoming prejudices as a member of an ethnic minority is hard and the fight to overcome the gender pay gap is not won yet. People of a lower class, the ones with a foreign heritage, and certainly more men than women, make up the biggest part of the working poor. In the following chapters we will examine the large group of people who work hard and still live under the threshold of poverty. We will analyze the reasons for their situation, why certain groups are more likely to be stuck in low-wage jobs, how hard it is to achieve the American Dream and the psychological consequences of a life spend stuck in a poorly paid job.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Poverty in the United States
2.1 Who Belongs to “the Poor”?
2.2 Food Insecurity
3 The Working Poor Concerning Gender
3.1 The Pay Gap – A Brief Introduction
3.2 The Pay Gap – A Tool of Discrimination towards Women
3.3 Occupational Segregation
3.4 Explaining the Pay Gap
4 The Working Poor Regarding Ethnic Minorities
4.1 Illegal Immigrants and the Working Poor
4.2 Women among Ethnic Minorities
4.3 Racial Prejudices in the United States
5 Social Heritages and the Myth of Equality in the United States
5.1 The Need of Owning Money to Make Money – A Vicious Circle in the United States
5.1.1 The Costs of Colleges
5.1.2 How Families Afford College
5.1.3 Reasons for Enrolling Community College
5.2 Why Do We Need Employments? – How Jobs Define People’s Value for Society
6 Proposed Solution to Decrease the Poverty Rate
6.1 The Importance of the Affordable Care Act
6.2 The Threat towards Equality by the Presidency of Donald Trump
7 Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Themes
This thesis investigates the systemic causes of poverty among the "working poor" in the United States, examining how social inequality persists despite the cultural myth of the American Dream. The central research objective is to analyze why specific demographic groups remain trapped in low-wage cycles and to propose potential policy solutions to mitigate these disparities.
- The intersection of gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status in defining poverty.
- Structural barriers to education and the impact of the gender and racial pay gaps.
- The role of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and minimum wage policies in economic stabilization.
- The influence of political leadership and national ideology on social inequality.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1 Illegal Immigrants and the Working Poor
Immigrants do not have the best reputation in the United States today, due to society’s fear of terrorism and illegal businesses. That is one reason why immigrants face problems in terms of the inequality of economic chances. Cecilia Menjívar, author of Latino Immigrants, Gender and Poverty in the United States said that receiving countries misuse immigration laws “to formally exclude immigrants […] or to keep them on the margins of society for much longer” (see Menjívar 266). She found that the American immigration law as it is in place today creates an “excluded population” and establishes a feeling of “vulnerability and precariousness by blurring the boundaries of legality and illegality” (see Menjívar 266). The law created a system that allocates immigrants into certain categories, such as “non-national”, but also “deportable” (see Menjívar 266). Such categories create a feeling of exclusion. To make matters worse, not all groups of immigrants have equal chances to obtain a legal status; Menjívar interviewed Central American-immigrants, who have temporary permits to stay in the U.S. but so far no prospect of receiving the permission to stay permanently. Those who qualify for legal residence have to wait for years or even decades until they are allowed to settle (see Menjívar 267). In the matter of foreigners’ economic prospects, it is not just an issue of an immigrant’s potential to use their personal resources, but more a political, economic, and historical one, due to prejudices and their reputation (see Menjívar 266). This factor and the permanent fear of deportation, leave the individuals with little, if any, control and make it harder for them to gain the same opportunities as legal Americans.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter establishes the American Dream as a cornerstone of US culture while introducing the "working poor" as a significant portion of the population excluded from its promises.
2 Poverty in the United States: This section defines the poverty line and examines statistical data regarding the prevalence of poverty, including food insecurity across different demographic groups.
3 The Working Poor Concerning Gender: This chapter analyzes the gender pay gap, occupational segregation, and how motherhood impacts the likelihood of women falling into poverty.
4 The Working Poor Regarding Ethnic Minorities: This section discusses the intersection of racial prejudice, immigration status, and ethnic background in limiting economic opportunities and mobility.
5 Social Heritages and the Myth of Equality in the United States: This chapter explores how access to quality education, social heritage, and the psychological impact of low-wage work perpetuate the cycle of poverty across generations.
6 Proposed Solution to Decrease the Poverty Rate: This section evaluates the Affordable Care Act and addresses the political challenges and potential impacts of the Trump administration's policies on social inequality.
7 Conclusion: This chapter summarizes the necessity of policy interventions like raising the minimum wage and ensuring universal health care to dismantle systemic inequality.
Keywords
Working Poor, American Dream, Social Inequality, Gender Pay Gap, Racial Prejudice, Poverty Line, Food Insecurity, Affordable Care Act, Minimum Wage, Occupational Segregation, Economic Mobility, Immigration Law, Socioeconomic Status, Education Costs, Systemic Discrimination.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this thesis?
The thesis explores the reality of the "working poor" in the contemporary United States, analyzing how structural inequalities contradict the promise of the American Dream.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
Key areas include the impact of gender and race on wage disparity, the role of education in economic mobility, and the influence of political decisions on poverty rates.
What is the central research question?
The work investigates why a large percentage of Americans remain in poverty despite being employed, and what systemic factors and political choices contribute to this state.
Which methodology is employed in this research?
The author utilizes a qualitative review of sociological studies, government reports, economic data, and academic literature to analyze the systemic nature of poverty.
What is the main focus of the middle chapters?
The middle chapters detail how specific demographic factors—specifically gender and ethnicity—act as barriers to economic progress and how these are further complicated by the high cost of education and health services.
How is the term "working poor" characterized here?
It refers to individuals who occupy jobs but do not earn sufficient income to cover basic living expenses, often remaining trapped beneath the poverty threshold despite their efforts.
Why are immigrant populations specifically discussed?
Immigrants face unique structural exclusion, including legal precariousness and limited access to public resources, which forces them into low-wage, high-risk employment.
What role does the "American Dream" play in this analysis?
The author uses the American Dream as a critical framework to contrast national ideology with the reality of persistent social inequality and limited mobility for lower-class citizens.
- Quote paper
- Julia Merten (Author), 2017, The social inequality in the Unites States of America and how President Donald Trump is going to handle this issue, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/375457
