American lower class
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The concept of a lower class in the United States is used to describe those at or near the lower end of the socio-economic hirachry. As with all social classes in the United States, the lower class is losely defined and its boudaries and definitions subject to debate and ambigous popular opinions. Sociologists such as W. Lloyd Warner, Dennis Gilbert and James Henslin divide the lower classes into two. The contemporary division used by Gilbert devides the lower class into the working poor and underclass. Service and low-rung manual laborers are commonly indeitfied as being among the working poor. Those who do not particiapte in the labor force and rely on public assistance as their main source of income are commonly identified as members of the underclass. Overall the term describes those in easily filled position with little prestige or economic compensation who often lack a high school education and are to some extend disinfranchised from mainstream society.[1][3][4]
Estimates for how many households are members of this class vary with definition. According to Dennis Gilbert roughly one quarter, 25%, of US households were in the lower classes; 13% were members among the working poor while 12% were members of the underclass. While many in the lower working class are employed in low-skill service jobs, lackluster particiaption in the labor force remains the main cause for the economic plight experienced by those in the lower classes.[1] In 2005, the majority of households (56%) in the bottom income quintile had no income earners while 65% of householders did not work. This contrasts starkly to households in the top quintile, 76% of whom had two or more income earners.[2]
Lacking educational attainment as well as disabilties are among the main causes for the infrequent employment. Many households rise and fall above the poverty treshold, depending on the employment status household members. While only about 12% of households fall below the poverty treshold at one point in time, the percentage of those who fall below the poverty line at any one point throughout a year is much higher. Working class as well as working poor households may fall below the poverty line if an income earner becomes unemployed and rise above it once he or she regains employment.[1][4] In any given year roughly one out of every five (25%) households falls below the poverty line at some point while up to 40% may fall into poverty within the course of a decade.[3]
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[edit] Social class at a glance
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Gilbert, Dennis (1998). The American Class Structure. New York: Wadsworth Publishing. 0-534-50520-1.
- ^ a b US Census Bureau, income quintilea and Top 5 Percent, 2004. Retrieved on July 8, 2006.
- ^ a b Thompson, William; Joseph Hickey (2005). Society in Focus. Boston, MA: Pearson. 0-205-41365-X.
- ^ a b Williams, Brian; Stacey C. Sawyer, Carl M. Wahlstrom (2005). Marriages, Families & Intimate Relationships. Boston, MA: Pearson. 0-205-36674-0.
[edit] See also
Affluence • Arts and entertainment • Culture • Economy • Crime • Education • Educational attainment • Geography • Health care • Holidays • Household income • Homeownership • Human rights • Labor unions • Languages • Middle class • Passenger vehicle transport • Personal income • Politics • Poverty • Racism • Religion • Social class • Social issues• Sports • Standard of living
- American middle class
- Personal income in the United States
- Household income in the United States
- Affluence in the United States
- Social stratification
- Social class in American history
- Social Class
- Highest income places in the United States
- Poorest places in the United States
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Demographics of the United States · Demographic history Economic · Social Race · Ethnicity · Ancestry Asian Americans · African Americans · Africans in the United States · Hispanics in the United States · Native Americans · Pacific Islander American · White Americans · European Americans |
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[edit] US related topics
[edit] External links
- US Census Bureau's offical online income statistics forum
- Income distribution and income by race, US Census Bureau 2005
- Household income by educational attainment, US Census Bureau
- Personal income in 2004, US Census Bureau
- Median Family Income by Family Size (in 2004 inflation-adjusted dollars) from Census.gov
- Median Family Income by Number of Earners in Family (in 2004 inflation-adjusted dollars) from Census.gov
- Working Definitions ClassMatters.com
- Web Essay on Social Class in America
- How Class Works, The New York Times
