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Essay / Social Class Essay - 1155
According to the textbook, social class is defined as “a large group of people who stand closely together in terms of property, power, and prestige.” In the United States, people don't really know the division of social classes, they simply classify themselves as rich, poor, or those who are neither rich nor poor, but are doing well in life. In this chapter he shows us the different social classes that exist and which one is successful in life. Social mobility plays a big role in our daily lives. It also gives us a lot of information about all social classes. A list of social classes is listed in order in our textbooks, namely: capitalist, upper middle, lower middle, workers, working poor and underclass. Everyone is seen differently because the capitalist is the highest class of all other classes, people in this class are the richest and there are not many people in this social class. The manual states that “the longer wealth has been in a family, the more it adds to the prestige of the family.” The upper middle class is the second highest and most members of this class are well educated and well employed. The lower middle class has some education and has decent jobs, but not as good as the upper middle class. The working class also has some education and jobs, but their jobs are not really secure and can be fired at any time. The working poor are ranked second after the lowest social class, because the lowest social class is the deprived class. The working poor really didn't have an education because most people drop out of school simply because they don't want to go anymore, and others drop out because they have to help their parents at home. They work full time like in the fields or other places that don't pay much. The underclass is the lowest class because people in this class do not have jobs and when they do, it is only temporary work. People in this social class are the ones who struggle the most and it is very difficult to find work and be able to take care of a family without work or money. These six social classes give people an idea of how people live based on the class they fall into.