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Socioeconomic status in education
Social class and education inequality
Social class and education inequality
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Social class largely affects the lifestyles of all Americans. Therefore, what does it truly mean to be a part of the lower, middle or upper class? These divisions of social class are interpreted by aspects such as lifestyle and family pay; however, education plays a substantial part in determining one's social class. That does not imply that it will decide achievement in one's life yet to translate, many individuals with a further education for the most part have a higher pay also. Those of the lower and middle class have lower standards for education as opposed to those of the upper class. Other than the differentiation of desire of the people from every social class, it is additionally used to figure out who will pursue their education …show more content…
He argued that life chances are opportunities that make up one's lifestyle. Life chances are affected by various components. Some of which include income and social class. Life chances is a social hypothesis of the opportunities each person has to improve their life quality. The idea was introduced by German sociologist Max Weber. Weber’s enthusiasm for what makes society work, what shapes character and culture has driven him to observe what he calls as the phenomenon of “Life Chances”. Basically he refers to the accessible assets and opportunities a person has in their own particular life circumstances considering identity, character, social class, culture, gender, age and political affiliation. There are other arbitrary components as well as each person is unique yet this is the reason he refers to it as 'life chances' since it is in the uniqueness of these various components that can decide how a person will do in life. For instance, a newborn baby born will most likely have higher rates of surviving the initial couple of weeks and afterward growing up to get better education and health, than a baby born in a poor country. At early stages, life chances signifies 'chance at life' and as the individual …show more content…
I was born and raised here in Los Angeles and I attend Los Angeles Community College and will soon transfer to Cal State Northridge. I didn’t choose to go to Harvard or Yale University because it is a bit expensive for me. My social class is influenced by my choices of school, where I live, and the friends I make. Living here in Los Angeles while attending LACC, it has control over the individuals that I meet and impacts the people I make friends with. There is little possibility that I can meet a celebrity in my school, since they have their own groups and are only friends with individuals of their class. The same amount of class that influences the sort of individuals we interact with, it as well impacts our job openings. You need to have a place with a specific economic class to have high possibilities of getting certain jobs due to the sort of social networks that links individuals of a specific class. Social networks are made through going to same school, same neighborhood or having same jobs. You would once in awhile discover somebody from a low social class getting a decent job in a high position and moreover, you may never find a celebrity’s child working in a bakery or department store. My life is greatly impacted by class due to the reasons I stated above and I am working hard to gain education to enhance my life class
The book Class matter shows the importance of how much people should value and appreciate the importance of a classroom education. How much you dedicate yourself to school can help you gain enough knowledge to be successful in the future. Having good quality education in America seems to be the closest thing to a ticket to class mobility. The book was very interesting in explaining what social class really is in America, and the way it affects people's lives on how they live day to day. The different types of social class is what shapes our society. But I think this book is more for those people who aren’t that aware of social class, or for the ones who feel that we live in a society that is classless rather then the actually people who have realized the consequence that class really has on someone’s life. Many people can relate to what stories are told in the book if not, they know of a person that can relate to these stories. As a person that grew up in the lower class, I can definitely relate to most of the stories told in this book. From experience, there is a big difference in this country between the rich, middle class, and who are the poorest that we see daily. Even those in the so called working class have to make continuous sacrifices and live very differently from those positioned firmly in the middle class. Some people may have decent jobs but the bills and other expenses people may have make it harder on people than those who are in the same class but don’t have to necessarily go through the same thing as others. The chapters that I read in this book broaden what I said to a better more clear understanding.
Growing up in The United States, people are given this idea of an American Dream. Almost every child is raised to believe they can become and do anything they want to do, if one works hard enough. However, a majority of people believe that there is a separation of class in American society. Gregory Mantsios author of “Class in America-2009” believes that Americans do not exchange thoughts about class division, although most of people are placed in their own set cluster of wealth. Also political officials are trying to get followers by trying to try to appeal to the bulk of the population, or the middle class, in order to get more supporters. An interesting myth that Mantsios makes in his essay is how Americans don’t have equal opportunities.
According to Gregory Mantsios many American people believed that the classes in the United States were irrelevant, that we equally reside(ed) in a middle class nation, that we were all getting richer, and that everyone has an opportunity to succeed in life. But what many believed, was far from the truth. In reality the middle class of the United States receives a very small amount of the nation's wealth, and sixty percent of America's population receives less than 6 percent of the nation's wealth, while the top 1 percent of the American population receives 34 percent of the total national wealth. In the article Class in America ( 2009), written by Gregory Mantsios informs us that there are some huge differences that exist between the classes of America, especially the wealthy and the poor. After
In his essay “Land of Opportunity” James W. Loewen details the ignorance that most American students have towards class structure. He bemoans the fact that most textbooks completely ignore the issue of class, and when it does it is usually only mentions middle class in order to make the point that America is a “middle class country. This is particularly grievous to Loewen because he believes, “Social class is probably the single most important variable in society. From womb to tomb, it correlates with almost all other social characteristics of people that we can measure.” Loewen simply believes that social class usually determine the paths that a person will take in life. (Loewen 203)
Nevertheless, our social structure isn’t a brick wall were individuals are trapped in there social class. We are still able with education and the opportunities to shape our lives and achieve our full potential. Harlon L. Dalton emulates the possibility within his story about Horatio Alger, “neither Alger nor the myth suggests that we start out equal. Nor does the myth necessarily require that we be given an equal opportunity to succeed. Rather, Alger’s point is that each of us has the power to create our own opportunities.”
I feel the author is attempting to convey that class means everything when it comes to education. Mantsios lists several references and charts that show what the odds would be if you were low, middle, or high class to attend a university and what level of education you might obtain.
Education holds power over determining one’s class. Knowledge and refinement can set one individual apart from another who lacks the qualities of successful individuals. Finances and opportunities distinguish class meaning the lower class has difficulty in obtaining the same conditions of the upper class. Education ultimately dictates success and power in society. Education is taken for granted and should be recognized for the significance it possesses.
In the “Class Of America” article, the author Gregory Mantsios displays his point of view on what society says class individuals are in and how that affects their lives further than people in America think. Mantsios believes that citizens in the United States prefer not be put in different social categories like higher, middle, or lower class just because of the income value. Mantsios elaborates on his beliefs about class categories in America and disproves them by using statistics for evidence. In example, he claims that the class you are placed in will affect your lifestyle. Mantsios also debates that whatever class you fall under reflects on how well you will prosper in life, just like schools connecting test scores and the level of schooling the student receives. Whatever class a person is categorized in defining their future in life, even, if they choose to not see it that way that’s how it is.
Where would you consider yourself with your ranking in America 's social classes, are you upper class, middle class or even lower class? This is actually very important when it come to you receiving opportunities and in a sense special treatment. I’m referring to of course social inequality which is still very much alive in America and still affects a lot of families mostly in a negative way. This problem in America has grabbed the attention of two authors, Paul Krugman who wrote “Confronting Inequality” and Gary S. Becker and Kevin M. Murphy who wrote “The Upside of Income Inequality”. However, they both have different views on inequality Krugman believes that social inequality is only negative while on the other hand, Becker and Murphy believe Krugman believes that the only way to get into a good school is to be living in a higher economic area.
Social class should not be used to define a person. Every person has the ability to overcome the roadblocks that society has placed in their path, so long as they have the determination and motivation. In Gerald Graff’s article, “Hidden Intellectualism” , he explains how social class is irrelevant when it comes to education, despite what society will lead you to believe. He displays how everyone is intelligent in his or her own way.Lynda Barry during her article, “ The Sanctuary of School” spoke about the importance of education to her and many other students like her.Another writer, Mike Rose shows how despite the thoughts that society puts in our heads we can still be successful in his article “Blue Collar Brilliance”.Regardless of social
Therefore, we can conclude answering to the second question introduced in this last section. Nowadays, to have a higher life expectation does not necessarily mean an advantage for
Class in the American Culture is based on economic and social differences, and it remains a powerful force in American life and has come to play a greater role in today’s society. American culture classified social classes as three different levels, the higher class which is classified as the wealthier and have the most money and a certain lifestyles and clothes. The middle class more like the businesses, people who have a reasonable income. And the last class is the low class which are the working class people. Those in the upper middle classes enjoy better health and live longer than those in the middle classes, who live longer and better than those at the bottom. That 's because money, good jobs and connections help the better-off get the best medical care. People in the upper class also maintain a certain lifestyle and sometimes different clothing lifestyle than the ones in the lower classes.
In American in order to move up in your social class you have to a degree. For an example today a person with a high school diploma are only qualified for a certain type of job like Mc. Donald’s, which you are only going to get ...
Heschel approaches his discussion of the mode of opportunity through the comparison of man and animal. The life of an animal is fixed, and what it can be is determined at birth. With the human person, there is no fixedness or determinedness; instead, there is prospect and opportunity. In living, man navigates a unique “inner life” which is infinitely complex influenced by the experiences of life (39). Man possesses an endless capability to develop his inner self, an unbounding potentiality which is not present in any other being or animal. Heschel concludes with how it is difficult to conceptualize limitless possibilities to what a human is able to be (40). Opportunity is Herschel’s second most important constitutive trait of human being as it is crucial to realizing human potential. Every occurrence in a human lifetime provides the opportunity for growth, development and the ultimate fulfillment of destiny. Without opportunity, it is not possible for a human to set or even achieve any goals, an endeavor that is essential to a meaningful human life. Opportunity allows individuals to define themselves, broaden who they are, and shape who they become. Opportunity also allows a person to discover and embellish personal uniqueness to benefit all of humanity. Although essential to meaningful human existence, the quality of
While social class may have some effect on how one may view schooling and formal education, it would not be fair to say that growing up or being in a lower class living situation depreciates the value that one has for school. In many instances, it is assumed that because a person comes from a lower-class background that not only are their values for school lower, than those of higher class, but their education levels and ability to handle and process situations are placed on a lower level as well. While these are indeed horrific stereotypes and generalizations, the idea is perpetuated throughout, primarily, Western culture. It is just simply illogical to believe that one 's education will be taken for granted due to their socio-economic class