Social Problems Perpetuated

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Recommended: Chapter 10 social stratification

Throughout United States history, power of the upper class has been maintained by assigning “different” people a lower, less desirable, place in society, predisposing them to social inequalities. Social stratification creates a system of social classes in which people born into a specific class have different “life chances” (Macionis 28). These classes are somewhat maintained by the fact that people tend to “take care of their own,” meaning that members of the upper class generally favor other members of the upper class and offer opportunities for advancement in society to those they feel most similar to (Doran). People from lower socioeconomic classes generally experience less life opportunity, have increased poverty and therefore have increased health issues, increased crime, decreased education, and decreased job opportunities (Macionis 38-39) These people are also often politically alienated, and therefore also lack the appropriate government influences to change their current status (Macionis 39). The fact that United States is a Capitalist country, positions its people to social stratification. In recent history, the effect of this stratification has noticeably increased as income inequality is at its highest level in 50 years (Macionis 29). Technology may have had an impact on income inequalities as computers and machines have decreased the necessary number of workers for many jobs. Many large corporations have also outsourced jobs to other countries, possibly further compounding the issues of income inequality due to a lack of jobs for the lower and middle classes. This has caused a decrease in producers and an increase in consumers, forming an uneven distribution in society that again lends to the development and m... ... middle of paper ... ...hared structure, thus the perpetuation of social inequality may be a necessary evil. Works Cited Doran, Adam. "The Self-Perpetuation of Social Inequality in America." Yahoo Contributor Network, 20 Dec. 2005. Web. 13 Mar. 2012. . Farber, Henry S. "Job Loss in The United States 1981-2001." NBER.org. National Bureau of Economic Research, May 2003. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. . Macionis, John. Social Problems, Census Edition. 4th ed. Prentice Hall, 2012. Kindle Edition Merton, Robert K. "Social Conformity Deviation and Opportunity Structures." American Sociological Review 24.2 (1959): 177-89. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. Orey, Michael. "Fear of Firing." Businessweek.com. Bloomberg Businessweek, 23 Apr. 2007. Web. 12 Mar. 2012.

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