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The socio-economic stratification of American society as outlined by Dennis Gilbert.
The socio-economic stratification of American society as outlined by Dennis Gilbert. [1]
Employment status of householders in the bottom quintile.
Employment status of householders in the bottom quintile. Household income is a measure of current private income commonly used by the United States government and private institutions [2]

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 hierarchy. There is considerable controversy regarding social class in the United States, and it remains a concept with many competing definitions As with all social classes in the United States, the lower class is loosely defined and its boundaries and definitions subject to debate and ambiguous popular opinions. There is considerable controversy regarding social class in the United States, and it remains a concept with many competing definitions Sociologists such as W. Sociology (from Latin: socius "companion" and the suffix -ology "the study of" from Greek λόγος lógos "knowledge" Lloyd Warner, Dennis Gilbert and James Henslin divide the lower classes into two. The contemporary division used by Gilbert divides the lower class into the working poor and underclass. Service and low-rung manual laborers are commonly identified as being among the working poor. Those who do not participate in the labor force and rely on public assistance as their main source of income are commonly identified as members of the underclass. Income in the United States is measured by the United States Department of Commerce either by household or individual. 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 extent disenfranchised from mainstream society. Occupational prestige (also known as job prestige refers to the consensual nature of rating a job based on the collective belief of its worthiness Income in the United States is measured by the United States Department of Commerce either by household or individual. Educational attainment is a term commonly used by statisticans to refer to the highest degree of education an individual has completed [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 participation 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. Household income is a measure of current private income commonly used by the United States government and private institutions For US-specific income information see Income in the United States Income earner refers to an individual who through work investments or a combination of both 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 disabilities are among the main causes for the infrequent employment. The educational attainment of the US population is similar to that of many other industrialized countries with the vast majority of the population having completed secondary education Many households rise and fall above the poverty threshold, depending on the employment status household members. The most common measure of Poverty in the United States is the " poverty line " set by the U While only about 12% of households fall below the poverty threshold 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. The American middle class is an ambiguously defined Social class in the United States. Unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work but the person is without work. [1][4] In any given year roughly one out of every five (20%) households falls below the poverty line at some point while up to 40% may fall into poverty within the course of a decade. [3]

Contents

Social class at a glance

References

  1. ^ a b c d Gilbert, Dennis (1998). The American Class Structure. New York: Wadsworth Publishing. 0-534-50520-1.  
  2. ^ a b US Census Bureau, income quintilea and Top 5 Percent, 2004. Retrieved on 2006-07-08. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 939 - The Major Occultation or Ghaybat el-Kubra of Muhammad al-Mahdi 1099 - First Crusade: 15000
  3. ^ a b Thompson, William; Joseph Hickey (2005). Society in Focus. Boston, MA: Pearson. 0-205-41365-X.  
  4. ^ a b Williams, Brian; Stacey C. Sawyer, Carl M. Wahlstrom (2005). Marriages, Families & Intimate Relationships. Boston, MA: Pearson. 0-205-36674-0.  

See also

External links

Social stratification : Social class
v • d • e
Bourgeoisie Upper class Ruling class Nobility White-collar
Petite bourgeoisie Upper middle class Creative class Gentry Blue-collar
Proletariat Middle class Working class Nouveau riche/Parvenu Pink-collar
Lumpenproletariat Lower middle class Lower class Old Money Gold-collar
Peasant/Serf Slave class Underclass Classlessness
Social class in the United States
Upper class Middle class Lower class Income Educational attainment
In Sociology, social stratification is the hierarchical arrangement of Social classes Castes and strata within a Society. Social class refers to the hierarchical distinctions (or stratification) between individuals or groups in Societies or Cultures. Is a concept in Sociology that refers to the group of people at the top of a Social hierarchy. The term ruling class refers to the Social class of a given society that decides upon and sets that society's political policy Nobility is a government-privileged title which may be either hereditary (see Hereditary titles) or for a lifetime White-collar worker refers to a salaried professional or an educated Worker who performs semi-professional office administrative and sales coordination tasks as opposed to Petit-bourgeoisie (or petty bourgeois through Folk etymology) is a French term that originally referred to the members of the lower middle social-classes The upper middle class is a sociological concept referring to the Social group constituted by higher-status members of the Middle class. The creative class is a group of people that social scientist Dr Gentry generally refers to people of high Social class, especially in the past The proletariat (from Latin la ''proles'' "offspring" is a term used to identify a lower Social class; a member of such a class is proletarian The middle class, in colloquial usage consists of those who have some economic independence but not a great deal of social Influence or power. Working class is a term used in academic Sociology and in ordinary conversation to describe depending on context and speaker those employed in specific fields or types Nouveau riche ( French for "new rich" or new money, refers to a person who has acquired considerable Wealth within his or her A Parvenu is a person that is a relative newcomer to a socioeconomic class A pink-collar worker works in a job that is considered traditionally female (these traditions generally harking back to the first half of the twentieth century Lumpenproletariat (a German word meaning "raggedy proletariat" is a term first defined by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in In developed nations across the earth the lower middle class, is a sub-division of the greater Middle class which constitutes by far the largest socio-economic class Working class is a term used in academic Sociology and in ordinary conversation to describe depending on context and speaker those employed in specific fields or types Old Money is a term that refers to the established Upper class. Gold-collar worker (GCW is a Neologism which has been used to describe either young low-wage workers who invest in conspicuous Luxury (often with parental support A peasant is an agricultural worker who subsists by working a small plot of ground As a social-economic system slavery is a legal institution under which a Person (called "a slave" is compelled to work for another The contemporary concept of the underclass is a sanitized term for what was known in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries as the undeserving poor and may have been coined by American sociologist This article is translated from and may fit related articles there better. There is considerable controversy regarding social class in the United States, and it remains a concept with many competing definitions The American upper class describes the sociological concept pertaining to the "top layer" of society in the United States. The American middle class is an ambiguously defined Social class in the United States. Income in the United States is measured by the United States Department of Commerce either by household or individual. The educational attainment of the US population is similar to that of many other industrialized countries with the vast majority of the population having completed secondary education
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