Social Stratification in U.S. Society

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Social Stratification in U.S. Society
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Research All of our research is based on
secondary data analysis found in books,
periodicals and off reliable internet
websites. The majority of the information we
found was statistical (quantitative), although
there were many professional opinions and
statements that we took into consideration
(qualitative).
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The Basic Class Divisions in American Society
Upper Class -Upper-Upper -Upper-Lower Middle
Class -Upper-Middle -Lower-Middle Lower
Class -Upper-Lower -Lower-Lower
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The upper- upper class is one that we do not know
as much about, they are often called the blue
bloods. Many of the members of this class are
top corporate executives or senior government
officials, who get to be carted around in
limousines. They have low visibility, luxurious
living, and quite frequently a lot of inherited
wealth, which is why their money is typically
called old money. The lower- upper class is the
class of new rich, but otherwise are about as
privileged as the upper- upper class. Most of
the people in the upper class belong to this
subgroup. For example, lottery winners, self-
made billionaires, investors and people who have
just benefited from some sort of economic
windfall. This class is also very small and
unlike the upper- upper class, they tend to drive
their own automobiles. They tend to seek out
visibility and high- prestige occupations like
politics or higher education, and this group also
includes the millionaire athletes or Hollywood
actors.
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The upper- middle class is described as being
well off, or comfortable and make on average
50,000-100,000 per year. Members of this class
are portrayed as living the American Dream. They
spend much time worrying about how good their
possessions are and often compare themselves with
others based on how much they have and how nice
their house, automobile and other investments
are. These people tend to work long hours as
professionals. The lower- middle class is the
group of people who are just getting by and
normally have to live paycheck to paycheck.
Middle class people are usually seen as being
ambitious because they have to work for what they
get, yet they are very capable of achieving
better things, so they have something to work
for. They are also known to be quite rational
because they know that everything wont be just
handed to them so they have to give a little to
get a little.
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The upper- lower class is also called the working
class and is the largest class in American
society, making up most of the labor force,
including both skilled, semi-skilled and service
professions. The upper-lower class members
typically live in apartments or mobile homes and
are almost always in debt. Surprisingly, people
in this class tend to have a lot of pride. The
lower-lower class, which is also called the
underclass, are people who are segregated from
the rest of society and live in unpleasant
neighborhoods and are often plagued with poor
health. People in this class have very low
income and must live on subsides and assistance
from the government to survive. Lower class
members have certain values that distinguish them
from members of other classes. One of these
values is instant gratification. Since people in
the lower class are used to getting so few
things, they receive instant gratification when
they do receive any little thing they can. Since
members of this class do not have much to take
care of, they are sometimes known to have a
childhood-like approach to society. Generosity
is also a value that is typically displayed by
members of this class they are aware of what it
is like to be poor and looked down upon, so they
have more compassion for other people like
themselves.
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Percent Distribution of Wealth in the United
States
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Richest Individuals and Families in the U.S.,
2000
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Basic Facts About the Distribution of Wealth

• Since the mid-1970s, the most fortunate one
  percent of households have doubled their share of
  the national wealth. They now hold more wealth
  than the bottom 95 percent of the population.
  (Shifting Fortunes)
• 60 percent of U.S. workers say that if they were
  laid off, their savings are sufficient to
  maintain their current standard of living for a
  few months or less. Only 29 percent said they are
  able to save for the future. 40 percent say they
  earn enough to be comfortable, but not to save,
  while 27 percent said they earn only enough to
  get by, and 3 percent said they are unable to pay
  their bills. (Fleet Bank, contact Rena DeSisto,
  212-703-1961)

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-Among the industrialized nations, the U.S. has
the highest concentration of individual
wealth--roughly 3 times that of the No. 2 nation,
Germany. (UN Human Development Report, 1998)
-As of 1997, the richest five percent of U.S.
households held more than 60 percent of the
nation's private wealth. The top 1 percent of
households held 40 percent of the wealth. (Edward
Wolff, relying on data from the Federal Reserve
Survey of Consumer Finances) -Most Americans
in the highest-earning one percent of the
population (median annual income 330,000) don't
consider themselves rich. (Worth-Roper Starch
Survey)
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-Widely cited Census Bureau data shows that the
bottom fifth of American households earns 3.6
percent of total income, compared to 49 percent
for the top fifth. However, the gap is narrower
if measured on a per capita, rather than per
household, basis. By this measure, the poor group
earns 9.4 percent of all income while the wealthy
group takes home 39.6 percent. The difference
crops up because wealthier households tend to be
larger the top fifth includes 64 million
Americans, while the bottom fifth holds just 40
million. (Fortune, 9/4/00) -Forty-seven million
households in the United States have annual
incomes below 35,000, and in the event of a
layoff or a medical crisis, 40 percent of
American families would run out of cash within
three days. (New York Times)
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-If pay for production workers had grown as fast
as pay for chief executives, factory workers
would be making an average of 114,035 a year
(instead of 23,753) and the minimum wages would
be 24.13 (instead of 5.15). (United for a Fair
Economy) -Since 1986, Bill Gates has been
earning money at the rate of roughly 650,000 an
hour. If there were such a thing as a 500 bill,
it would not be worth Mr. Gates' while to take
the time (circa 4 four seconds) to bend down and
pick one up off the ground. (Bill Gates Net Worth
Page). -In 1998, the average American worker's
inflation-adjusted weekly wages were 12 percent
below what they had been in 1973. (Collins,
Leondar-Wright and Sklar, Shifting Fortunes)
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The average CEO makes 728 times more than a
minimum wage worker. If the minimum wage had
risen at the same rate as executive pay over the
last three decades, it would stand at nearly 41
an hour as opposed to 5.15. (Institute for
Policy Studies/United for a Fair Economy, April
23, 1998)
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Questions To Ponder 1. What problems would
arise if the wealth of the United States was
evenly distributed? 2. What corporation has
three individuals in the list of the top twelve
wealthiest people in the United States? 3. What
is your reaction to those individuals (Wealthiest
Top 5) who do not believe themselves to be
wealthy? 4. Do you think that Social
Stratification should even be considered a
problem in the United States?