CLASS
By:Kristina Lamping
WS221
Susan Denight
11/25/2014
Class is more than how much money you make or have. It is also the clothes you wear, the music you like, the school you go to, etc. It is much more elaborate than just money. I hope I will be able to cover my perspective clearly about the American classes and how it effects our culture today. Most American's recognize class as a 3-tier structure. Most know them as upper class, middle class, and lower class. In an American society, they are more competitive, and class is purely achievement based. In other words, that means, it is based on educational and career accomplishments. Everyone is in a class in one way or another. It is usually the same class that their parents are in as well. No one can understand what one class is unless they are part of that particular class. They cannot understand what it is like to be a lower class citizen if you were a upper class citizen and vice versa. The reasoning behind this is because when people discuss class, they are usually speaking from their own perspectives of their own class affiliations and not the others. This tends to make people upset when they think that someone who is from a different class understands what they go through. People have to be careful to recognize class biases and class based perspectives. Class has been affecting women since it was recognized. Class is a strong determinant of woman’s progression and earning prospects. There is something called the “decoy effect”, which focused on women in high profile positions, and said the breaking down of stereotypes should be priority. This makes is extremely difficult for women to be able to become a CEO of a company should she ever want to. Also this is partly why women usually make less money then men who work the same profession. For example, in 2012, female full time workers made .77 cents for every $1 earned by a man. That is a 23% gap! No matter how hard women work and the progress that has been made, women are still treated like second class citizens. That fact, I saw as very unfair, and VERY SEXIST! Why is it permissible to pay men a high wage then women? Well, to put it simply, it isn't! According to an article by The New York Times, Republicans seem to believe that women are paid less because they choose to be, by gravitating to lower paying jobs like teaching and social work. The RNC ( Republican National
