Download - WarmUp : Journal One
WarmUp: Journal One Complete the following Quotes in your journals for
#1-3. Then answer #4-5.1. Poor people are poor because…2. Rich people are rich because…3. The government’s responsibility in helping poor people is…
4. What is the difference between individual government welfare & financial “bailouts” for big businesses?5. Do we as a society view these 2 ideas (welfare & bailouts) differently? Why or why not?
Chapter 9.2Social Stratification
Objectives: Identify the characteristics of the
American class system Explain how different motivations &
cultural values influence the American class system
Describe the steps that have been taken by the federal government to lessen the effects of poverty
American Class System
Upper Class 1% of
population “old money” vs
“new money” prestigious
schools, heirs, investors, large business owners & top executives
Upper Middle Class 14% of
population high income
business people & professionals
college educated & advanced degrees
Lower Middle Class 30% of population high school or
college educated lower level
managers, skilled craft workers, supervisors
Working Class 30% of population high school education blue collar jobs pay as much, if not more, than
white collar, but less prestige
Working Poor 22% of population some high school laborers, service
workers (gardeners, house cleaners, etc)
Underclass 3% of population some high school undesirable, low-
paying jobs, unemployed, or on welfare for some time
Poverty the standard of living that is below the
minimum level considered adequate by society
Characteristics of Poor
Americans
Sex women are the
largest segment at 57%
female-headed households account for about ½ of all poor families
Age children are the largest group at 37% 3X as many African-American & Hispanic
children are poor than white children
Race and Ethnicity African-Americans & Hispanics are far
more likely than white Americans to be poor
The 2009 Poverty Guidelines for the48 Contiguous States & the District of Columbia Persons in family Poverty guidelines 1 $10,830 2 14,570 3 18,310 4 22,050 5 25,790 6 29,530 7 33,270 8 37,010 for families with more than 8 persons,add $3,740 for each additional person