Stratification and Income Gap in the United States

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Stratification and Income Gap A gap in income leads to many socio- economic differences that are clearly visible all around us. Those who are financially well off enjoying a multitude of privileges that the underprivileged do not enjoy. Among some of the privileges are a better standard of living, better healthcare, better education as well as power and prestige. It is then obvious, why most people long to be in the higher income group. The established belief is that anyone with merit can climb the social ladder to a better standard of living. But the question we must ask is: is that possible for everyone? Is the ideology of equal opportunity for all, entirely true? The point is that lower income groups in the United States are deprived of opportunities, especially top class education, despite living in what is known as a meritocratic establishment due to the gap in the distribution of income between the different social classes. The ideology of the modern world is that there is equal opportunity for all; any one with the capability to excel will rise through the ranks and achieve success. However, the general trend that is observed in the USA is that there are three types of social classes: the upper class, the middle class and the lower class. Wealth is concentrated in the upper class, with the middle class enjoying more or less a comfortable lifestyle while the lower class is underprivileged and in some cases, lives in poverty. Upper class families enjoy a better standard of living where they are able to afford commodities such as luxury cars, bigger homes, vacation time, better healthcare and the one thing that automatically guarantees them a better chance of competing in the r... ... middle of paper ... ...on from middle class and lower class may never be able to achieve relying solely on his or her own hard work. To sum it up, the United states of America has thrived advertising the ideology that this land offers equal opportunity for all, however the socio-economic trends and constraints do not allow for that to happen freely. Some social classes are more privileged than others and enjoy a better standard of living due to no real efforts of the individuals involved. Others have a much less privileged lifestyle due to no fault of the individuals involved. Lower income groups are indirectly denied higher education or the best education the country has to offer merely because they could never afford that level of education to begin with. This country has a long way to go and many necessary reforms to establish before it can truly be called the land of opportunities.

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