“It’s ironic that a society like ours which extol the virtues of equality and justice is also perhaps the most stratified in the world.”
The above quote says a lot about this chapter and the inequalities that one faces at work. We talk about equality, but the gap between the rich and poor is growing and the middle class is shrinking. Newman offers some valid points about this and goes on to talk about how employment has an impact on perpetuating inequalities.
In the beginning of the chapter, it is brought up that the military is a way for the underprivileged can get more opportunities, livable wages, schooling, and skills in life. He is reminded of this when his son gets a letter about signing up for selective service around the time of his eighteenth birthday. This brings him to other points about North America and Western Europe making ten times more than less developed countries in the world. We are privileged in that sense because poverty is a huge issue in today’s world. Even in the U.S. it is hard to survive in a family unless both parents are working and making decent wages.
Occupational segregation is another concept that is addressed citing that women and minorities are paid significantly less than white males for the same job. This is something that is beginning to change, but there is still a struggle. The same problems exist for homosexuals and those in lower classes. Although open discrimination is less common today, there are still factors that contribute to it. Affirmative action is a model that also contributes to changing these things in society.
Throughout this chapter, Newman touches on some really important issues regarding stratification and employment inequalities. I felt however that some of the chapter was repetitive and restated a lot of the same things in different ways. For the most part though, I felt that it was a valid and valuable read. It is true what he talks about and it is definitely reflected in society and can plainly seen.
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2 comments:
You are right about both parents need to have jobs with decent wages to survive today. The minimum wage is ridiculous! I'd like to see how they calculate that and what are their arguments for having it so. Who are suggesting the number? Are they rich or are they poor? With inflation and prices of goods rising and minimum wage staying the same, it's only going to push people to poverty or homelessness.
I agree with Kevin when he says that American society is one of the most stratified societies amongst the industrialized world. I think it shows the hypocrisies of some of the mainstream types of thinking, that everyone needs to be accepted and treated fairly, when there are large elements of the population who are treated differently by not only society at large but also by the government.
I also agree with Kevin when he says that Newman is rehashing much of the material he had covered in previous chapters. I felt that this reiteration made this read boring and less credible, because it seemed he was struggling to fill his chapter so he just talked about issues he had already discussed.
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