Socioeconomic Stratification

Essay # 27081

Anthropology
Anthropology > Economic
Sociology

An exploration into the ways in which class differences are amplified and perpetuated.

1,451 words () | 3 sources | MLA | 2003 United States

Paper Summary:

Scientific studies and conventional knowledge both suggest that as the rich get richer, the poor in American society are getting poorer. This essay explores the ways in which class is recreated in each generation using the works of Shellee Colen, Carol Stack and Barbara Ehrenreich. It focuses on the roles of gender and race in America.

From the Paper:

"These economic responsibilities in addition to legal restraints prevent West Indian women from being able to bring their own children to the United States when they first arrive (Colen 1995: 80). Instead, children are left with extended foster families in the women's home countries. Consequently, West Indian immigrants commonly mother the children of wealthy American families instead of mothering their own. Meanwhile, cultural assumptions about the value of reproductive labor degrade the perceived importance of this role, resulting in exceptionally low wages (Colen 1995: 87). Many Americans see West Indian women as ideal candidates for this position due to weaknesses derived from their poverty and immigrant status (Colen 1995:81, 88)."