Barbara Ehrenreich Nickel And Dimed Analysis

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Over several decades America has been coined, “The land of opportunities,” where every person lives behind a white picket fence, has 2.5 kids and a golden retriever in their yard. These have been ideal images painted in not only the minds of its citizens’, but also the minds of the rest of the world. The world is supposed to believe that America is the place where dreams come true, where job positions are unlimited, and you will be earning enough to “have it all.” Regrettably, the way we perceive America is quite distant from the truth. According to Barbara Ehrenreich and her experiences told in Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, she faced the hardships of trying to survive on minimum wage. Ehrenreich is a well-educated woman who went undercover to reveal the hardships that numerous individuals face while attempting to survive on minimum wage with …show more content…
Joan told her story and the readers discovered that she did not have a home; she lived in a van (Ehrenreich, 2000, p.26). Along with food, shelter goes hand and hand. Access to affordable housing would have benefitted Ehrenreich, but also Joan, Claude, and Gail. All of these individuals were put in uncomfortable living situations, in which they had no other option besides dealing with their current place. For Gail it meant living with a man who constantly hit on her. Claude lived in an overcrowded apartment in order to pay the rent, Joan lived in a van and Barbara couldn’t find affordable rent. Public housing could have assisted these individuals. Section 8 housing, public housing, and project-based rental assistance are all viable options if they are currently available (Blau & Abramovitz, 2014, p. 54). The growing problem for numerous people is that there is affordable housing, but there is not enough for all individuals and their families as the poverty rate constantly