socila problems Essay

Submitted By emilycwiley
Words: 472
Pages: 2

Kyle Bradshaw

Social Stratification is a system of classes formed by wealth and income. In the United States we consist of a 5 class system. The top or wealthiest, are the rich then there is the upper middle class, the middle class, the lower middle class, and at the bottom is the poor. “Wealth is a special form of money not used to purchase milk and shoes and other life necessities. More often it is used to create opportunities, secure a desired stature and standard of living, or pass class status along to one’s children.”(2001:69)(page39)In other words the rich have better chances of succeeding in today’s world because of wealth. I was very fortunate to be born in the upper middle class, and I say that I’m fortunate because it is very easy to work your way down the class system than to work your way up it. Since I was born into the upper middle class I’m only one class away from the rich were as someone from the poor class has to work their way all the way up and it’s almost impossible. People born in higher up classes have greater life chances than those born in the lower life classes. What I mean by life chances are the ways others help you and the opportunities you might get from being higher up with more of the rich side. A person born into a rich family will have a better chance of succeeding because they will be around more successful people. The poor have a worse life chance because they are struggling for money and just trying to stay alive in the society we live in today. They are also not as successful because they are surrounded by less successful people than someone from the rich class. This is just one of many life choices people are given from different classes