Decline in the American middle class Research Paper

Decline in the American middle class - Research Paper Example They then define what we come to know as white collar jobs and blue collar jobs. These classifications show the diversity of this social stratum in a way that only emphasizes their vast contribution to the growth of the nation and what they fundamentally embody, the American people. The ruling class, many would argue, pertain to the country’s upper class that holds wealth and a monopoly of power. But rather than being antagonistic against this other class, most Americans aspire to be part of it by becoming rich. Contrary to the privileged few, a survey show that around 45% of Americans identify to being in the middle class. These people include highly educated professionals such as lawyers, doctors, engineers and managers. They are classified into living in the suburbs and partaking of other posh activities including country clubs. Similarly, another face of the middle class includes small business owners also called the ‘petit bourgeoisie’ among others. â€Å"Th us, in subjective terms, the middle class is the largest single class in American society, but in cultural terms, it is highly diverse because so many different lifestyles are represented within it† (Kornblum 275). There is no doubt that there really has been a drastic decline in the country’s middle class. ... This is down by 21% from the 1970 recorded 65% of families as middle income. To show the discrepancy, one-third of the families in the same area classified as affluent or within poverty increased from 15% in 1970. This study was conducted through a census involving 117 of the largest metropolitan areas throughout the United States. It is part of US2010 funded by Russell Sage and Brown University. What this implies, Stanford sociologist Sean Reardon explicates, is that the next generation will see the most effects. More children will have less access to better education and child care. In a sense, the affluent families will be isolated to their own class with less interaction coming from public amenities such as schools and transportation. This could perceptively affect future investments and public policies for the benefit of mostly the middle class population. The gap between the rich and the poor is also seen in test scores and consequently college education. More children from wel l to do families are able to complete college compared to low income earners (Tavernise, n.p.). The disparity in education is an easily apparent effect of the continued decline of the middle class. As the gap between income increases, more and more of those from the higher strata are able to afford the increasingly high cost of university education. The bulk of the middle class are in turn become unable to support sustained tertiary education in expensive private institutions. This then becomes a vicious cycle as those from lower income families often begin their career without college education. Education is universally known as a determinative factor in professional success. More