CONSEQUENCES OF SOCIAL CLASS

Physical Health The lower the person’s class, the more likely they will die before expected age Infants born to the poor are more likely to die before their first birthday 2 main reasons for this is the different lifestyles and medical care

Physical Health Lifestyles Lower class most likely to: Smoke Eat more fats Drug & Alcohol abuse Exercise Less Practice unsafe sex This will not increase people’s health Medical Care

Mental Health Mental health of the lower class is worse than the higher class Stress that goes with poverty Poor have less job security Lower wages High divorce rate Greater access to crime Physical Illness (threat of eviction over their heads)

Family Life Choice of husband or wife Capitalists class places more emphasis on family tradition Children learn that their choice of their spouse that it will affect their family line Parents play a role on their children’s mate selection Lower income families with small incomes will lead to higher divorce rates

Family Life Child Rearing Lower class focus on children to obey authority figures Middle class focus on children to be creative Middle class feel that their children develop naturally Middle class encourage play for children that will help develop the mind & social skills

Education Its more than the amount of education that people earn, it’s the type of education – YSU compared to Harvard Higher class people attend private schools (Prep Schools) Expectations that parents set is different in social classes

Religion Classes tend to cluster in different denominations Episcopalians & Methodists – middle to upper class Baptists – generally lower class Lower class prefer expressive worship Middle to upper prefer “subdued” worship

Politics Rich & Poor take different political paths People of higher class will more likely vote for Republicans Working class will more likely to vote for Democrats (more liberal on economic issues) People of poverty tend to look that their vote means nothing

Crime & Criminal Justice System Upper and Lower class have different styles of crime White-collar (more privileged class dealt with outside the justice system) Police & courts deal with street crimes of the lower class Lower class most likely to be robbed, burglarized or murdered

New Technology U.S. must keep up with global change and remain competitive in producing low cost goods or its economic position will decline U.S. incorporates technology in all parts of life Capitalists move factories to one country, assemble in another country and market the product globally Middle class to become outdated, new technology replaces people’s jobs Middle class on down, little jobs are available for work Lower class (technology illiterate) is left behind

New Technology New technology opens and closes opportunities for people largely by virtue of where they are located in the social class ladder