1. Social Inequalities in the USA - HOUSING
Modern Studies
Social Inequalities in the USA - HOUSING

2. Introduction - housing
Housing can have a huge impact on a person’s quality of life.
Housing depends on wealth – if someone is living in poverty they are more likely to live in a poorer area with poor quality housing.
Crime is much more common in poorer areas.
Poor housing is linked to poorer levels of health.

3. Housing and the White Flight
White Flight – in many major US cities there are distinct areas where most of the people are of the same ethnic groups – so called ‘vanilla suburbs’.
This is because people have decided to separate themselves i.e. segregate themselves.

4. The White Flight Areas becomes run down Cities became
Minorities moved
to the cities in search for
work & escape racism
Being poor,
they found housing
in the cheapest areas
Many better off
whites ‘fled’ the cities &
settled in the suburbs
Areas becomes
run down
Cities became
poorer because ‘tax dollars’
went to the suburbs
City has less money
to spend on
services like schools
Many businesses closed
down or moved away

5. Middle class black flight
From the 1960s onwards, many ethnic minorities became “middle class.”
They had good jobs and they too “fled” to the suburbs.
This is known as the “middle class black flight.”
The pattern of US cities look something a little like this:

6. A Model of US Cities INNER CITIES Majority of African
Americans & Hispanics
live here.
Blacks refer to it
as the ghetto.
Hispanics refer to it as
the barrio.
Minorities Middle Class Flight: Blacks and Hispanics with good jobs move to the suburbs.
White Flight: less than 1/3 live in inner cities.
The majority live in the suburbs.
Businesses Leave:
the area becomes poorer.

7. Segregated housing
In the USA housing is very segregated – this means that the different racial groups tend to live apart.
Blacks and Hispanics tend to be concentrated in inner city areas due to poverty.
Rich whites and Asians live in the high class suburbs.

8. Inner city areas - Ghettos
Ghettos – inner city areas - are areas of poor housing and will often have the poorest people living in them. As Black and Hispanic people tend to be poorer, areas such as the Bronx have a high percentage of ethnic minorities.
The South Bronx

9. Conditions in the Ghettos
9.3 million Americans live in overcrowded or physically inadequate.
Housing is run-down with poorly lit streets & few local shops.
Streets are not cleaned regularly – rats and cockroaches are common.
Play parks are vandalised and children play in the street.
Mainly Blacks and Hispanics live here.

10. Middle-class suburbs
Wisteria Lane in Desperate Housewives – although fictional – is a good example of middle class suburbs.
As people in the white and black middle classes have gotten richer, they have moved out of the inner cities into the outskirts – suburbs.
Not all people in the suburbs are white. There are white suburbs and black suburbs.

11. Conditions in the suburbs
Detached houses with gardens.
Tree-lined, well lit streets.
Good schools with modern equipment and well staffed schools.
Parents drive children around or they have their own cars once they can drive.

12. High class suburbs Mainly whites live here.
Only the very rich live here e.g. Hollywood stars.
High fences and security gates.
Large gardens with pools.
Houses have alarms, video cameras, private security forces patrolling the streets.
Huge houses.

13. Unemployed or working in low paid jobs.
The Cycle of Poverty
Minority children born
into poor conditions
Then they have kids of their own
Failure in School - leave with no qualifications
Few positive role models in
the community – crime and
gangs are common
Unemployed or working in low paid jobs.
Can’t afford to flee
to the suburbs
Suffer
discrimination

14. Home ownership rates Ethnic Group 2010 White 74.4% Black 45.4%
Hispanic
47.5%
API
58.9%
Native Americans
52.3%

15. Question
There are inequalities in housing between different ethnic groups in the USA.
Describe, in detail, two inequalities in housing between different ethnic groups in the USA. (4 marks)