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