Nickel And Dimed

Author Barbara Ehrenreich goes undercover as a low-wage poverty-stricken American worker. During her attempt to understand why the poor remain poor, Barbara realizes it is a lot harder than it looks. Entry-level jobs for impoverished people pay low and therefore the poor remain poor. Many upper-class citizens believe the poor should stop their complaining and get a job to secure a higher place in society. Ehrenreich realizes this idea is flawed, as it is simply not that simple. She also finds that many of the lower-class people she works with juggle multiple jobs and multiple children all at the same time. Essentially, the poor work harder than the rich for far less profit. The poor are confined to a small group of jobs, a group they can never leave because the pay is too low and hardly goes up. If they complain, they are easily replaced. Therefore most workers learn to accept their place and just do their job, earning their salary, meager as it is.

Ehrenreich asks, "How do you think a 'living wage' should be calculated?" I believe a living wage should be calculated off of the average cost of housing and a nourishing amount of food. The cost of housing should not be taken as the cheapest apartment available, but the average of costs of housing arrangements a lower-class person could afford. The food cost should not be simply a bag of chips or an apple, but enough food to keep the poor nourished, so they won't be fainting and dying of starvation. As well as these costs there should be an amount for "other needs." I.E. if the poor person has children to take care of or if something comes up. All of these factors added together should be the "living wage."