Social Hierarchies Create A Cycle Of Poverty

Early signs of social class systems can be traced back to the beginning of history. These social hierarchies have shaped the structure of societies for thousands of years and continue to do so. For example, the caste and feudal systems are two influential social systems that millions of people lived with through long stretches of history. Even today, these class systems leave their mark on the way our society is divided into distinct social groups.

            In a basic sense, I find the moral reasoning behind a rigid social system opposed to modern day ideals of equal human rights and opportunity.  Yet I do see traces of a social hierarchy and limited social mobility in our society today. Though our society prides itself on allowing everyone access to education, and on the idea of working hard and achieving success, I believe that there are many individuals who are born into difficult circumstances that they can not necessarily escape from. Some people are caught in a cycle of poverty similar to the untouchables in the caste system. Being raised in a very poor family in the United States is often a setback even before a child has had the ability to make any choices of his or her own.  Yes, many schools offer a high quality education. But many do not, and college is getting more and more expensive. Because of the very high cost of college, a little more than a quarter of Americanxs (about 28 percent) get to go and few Americans are well educated.  The lack of a strong education often makes it more difficult to find a will-paying job.  Many generations of a family may therefore go through the same cycle of poverty.

            The United States is supposed to be different from many other places in the world because it gives people from all backgrounds an opportunity to get ahead based on hard work and merit. In theory, the children of laborers that work some of the toughest jobs in the country can get an education and move up in the socio-economic hierarchy. In reality however, this is difficult to do as a quality education is not always available.  The nation-wide rising cost of education is an impediment to moving up social classes.  I fear that if we continue on this path, much of our society will fall into a cycle of poverty not unlike the untouchables in the caste system.