Running Head: DEFINING THE RELATION BETWEEN RACISM AND POVERTY (EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING IN USA 1 Defining the Relation between Racism and Poverty (Employment and Housing) in USA 2 Racism affects poverty in America as the most minority have a difficulty securing well-paying jobs and decent housing thus living in poor neighborhoods and working in low paying jobs. Inequality in housing is evident when one takes a look at black communities living in segregated neighborhoods. For example, in the Baltimore community, Federal housing subsidy policies imply that African American families of low income can only reside in designated blocks that are away from middle-class suburbs (Strauss, 2015).On the other hand, inequality in employment has been a topic of discussion for a long time. Tomaskovic-Devey (1993) argues that most employers tend to conform to the white privilege in hiring and career advancement initiatives. Therefore people of color are ranked the lowest in the pecking order for prestigious positions. The following paper investigates how racism has affected employment and decent housing in the U.S. It uses theoretical explanations and critical analysis to describe how the differences in housing and employment amount to racial prejudice it also evaluates other societal factors that contribute to inequality in employment and housing. While it’s true that racism contributes to residential segregation and inequality of opportunity, I believe that other forms of discrimination such as gender bias and class divide play a part in shaping the opportunities of U.S citizens Racial prejudice implies that people of color are disadvantaged when it comes to housing and employment. Whites are preferred for superior job positions where people of color would also meet stipulated qualifications. On the other hand, social classes account for the differences in resource, wealth, and power in our society. In the United States, we have Poor, the working class, middle class, upper middle class and the upper-class social rankings (Wolff & Zacharias, 2007). A child born of a low-income family would have limited access to decent housing when compared to those in middle-class families. Lastly, gender relates to the aspect of being male, female or otherwise non-conforming to gender. Gender stereotypes that associate women to traditional duties cause discrimination in employment. In this case, men are likely to get promotions for corporate management positions when compared to women The concept of racism in the context of employment serves as a tool to safeguard white privilege (Tomaskovic-Devey, 1993). In this case, the vastly skilled and more advantageous jobs are preserved for the whites. This is partly because of historical stereotypes that view people of color (blacks) as unintelligent. Due to this, the social networks of ethnic minorities are limited leaving little chance for them to uplift other members of their community. For example, a company with multiple A ...

1. Running Head: DEFINING THE RELATION BETWEEN
RACISM AND POVERTY (EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING
IN USA 1
Defining the Relation between Racism and Poverty
(Employment and Housing) in USA 2
Racism affects poverty in America as the most minority have a
difficulty securing well-paying jobs and decent housing thus
living in poor neighborhoods and working in low paying jobs.
Inequality in housing is evident when one takes a look at black
communities living in segregated neighborhoods. For example,
in the Baltimore community, Federal housing subsidy policies
imply that African American families of low income can only
reside in designated blocks that are away from middle-class
suburbs (Strauss, 2015).On the other hand, inequality in
employment has been a topic of discussion for a long time.
Tomaskovic-Devey (1993) argues that most employers tend to
conform to the white privilege in hiring and career advancement
initiatives. Therefore people of color are ranked the lowest in
the pecking order for prestigious positions. The following paper
investigates how racism has affected employment and decent
housing in the U.S. It uses theoretical explanations and critical
analysis to describe how the differences in housing and
employment amount to racial prejudice it also evaluates other
societal factors that contribute to inequality in employment and
housing. While it’s true that racism contributes to residential
segregation and inequality of opportunity, I believe that other
forms of discrimination such as gender bias and class divide
play a part in shaping the opportunities of U.S citizens
Racial prejudice implies that people of color are disadvantaged
when it comes to housing and employment. Whites are preferred
for superior job positions where people of color would also
meet stipulated qualifications. On the other hand, social classes
account for the differences in resource, wealth, and power in

2. our society. In the United States, we have Poor, the working
class, middle class, upper middle class and the upper-class
social rankings (Wolff & Zacharias, 2007). A child born of a
low-income family would have limited access to decent housing
when compared to those in middle-class families. Lastly, gender
relates to the aspect of being male, female or otherwise non-
conforming to gender. Gender stereotypes that associate women
to traditional duties cause discrimination in employment. In this
case, men are likely to get promotions for corporate
management positions when compared to women
The concept of racism in the context of employment serves as a
tool to safeguard white privilege (Tomaskovic-Devey, 1993). In
this case, the vastly skilled and more advantageous jobs are
preserved for the whites. This is partly because of historical
stereotypes that view people of color (blacks) as unintelligent.
Due to this, the social networks of ethnic minorities are limited
leaving little chance for them to uplift other members of their
community. For example, a company with multiple African
American clerks but without a single manager from the African
descent provides little room for the career advancement of
African Americans
In housing, I believe that residential segregation is caused by
federal housing policies together with local government
ordinances that restrict people of color from living in certain
areas. For example, the history of African Americans
characterizes them with disturbance, disregard for property
values and communicable diseases which determine their fate in
domestic policies. Additionally, the lower educational
achievement hinders the social mobility of ethnic minorities in
the meritocratic system of the U.S society (Quintana &
Mahgoub, 2016). As a result, only the white majority can afford
decent housing.
From a theoretical perspective, the Parsons' Functional Theory
of Social Stratification suggests that status and honor influence
the hierarchical positioning of individuals in society (Parsons,
1940). To achieve this, everyone has to live up to the dominant

3. values of the society. It is this common value system which
ensures that competent people fill the significant roles in the
society following Parson’s predicted functional subsystems. In
the context of racism, whites and people of color would assume
the most respected and least respected roles under the common
value systems.
When it comes to social class, the income inequality in the
United States is higher in relation to other OECD countries
(OECD, 2014). This has been attributed to the increasing wealth
gap in the United States. The poorest 10 percent of Americans
endure deficient living standards compared to the wealthiest
individuals who account for approximately 20% of national pre-
tax income. The inequality of disposable incomes is ranked
fourth among the OECD countries. Additionally, the richest
individuals are 16 times wealthier than the poorest. This
exceeds the OECD average of 9.6 with Mexico and Chile being
the only countries that exceed this rate. In our country,
individuals occupying the upper classes afford to pay expensive
fees for their children (Quintana & Mahgoub, 2016).
As a result, the children attend college and graduate with
prestigious degrees that attract desirable employment
opportunities. Similarly, Tomaskovic-Devey (1993) explains the
notion of exclusionary social closure in which upper social
classes seek to maintain their identity and benefits by locking
out lower social groups from specific opportunities. In this
case, individuals from the low social grow are left with less
desirable jobs which contribute to poverty. From a different
perspective, poor and working-class families cannot afford to
live in the modern houses that upper classes do. This leaves
them with the option of residing in poor and insecure
neighborhoods that have recurring sanitation problems.
Applying the Conflict social stratification theories, one
recognizes that conflict is inherent in all human societies. Karl
Marx conflict theory assumes that the society has two
antagonistic classes of people. The first class accounts for the
bourgeoisie who own means of production and the second

4. identifies the proletariat who are workers in these industries.
The first groups survive by exploiting the second while the
latter seeks collective bargaining to ease the implicit difficulties
Lastly, gender discrimination in employment results from
particular historical and stereotypical altitudes which limit
women’s opportunities. For example, the jobs of receptionists
and nurses are usually associated with women. Additionally,
most women rarely rise to corporate management positions in
reputable companies. Tomaskovic-Devey (1993) argues that this
trend is based on the master status of the incumbent that should
not be granted to women. As a result, women receive lower pay
than their male counterparts despite having similar academic
qualifications.
According to the Davis and Moore functionalist theory,
significant professional positions have to be filled continuously
with the most competent individuals within the society
(Grandjean & Bean, 1975). Therefore, social stratification
exists as a tool to make sure that this need is met. The theory
recognizes that some positions are more critical than others and
that only a relatively small number of individuals within the
society have the talents to fill these positions. Historically,
women are not competent for such positions since they lack the
abilities and skills to fit the job descriptions
In conclusion class, gender, and racial discrimination have been
subject to discussion for centuries. Unlike racism and gender
bias which Americans have engaged with for decades while
reaping some modest gains such as a black president, class
differences have not been explicitly analyzed. However, the
three elements have the potential to yield a society with extreme
inequality. Inequality in housing and employment results from a
combination of societal factors that include; racism, class
discrimination, and gender prejudice. These three factors affect
ethnic minorities more than any other group. For instance,
Serena Williams claims that black women have been subject to
poor pay relative to their male counterparts. She states that for
every dollar earned by a man, black women make a mere sixty-

5. three cents (Young, 2017). While affirmative action is highly
controversial, I believe that its enforcement in institutions
limits racial and gender discrimination. This puts minimum
requirements to ensure that minorities are included in
employment and education. Students from the ethical minorities
should also be on the forefront leading their people into an
equal America. In this case, they should not only condemn
racial injustices that affect their communities but also strive to
uplift the lives of the segregated families.
References:
Grandjean, B., & Bean, F. (1975). The Davis-Moore Theory and
Perceptions of Stratification: Some Relevant Evidence. Social
Forces, 54(1), 166.
OECD. (2014). United States. Tackling High Inequalities.
Creating Opportunities For All oecd.org. Retrieved from
https://www.oecd.org/
Parsons, T. (1940). An Analytical Approach to the Theory of
Social Stratification. American Journal Of Sociology, 45(6),
841-862.
Quintana, S., & Mahgoub, L. (2016). Ethnic and Racial
Disparities in Education: Psychology's Role in Understanding

6. and Reducing Disparities. Theory Into Practice, 55(2), 94-103.
Strauss, V. (2015). From Ferguson to Baltimore: The
consequences of government-sponsored segregation.
Washington Post. Retrieve from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-
sheet/wp/2015/05/03/from-ferguson-to-baltimore-the-
consequences-of-government-sponsored-
segregation/?utm_term=.ef18c0f4753d
Tomaskovic-Devey, D. (1993). The Gender and Race
Composition of Jobs and the Male/Female, White/Black Pay
Gaps. Social Forces, 72(1), 45.
Wolff, E., & Zacharias, A. (2007). Class Structure and
Economic Inequality. SSRN Electronic Journal.
Young, H. (2017). Serena Williams: 'Gender pay gap hits
women of color hardest'. CNN. Retrieved from
http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/01/tennis/serena-williams-pay-
gap-racism-essay/index.html