The United States has always been seen as the land of opportunity, a place where people of all walks of life could get a job and rise to the top through hard work and perseverance.  This has indeed happened for some, and rags to riches stories tell of people who started with nothing and worked hard and became millionaires.  However, low wage work has been prevalent in the United States for centuries.  These workers are paid meager wages and often are unable to afford simple necessities.  As noted by Barbara Ehrenreich in her book Nickel and Dimed, these workers are the unrecognized major philanthropists of our society and they suffer for the expense of everyone else.

     Low-wage work is much harsher than most Americans could imagine.  Despite the efforts of low-wage workers, many still fall beneath the poverty line.  Poverty has risen by 1.7 million Americans, and those that are considered in severe poverty has increased from 13.4 to 14.1 million (Clemtson).  Though many accuse those in poverty of being lazy, over half have full-time jobs (Pear).  These workers must stomach the inadequacies of the current employment system and often lack many aspects of life that the middle- and upper-class deem normal.

Lack of health insurance plagues low-wage workers with the threat of disaster if there ever is a medical problem.  Health insurance is increasingly becoming a dilemma, as over 43.6 million Americans now lack health insurance, almost half of which work full-time (Pear).  It is made even more difficult by the fact that employers are beginning to stop offering insurance to employees; only 38% still do (Pear).  Furthermore, many employers that hire workers on an hourly wage refuse to pay workers for sick days, which lead many to work while ill.  Lacking health insurance makes any medical problem and emergency, and a dire one.  When a hospital charges $2,000 for a broken arm, and that arm is needed for ones job, it can turn into over a months salary and inability to do ones job up to par.  Many people without health insurance often forgo going to the doctor, and suffer from illnesses that could be easily treated.  Lacking health insurance also lends itself to cutting back other expenses in order to pay for medical costs, such as food or housing.

Not having food is a much more visible and constant problem haunting low-wage workers, and is one many Americans feel everyday.  Over 34.9 million Americans experienced food insecurity in 2002 (FRAC).  Things have not gotten much better.  Hunger leads to physical and psychological problems, including low self-worth and aggression (FRAC).  These problems are not easily solved, as was shown by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey: employment does not mean that one gets enough food; over nine million people who work still go hungry. 

Housing is yet another issue that haunts low-wage workers.  The costs of housing are going up steadily as income decreases (Clemtson).  Lack of housing forces many low-wage workers to live in hotels or their own cars.  Even in Charlottesville, Virginia, which was recently ranked the number one city to live by Frommers Cities Ranked and Rated, thousands are homeless.  Of those, 36% are employed, and 39% are families (Borgmeyer). 

Housing options available to low-wage earners are often substandard.  Low-wage workers must often live without a range, and cannot cook healthy food for themselves.  They are forced to live with friends or significant others to meet the rent, and occasionally have to stay in unhappy or abusive relationships just to have somewhere to live (Ehrenreich, 25).

When children are worked into the equation, the tragedy can be seen in its full light.  Families with children greatly suffer from poverty on many levels.  Over 8.5 million children are uninsured, and households with children are twice as likely to suffer from hunger (Pear, FRAC).  Over 75% of people seeking food at shelters have children; yet still over four million children still go hungry.  Problems suffered by children lacking food are much graver than those of adults are, as children often suffer from learning problems, frequent illness, and growth problems (FRAC).  These children are more likely to miss school, and less likely to go to college (FRAC).  Parents must explain to their children why they cannot have food and why their birthday is not going to be celebrated, which is devastating for parents.  Parents of children in poverty often suffer from anxiety and hostility because of this (FRAC).

     Low-wage workers are often looked down upon and treated with little respect.  Most jobs available to low-wage workers create an environment that forces the worker into submission.  Drug tests are mandated as well as tests that check for compatibility.  In these tests, as described by Ehrenreich, the right answers should be obvious to anyone who has ever encountered the principle of hierarchy and subordination (Ehrenreich, 59).  Workers are forced to obey the superiors without question in order to keep their jobs.  When living in the less affluent part of town waiting at a bus stop, bus drivers occasionally drive by, leaving those without transportation out of going to work (Boo).  The lack of respect for low-wage workers further diminishes their supposed worth.

     As the difference between the rich and poor grows, so too do the burdens on the low-wage earners shoulders.  Prices are kept low, and accordingly so is the cost of labor.  Businesses are able to hire more workers without paying livable salaries and consumers buy goods at low prices, both of which are allowed by the existence of low-wage workers.

     The harsh realities facing low-wage workers are present in economic, social, and familial aspects of their lives.  These people suffer tremendous burdens daily, and the middle- and upper- classes reap the benefits of low prices.  Through the constant degradation and distress of low-wage workers, the social welfare of businesses and middle- to upper- class people benefit, making low-wage workers the unrecognizable major philanthropists of our society.  

Works Cited

Boo, Katharine.  The Marriage Cure: Is Wedlock Really a Way Out of Poverty?  The New Yorker.  August 2003: 104-120.

Borgmeyer, John.  Charlottesvilles New Homeless.  C-VILLE Weekly  15.10 (2003)

Clemtson, Lynette.  More Americans in Poverty in 2002, Census Study Says.  New York Times  26 September 2003.

Ehrenreich, Barbara.  Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America.  Henry Holt, New York, 2001.

Food Research and Action Center.  Hunger in the U.S.  6 January 2004.  <http://www.frac.org/html/federal_food_programs/federal_index.html>

Pear, Robert.  Big Increase in People Lacking Health Insurance.  New York Times  29 September 2003.