In the reading Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America written by Barbara Ehrenreich the struggle of living for most Americans is modeled and is also the main focus. Ehrenreich whose a sociologist writer goes undercover to what the “low-wage economy...has to offer” (Ehrenreich 245). The image portrayed by Americans of the lower class makes it difficult for one of the middle class to understand. Survival of both parties are no way‚ shape or form similar and this struck Ehrenreich’s curiosity
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Why Should We Care In her expose‚ Nickel and Dime‚ Barbara Ehrenreich shares her experience of what it is like for unskilled women to be forced to be put into the labor market after the welfare reform that was going on in 1998. Ehrenreich wanted to capture her experience by retelling her method of “uncover journalism” in a chronological order type of presentation of events that took place during her endeavor. Her methodologies and actions were some what not orthodox in practice. This was not to
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Barbara Ehrenreich ’s "Struggle" to Live the Life of a Low Income Worker In the novel Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehnreich‚ there are many hurtles she must overcome to experience the life of a low income worker. She sets some ground rules for herself‚ such as always having a car‚ and starting out with a certain amount of money for her down payment on an apartment. Although the rules are doable‚ she admits that she broke all of the rules at least once. Even though Barbara didn ’t hold to her
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few parts of the code of ethics Ehrenreich did not follow. I believe she was in breach of privacy and confidentiality‚ dishonesty‚ fraud‚ and deception‚ and integrity. Privacy and confidentiality is a very important aspect of social work. Although Ehrenreich changed the names of her coworkers and places she worked at‚ she still disclosed private information about them they may not have wanted the entire world to know. Everyone has a right to privacy which Ehrenreich did not grant her coworkers who
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Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America | March 29 2009 A riveting tale about the world of low class workers‚ Ehrenreich puts into words what most are don’t acknowledge or are afraid to acknowledge. Through first-hand experience‚ Ehrenreich successfully navigates her way through the low wage work by working such common low wage jobs as waitressing‚ housecleaning‚ and sales. While along the way discovering that each job encompasses their own organizational structure‚ culture‚ and
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end? Barbara Ehrenreich would like to know the answer to this question so she suggests to a famous editor that she could live in the life a minimum wage worker for a couple weeks. Low class workers may work several jobs for up to a full day with little pay and still not be able to make ends meet and support themself or their family. They work hard‚ but still struggle to find their place in society because they are not receiving enough money. In Nickel and Dimed‚ Barbara Ehrenreich makes it clear
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After reading about the travels Barbara Ehrenreich took in the book Nickel and Dimed as an attempt to “discover some hidden economies in the world of the low-wage worker” to Florida‚ Maine‚ and Minnesota‚ I have been able to deepen my understanding of the harsh reality people face while working in low income jobs. (Barbara Ehrenreich‚ Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America‚ p. 3) She undertook several different types of low wage jobs such as a waitress‚ hotel housekeep‚ nursing home cook
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isn’t always as easy as getting a job‚ making money and paying you bills. In her fascinating book on extended essays Nickel and Dimed‚ Barbara Ehrenreich poses as an unskilled worker to show the struggles encountered everyday by Americans attempting to live on minimum wage‚ "matching income to expenses as the truly poor attempting to do everyday." (6) Ehrenreich gave herself three rules she had to live by and they were: 1. She could not use her education or professional skills to land a job‚ 2. She
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and they hinder potential applicants while violating freedoms and having little perceptible and positive impact on work performance. In chapter three of Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America‚ Ehrenreich comes to her realization how much real low wage workers are required to act (Ehrenreich‚ Barbara‚ & Christine 13). She is seen to be distressed by the difficulty of the personality test. She describes it as excruciatingly draining‚ yet‚ still looking cheerful and compliant simultaneously
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Lapham‚ other than the fact that he is the editor of Harper’s? Why was Barbara Ehrenreich so inspired by him and the lunch they shared together? Page 2: Is Ehrenreich wealthy‚ middle-class‚ or poor? If I was in Ehreneich’s shoes and was wealthy‚ I would be very curious to see how other people live. Page 3: The introduction to this book seems kind of ironic to me-while eating at an over-priced restaurant‚ Ehrenreich considers how women entering the workforce due to welfare reform are going to make
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