Introduction
In the United States, as well as in any nation, much attention is paid to sociology and the quality of the relationships people have to develop. Despite multiple intentions to solve the outcomes of racial or gender inequality, American society is still challenged by racial, ethnic, and gender diversity, meaning that the representatives of different races have different jobs, education, and health opportunities.
In addition, in some regions, women are not able to find good working places compared to men. In this paper, special attention will be paid to socioeconomic mobility among American black men and white women.
According to Gould et al., black men have not reached evident progress in earnings compared to white women. For example, in 2000, white women earned about $42,500, and black men earned about $42,900, and in 2016, white women earned $46,500, and black men earned $42,000 (Gould et al.). Statistical data, personal preferences, and existing social prejudice in today’s American society prove the presence of racial and gender inequalities in social-economic mobility and privileges of white women compared to black men.
Gender and Racial Inequalities in Modern America
Racism and sexism are the two anomalies that are inherent to the United States. Although certain progress in employment, education, education, and politics has already been made due to such processes as universalization, globalization, and industrialization, social diversity still creates certain challenges for the population. The investigation of Bloome showed that “demographic trends alone cannot explain the evolution of black-white inequality” and promoted a better understanding of racial differences through the analysis of the labor market (1220).
In his research of educational attainment and mobility, Assari underlined that “the effect of racism on social mobility is not the same for males and females”, proving the possibility of various privileges for black men and white women. Regarding recent findings of the Census Bureau, Gould et al. believe that wage gaps and social inequalities may be diminished only if full enforcement of anti-discrimination policies and laws. Racial and gender problems exist in the United States and continue creating invisible but significant gaps in the social development of the country. Many people do not want to pay enough attention to them until they experience negative outcomes of the situation.
Social Economic Mobility
Socioeconomic mobility includes the possibility of a community to move from one social class to another by means of a job promotion, hard work, marriage, or education. Today’s racism and sexism that are based on stereotypes and prejudice become the major contributors to the problems in social-economic mobility and limited opportunities for certain groups of people (Williams et al. 409). Education, as one of the factors that create privileges for white women, is properly explained in the study by Assari who stated that black people had lower educational attainment compared to white people, and black males were less protected than black females.
Differences in family incomes prove racial inequalities in employment and men’s earnings, in particular (Bloome 1201). During the last several decades, women’s penetration into labor-market experiences cannot be ignored (Bloome 1202). Therefore, in addition to the fact that black men have to compete with white men (shared median earnings of white men – 73% and black men – 69%), the presence of white women worsens the situation and creates new reasons for worrying (Gould et al.). The intention to promote gender inequality prevails over the necessity to remove racial gaps.
Challenges and Opportunities of White Women and Black Men
The discussion of privileges between white women and black men is not easy as it touches upon two critical sociological concepts – race and gender. Socioeconomic status (SES) is another complex factor that influences the quality of life and health of the population (Williams et al. 408). In the United States, many women admit that they are not always able to obtain the required jobs because of the necessity to hire white men in the same positions.
Black men, in their turn, may not face gender inequalities in employment but be pressed because of the color of the skin. Black-white male wage gaps have a decades-long history (Bloome 1202). A similar historical gap in education makes black people think about necessary improvements in social-economic mobility (Assari). Taking into consideration the obstacles black men face in their intentions to earn and achieve a high quality of living, this group of people seems to have fewer privileges compared to white women.
Conclusion
In general, racial and gender inequalities in modern American society remain open today. Both men and women are not always sure of their future: white women because of their gender, and black men because of their race. However, comparing the conditions under which the chosen groups are employed, receive healthcare services or education, and prove their rights, white women have better chances to achieve evident privileges with time. Women have already proved their right to have jobs, vote, and be equally accepted in society, and black people still suffer from inequalities and prejudice.
Works Cited
Assari, Shervin. “Parental Education Attainment and Educational Upward Mobility; Role of Race and Gender.” Behavioral Sciences, vol. 8, no. 11, 2018. Web.
Bloome, Deirdre. “Racial Inequality Trends and the Intergenerational Persistence of Income and Family Structure.” American Sociological Review, vol. 79, no. 6, 2014, pp. 1196-1225.
Gould, Elise, et al. “Black Workers Have Made no Progress in Closing Earnings Gaps with White Men Since 2000.” Economic Policy Institute. 2018. Web.
Williams, David R., et al. “Understanding Associations Among Race, Socioeconomic Status, and Health: Patterns and Prospects.” Health Psychology, vol. 35, no. 4, 2016, pp. 407-411.