ROLES IN AMERICA
...l care receive it. There is also the question of why our government doesn’t do much to regulate our exposure to certain chemical s known to cause illness and disease, particularly cancer. The Stratification of Illness – Different patterns of illness and variations in healthcare among the socioeconomic strata. People in lower strata have more physical health problems than those in the middle and upper strata. They also have the fewest resources to treat their health problems. There a more problems and less help as we go down the socioeconomic ladder. 2) pgs. 405-410 Education indeed enhances the quality of life for many Americans. Education should be of high quality, be equally available to all, and should yield the expected payoff. Unfortunately it doesn’t. There are inequalities in attainment, funding and costs, and atmosphere of the school. Inequalities in attainment are exemplified by the fact that there is a high correlation between parent’s level of education and income, and one educational attainment. Those most likely to benefit from education are those in the middle and upper strata. Minorities, women, and the poor do not attain the same educational levels of white males. Simply stated, some of this discrepancy is due to the lack of opportunities that these deprived groups are face with. Inequalities in funding and cost of education are another part of unequal opportunities. Children do not have equal opportunities if they attend schools that receive less funding than others. Funding tends to vary from state to state, cities, and even school districts. Most schools are funded by property taxes. This means that children who live in a wealthy area would have more money spent on resources for them than students who live in poorer areas. Inadequate resources also causes for certain individuals to drop out of college and work. The cost of attending college has gone dramatically in the last few years while financial seems to be dwindling off. Obviously then, many Americans are priced out of the better colleges and universities which are more expensive. Inequalities in the atmosphere of the school also contribute to unequal opportunities. Atmosphere affects student learning and performance. Students learn more when teachers create an environment that is conducive to learning by setting clear guidelines for behavior and support. Some schools actual create an atmosphere of fear rather than an atmosphere for learning. A national survey conducted in 1999 found that 4% of high school students missed at least one day of school 30 days before the survey because they felt unsafe at school or traveling to school. Minorities were 3.5 times more likely to feel unsafe than whites. Students in inner city schools may also experience the crab bucket syndrome. Whiles some students try to overcome the pressures of gangs, drug, and violence; they may still be pulled back into the “bucket” by others through harassment, pressure, and even violence. 15 pt. Section: 1) pg. 452-454 Poverty – Female headed households are more likely to experience poverty than male headed households. Since most single headed families are headed by females, the probability is higher for them to be in poverty. Single mothers who have never been married have an even greater likelihood of poverty. Low welfare benefits mixed with the high cost of childcare and low paying jobs cause single mothers to be in a bind and often stuck in poverty. Deviant Behavior – Sexual delinquency, drug and alcohol abuse, and deviant behavior have higher rates of occurrence in single parent households, particularly single mother. This may be due to the lack of time the parent has to spend with the child due to work and other factors. Children from mother only homes are more likely to have been arrested, have problems in school, and to be runaways. The deviant behavior is also likely to continue on into adulthood. Maladjustment – This includes antisocial behavior such as aggression, insecurity, over conformity to one’s peers, withdrawal from relationships, difficulty relating to others, and problems with identity. They tend to carry these problems into adulthood. 2) Work is related to the quality of life because it involves the workers health. Unemployment tends to be a traumatic, stressful experience that adversely affects the worker’s interpersonal relationships and health. Meaningful work is connected with a higher quality of life. Those who work in positions where they get low rewards, low job security, or low job satisfaction experience more stress which affects their health and causes a lower quality of life for them. Those faced with unemployment experience even greater risks and therefore an even lower quality of life. Alienation is an individuals feeling of powerlessness and isolation. Stress once again related to these feelings causes a lower quality of life. Psychological as well as physical hazards cause stress. Hazards of work include work induced stress, and work related injuries. They get sick. 3) pgs.343-346 Problems in government and politics affect the quality of life in a number of ways. Such problems mean that people have unequal opportunities for a high quality of life. They mean that the freedoms and rights of citizens are not always adequately protected. And they mean that the government is not adequately responsive to people’s needs. The government has not maintained a system in which all Americans have an equal opportunity to reap benefits of society necessary for a high quality of life. Some groups benefit to the detriment of others. The wealthy benefit more than the poor from tax laws and other government policies and practices. White males have more advantages and opportunities than women and minorities. These disadvantages mean a lower quality of life for whole groups of people. The greater the income on has, the higher the sense of wellbeing. The government has failed to maintain a social system in which all individuals, regardless of their social origins, have equal opportunities. There is a contradiction between the value of individual rights and the way government functions to protect them. Government has violated certain basic rights in the name of protecting others. For example, the FBI illegally gathered secret information of those, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who they deemed a threat to the government. Individual rights verses national security remains a major issue. People expect their relationship with government to be a give and take one. However, many Americ...