by Krystle Hernandez

Created on: April 28, 2009

After a meeting with an editor, journalist Barbara Ehrenreich sets off on an investigatory journey to answer the a question that has become prevalent in our society: "How does anyone live on the wages available to the unskilled? How, in particular, we wondered were the roughly four million women about to be booted into the labor market by welfare reform going to make it on $6 or $7 an hour?" (1). Leaving behind her middle class life as a writer, Ehrenreich takes to the streets and begins her quest to observe the ways of the working poor in America.

With the exception of $1000 for start up costs, a car, and a laptop (luxuries that are not afforded to most of the working poor), Ehrenreich struggles to find work in Florida, Maine, and Minnesota. She eventually secures positions as a waitress, cleaning lady, nursing home assistant, and a Wal-Mart "associate" in an effort to make ends meet along the way.

Throughout the course of her "project", Ehrenreich makes some important discoveries and ask some really thought-provoking questions that are sure to leave readers contemplating their own lives and behaviors (regardless of class).

Although Ehrenreich initially believes that the working poor must have formulated some survival strategies that remain largely unknown to the upper classes (which she hopes to uncover), as she develops relationships with her coworkers, she begins to recognize that many individuals sustain a borderline homeless existence by living in cars or paying exorbitant rates for hotel rooms (paid for daily or weekly) because of an inability to save up adequate sums to cover the costs of down payments for "regular" housing. In many cases, Ehrenreich found that female coworkers often became involved in relationships to secure a second income, and even stayed in abusive or otherwise dysfunctional relationships in order to survive as a whole.

Aside from dealing with transportation costs and high rents, Ehrenreich also learned that the majority of the working poor struggle against numerous hidden costs that would be considered mere nuisances to the upper classes. From the required purchase of uniforms at certain jobs to the purchase of ibuprofen to help with the pain incurred from the physical exertion of menial jobs can cause considerable financial setbacks for individuals.

Moreover, Ehrenreich addresses the fact that the bulk of her coworkers (and certainly many other members of the working poor) are neither lazy nor drug addicted (as believed to be the case

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>