e opportunities that they once had.In addition to being a poor woman, social mobility places even more obstacles in front of a poor minority woman, or any minority, for that matter. In our unequal stratification, race plays an important role in structure as well. Even within our society, different ethnic groups have different amounts of mobility. The black middle class, for example, is much smaller than the white middle class, based on ratio of population, and one out of every two black children is poor. In “Imagine a Country”, Holly Sklar describes many of the unfair disadvantages that face minorities as they try to advance in our internally racist society. “Blacks are turned down for mortgages at twice the rate of whites with similar incomes. Blacks are rejected more often than whites when they apply for benefits under social security disability programs” (Sklar, p. 218) Racism is embedded within our society, and it makes the mobilization of minority groups extremely difficult, despite the talents and abilities they may have. Class inequality is persistent in our society, and keeps many of the oppressed from receiving equal opportunities for social mobility. Studies have shown that American society tends to be even more unequal than most other Western societies. Mobility tends to be easier for those that fit the social accepted standard; ie. the educated white middle class man, but those that don’t fit this standard often feel that there is no escape from their lower positions. Until we decide to start rewarding people for their effort and ability, people like Sandra will continue to be oppressed due solely to their status. This surely does not sound like “the land of opportunity” to me. Unless the “average Joe” is of the privileged social standard, he surely will find it nearly impossible to make his million in this country....
