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Abstract
Millions of Americans have engaged themselves in full-time work, all year but for wages that can only match poverty levels, Barbara Ehrenreich gets inspiration partly from the rhetoric that is raised by the welfare reforms; with the promise that all jobs in America are equal to an excellent life. However, the primary concern is whether there is any possibility of an individual surviving, let alone prospering on $6-$7 per hour for the rest of their lives.
This does not overlook the fact that one has to eat, sleep, and wear. In this book, Ehrenreich presents her experience of abandoning her dream of a prolific writer to join an average low-wage paying job propelled by hopes that the wage reform was something to go by. The book introduces the reader to several parameters that Ehrenreich had set for experimentation. It is divided into several chapters after the introduction. Chapter one presents the author’s account while serving in Florida. On the other hand, chapter two is about scrubbing in Maine, while chapter three is about selling in Minnesota, and lastly, is the evaluation chapter. However, all the parameters were broken or bent in the course of the search for a job in the labor market.
Critique
Nickel and Dimed is a book written by Enrenreich Barbara. The author of the book ultimately presents the challenges facing most of the Americans in the process of looking for a job that can sustain their lives. Through the use of a personal account and experiences, Ehrenreich can share the sentiments of many other job seekers who have undergone challenges similar to hers. The fact that the author sheds her life as a successful writer in the hope of getting a reasonable job in the labor market following the welfare reform shows how people act without reason upon the promise of better outcomes.
Ehrenreich decides to get into jobs with low wages to ascertain whether anybody can make use of the low income they get from such jobs to cater for their daily expenses, just like the poor (6). Her determination is seen when she works in a cleaning service, nursing home, hotel, and restaurants. Through her different menial jobs, Ehrenreich reaches to the conclusion that people with wage income face a lot of difficulties matching income and their expenses.
This can be attributed to the fact that one is needed to spend more than they earn in transport, food, and housing. For example, Ehrenreich points out that it takes “on average nationwide, an hourly wage of $8.89 to afford a one-bedroom apartment…” (3). Even though such a revelation is not much of a surprise, it is a revelation that shows how the American capitalist style is inherently unfair. If the systems were not so unfair, hard-working people can manage to live in a decent house, eat healthy food, and be at ease while going to and from work.
Also, the author looks at the problems that come from everyday living, which the concerned individual has to overcome. She shows that individuals who work more than ten hours in a day are likely to experience health problems irrespective of their place of work. The struggle to overcome some of these problems lands one into more challenging problems. The author noted that embracing competition often leads to deteriorating friendships, which comes as an addition to problems of denied freedom, poor health, and a sense of low personal dignity.
From the book, it is evident that the author appropriately presents the problems that low-wage earners experience. Besides, the book explains how one’s surrounding influences an individual’s self-esteem. For this reason, showing respect to wage earners can boost their self-esteem, get empowered to champion for the conducive working environment, and better pay. Evident, it is practically impossible for one to survive on $6-$7 an hour.
As such, the only better way to reduce poverty is by not engaging in activities that land people into poverty, stop underpayment, and institutional harassment especially for individuals who seek help from the government (238). Also, raising the minimum wage can be a suitable solution to problems of wage earners.
Works Cited
Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed. New York, N.Y.: Henry Holt, 2002. Print.
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