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Classism
Discussion 1: Classism
Income and wages are measurable indicators of how prosperity is distributed amongst social class. Wealth, often determined by an individual’s net worth (assets minus liabilities), is another indicator that is used to determine class. Wealth for working class families is measured by their cars, savings, and home. As people improve their social and economic standing, wealth may include things like stocks and bonds, commercial real estate, and expensive jewelry.
Wealth is an important indicator because it spans past, present, and future generations. For example, compare the children of parents who can save money and leave an inheritance with children of parents who economically struggle and have few assets to pass on to the next generation. Historically, the creation and accumulation of wealth provides evidence of the legacy of racism, sexism, and discrimination and their role in determining class. Black/African Americans, women, and Hispanic/Latinos have historically been denied the means to obtain assets and grow wealth.
Consider the impact of chronic marginalization on the Black/African American community’s ability to build wealth. While the income gaps between various ethnic groups may be decreasing, the gap between assets remains wide. Data from the Pew Research center show that the median wealth of Caucasian households is 20 times that of Black/African American households and 18 times that of Hispanic/Latinos households in the U.S. (Pew Research Center, 2011).
Class extends beyond wealth and other financial indicators. Class also includes details like the amount of free time you enjoy (because you are not working three jobs to make ends meet) or feeling like there is a “right” way to speak and act in order to be heard. For this Discussion, analyze how classism has impacted your life.
- · Post an analysis of how classism has factored into your life.
- · Then, explain a strategy you might use as a social worker to address the impact of class and class differences on the lives of your clients.
References (use 2 or more)
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H. W., Peters, M. L., & Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2013). Readings for diversity and social justice. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press.
Discussion 2: Power, Privilege, and Classism
Power, privilege, and classism are interconnected. The more privilege you enjoy, the more power you have to access opportunities that build wealth. The more wealth you can amass, the higher your social standing. It is important to note that having wealth is not an indictment. However, the privileges that have often led to inequalities in wealth distribution are real.
As a social worker, you may find yourself working with clients who do not enjoy the privileges you knowingly or unknowingly enjoy. The more you understand your own relationship to power, privilege, and class, the better you will understand your clients’ realities. For this Discussion, review how classism is represented in the Hernandez family.
- · Post an explanation of how classism is demonstrated in the Hernandez video.
- · In your explanation, describe how power and privilege function to highlight classism in this case study.
- · Provide recommendations for how social workers might address issues of classism present in the Hernandez case and advocate for change and address classist policies in their agencies and society at large.
References (use 2 or more)
Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H. W., Peters, M. L., & Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2013). Readings for diversity and social justice. (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Hernandez Family(Episode 26) [Video file]. In Sessions.
Discussion 3 : Case Study Evaluation
Being too heavy or too thin, having a disability, being from a family with same-sex parents, having a speech impediment, being part of a low socioeconomic class—each of these is enough to marginalize (placing one outside of the margins of societal expectations) a child or adolescent.
When children and adolescents are marginalized, they often experience consequences like lower self-esteem, performing poorly in school, or feeling depressed and anxious. In order for social workers to help facilitate positive change for their clients, they must be aware of the issues that can affect their healthy development. For this Discussion, review the case study Working With the Homeless Population: The Case of Diane and consider the issues within her
environment that serve to place her outside of the margins of society.
- · Post a brief explanation of the issues that place Diane outside of the margins of society.
- · Be sure to include an explanation about how these issues may have influenced her social development from infancy through adolescence.
- · Also explain what you might have done differently had you been Diane’s social worker. Please use at least 2 Learning Resources to support your answer.
References
Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].
Working With the Homeless Population: The Case of Diane
Zastrow, C. H., & Kirst-Ashman, K. K. (2016). Understanding human behavior and the social environment (10th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Chapter 4 (pp. 178-253)
Working With the Homeless Population: The Case of Diane
Diane is a 15-year-old, Caucasian female. She is a freshman at a new high school where she began 3 weeks into the semester. Her current residence is the homeless shelter in a local church. Diane’s teachers felt she was having difficulty adjusting to the new school because she sat with her head down and was very quiet, so they referred her to me. I am a school social worker, part of the child study team, and I regularly do social assessments on students to evaluate how they are functioning from a biopsychosocial perspective.
Upon first meeting with Diane, I noticed that her clothes were wrinkled and her hair seemed as if it had not been washed in some time. Eager to develop rapport, I introduced myself and explained my role at the school. Diane was quiet, with her eyes downcast and provided one-word answers to my questions. When I realized I was not building rapport, I gently asked how she was feeling, and she replied, “Awful.”
I asked what was causing this feeling and she began to cry and inventoried what was upsetting her. She told me it was too difficult for her to shower at the shelter as there was a limited amount of time and some people took too long. She also reported that she felt so embarrassed about her appearance, she didn’t have any friends, she was lost in her classes, and her mother cried all the time. She explained that she had seen her mother abused many times, and they finally escaped and found “this church to help us.”
I was grateful that she opened up and realized that there were many issues to address. Recognizing that some of these were basic needs, I decided to first tackle her physiological needs to provide some relief, and then later I would address some of the other concerns, such as safety, her sense of belonging, and academic issues.
After learning Diane did not have lunch due to a lack of money, I got her some food from the cafeteria, and we began to develop a plan together. We drew a large circle and placed her name in the circle along with all the presenting problems she had named. We began with physiological needs. I gave her information about the free lunch program, explaining to her that other students would not know she was enrolled in it because she would have a cafeteria swipe card identical to everyone else’s.
I also said that I would try to coordinate for her to shower in the girl’s locker room after school. This, however, would require interacting with other entities such as the shelter, school administration, and, of course, her mother. We drew circles around the large circle so I could show her all the interactions that needed to take place. We decided to check things off as we made progress. We set up weekly meetings for the next month to address and fine-tune these issues.
As the month progressed, Diane was coming to our meetings much more relaxed. She was enrolled in the free lunch program and was showering after gym class during her study hall. Once her physiological needs were being met, I noticed that her grades began to improve. I felt we could begin to address some of her social and emotional needs, such as developing friendships and healing from the abuse she witnessed.
Diane expressed interest in painting, and I mentioned the after-school art club that worked in the school studio and went to museums and galleries. Diane was interested in attending, and I thought that this was a good place for meeting potential friends. When I gently broached the subject about counseling, Diane became anxious.
I gave her the hotline number and the location for the local domestic violence agency and told her that they offered free counseling services and had creative arts therapies, which would allow her to use her painting as an expression for her healing. I encouraged her to connect with the agency to see what it was like and to see the art therapy room.
Diane stops by my office less frequently now. Recently she informed me that after 6 months of counseling at the agency I recommended, she feels excited and empowered to make a difference for others. She signed up for the volunteer training at the domestic violence agency, and she wants to paint murals in the art therapy room. She recruited a friend from the art club to join in the training.
