The Lives Of Minimum Wage Workers - 1427 Words

As an investigative approach to study the lives of minimum wage workers, journalist Barbara Ehrenreich conducted this research by assuming multiple low paid positions herself. Her essential goal for this study was to determine how low paid workers survive on their income. She began her adjustment to the working class lifestyle by establishing regulations for herself to eliminate any advantages from her real life that could alleviate her throughout the process. In doing so, she abandoned all of the luxuries that her middle-class career afforded her, such as a comfortable living environment, fresh quality meals, and working independently. Immersing herself into this lifestyle allowed her to witness the arduous circumstances of low wage living that she could not have experienced otherwise. After finding a temporary residence in an efficiency apartment within a forty-five minute drive from the prospective employment options in Key West, Florida, Ehrenreich attempts to find a low-paying job that could defray her living expenses. She applies for multiple jobs and waits a couple of days until she is hired as a waitress at a restaurant attached to a hotel that she calls â€Å"Hearthside.† During the first few weeks as a waitress, Ehrenreich is concerned with being an effective worker and providing a convivial atmosphere for the customers. She soon discovers that the onerous demands of waitressing can only be alleviated by desensitising herself to the quality of her work. Upon doing so,Show MoreRelatedHigher Federal Requirements For The Minimum Wage Essay1741 Words   |  7 Pagesfor higher federal requirements for the minimum wage in the United States, as a means of combatting income inequality, have remained a highly debated topic of discussion over the course of m any years in the United States. On one side of this debate you have more progressive economists who believe that if minimum wage is increased the standards of living for many minimum wage employees will be improved, thus spurring economic prosperity for this class of workers and helping to bridge the gap in incomeRead MoreWhy The Minimum Wage Should Be Raised?1410 Words   |  6 Pagesraised the minimum wage to $7.25. However, six years later the minimum wage rage remains the same. It is time once again for the federal government to raise the minimum wage to spur the economy. Raising the minimum wage would help the American economy and the daily life of the citizens for a variety of reasons. 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