Social Responsibility Towards The Lower Class Essay Sample

Every single individual has a very important responsibility to act in a manner that is beneficial to society and not solely to one’s self. The theory of social responsibility and ethics is “an ethical theory in which individuals are accountable for fulfilling their civic duty, and the actions of an individual must benefit the whole of society. In this way, there must be a balance between economic growth and the welfare of society and the environment” (Social Responsibility and Ethics). There are many circumstances and examples where a tycoon, or higher socially classed entrepreneur,  benefit’s only itself. Which then ends up creating a feeble and impoverished environment for citizens. The upper class in society has a critical obligation to preserve the safety and welfare of those of lower class, in order to contain an equilibrium between economic growth and the welfare of society.

Part of preserving the safety and welfare of  lower class people is choosing a proper minimum wage. There are hundreds of debates on what it should be, and what the outcome may be from raising it or lowering it. Whatever the pay is, it should be enough for an individual to live life in a comfortable and secure way. It is the upper class’ , or states’, responsibility to choose an adequate pay. Thomas MaCurdy wrote in his Journal of Political Economy that;

“Policies that raise the wages of these workers increase their earnings and contribute to their escaping poverty. As a counter balance to this impact, opponents of the minimum wage argue that wage regulation causes some low-wage workers to lose their jobs and they will suffer income drops”(MaCurdy). As this quote states, if the minimum wage is increased then workers with jobs will have a higher chance of escaping their impoverished lifestyle. Likewise an increase could also cause low-wage workers to lose their jobs and potentially become homeless. This is so because the higher the wage, the higher expectation one may expect from a worker or employ. 

The upper class society often discourages those who are living a rough life of poverty., or the people who can’t work. instead they should be doing something to help, or give aid to them.

Jodi R. Sandfort and Martha S. Hill stated in one of their journals that, “Because young, unmarried mothers are at risk for a host of negative life events, they can use assistance. A desirable goal is to provide that assistance in a way that fosters, rather than discourages, self-sufficiency in the long run. Although formal education was thought to be the path to increasing self-sufficiency, recent evaluations of welfare-to-work programs suggest a more complex and variable process, with work experience playing an important role in developing the skills needed to leave welfare” (Sandfort). What they are basically saying is that assistance to young parents can result in a better and more self-sufficient lifestyle in their later life. They also stated in their journal entry they also stated,“There are clearly ways that women can react to these various types of economic support that will improve their later self-sufficiency. The support may facilitate participation in the labor market or continued education, both of which enhance wage rates. The support also may influence chances of meeting a potential spouse with a high wage level, as well as chances of giving birth to additional children”. (Sandfort) What this means is that young mothers who are given aided assistance or welfare are more likely to get a job or return to school, which would set them up for a better path for life. 

There will always be people who can't work, and there will always be people who don’t want to work. It is obvious what group needs the welfare help. America provides welfare to billions of people yearly, this in which helps with that balance between economic growth and the welfare of society. According to Federal Safetynet, “With the inclusion of Medicaid the overall spending on welfare totaled $847 billion in fiscal year 2020.   This represents 13% of the spending in the entire federal government” (Welfare Budget). This is a huge percentage toward a singular expense. The federal government is seen as socially responsible for distributing such welfare. 

Proper housing is also extremely crucial for creating or maintaining a healthy society. How do low income people live in a decent home. Well America’s government finances programs like HUD’s Public Housing Program. “Public housing was established to provide decent and safe rental housing for eligible low-income families, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. Public housing comes in all sizes and types, from scattered single-family houses to high rise apartments for elderly families. There are approximately 970,000* households living in public housing units, managed by some 3,300 HAs. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) administers Federal aid to local housing agencies (HAs) that manage the housing for low-income residents at rents they can afford. HUD furnishes technical and professional assistance in planning, developing, and managing these developments” (HUD's Public Housing Program). Departments such as these help people have a chance to break free from poverty. Some may ask who exactly is illegible? Well, “Public housing is limited to low-income families and individuals. An HA determines your eligibility based on: 1) annual gross income; 2) whether you qualify as elderly, a person with a disability, or as a family; and 3) U.S. citizenship or eligible immigration status” (HUD's Public Housing Program). These requirements are very important because there needs to be that separation between the can’t and won’t. 

Some may argue that there are not enough jobs for everyone. This statement has been proven false though. There was a recent post on The Washington Post website that there are currently around 8.4 million unemployed people and there are around 10 million job openings. During a pandemic such as the Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020 the numbers plummeted for unemployment. A post of QUARTZ stated that, “The most recent US jobs numbers masked a dark story. Unemployment held steady at 5.1%, but only 59.2% of Americans have a job. The difference is the unemployment rate only counts people who don’t have a job and are actively looking for one. The labor-force participation rate is perhaps a more accurate gauge of the economy. It includes people who’ve given up, don’t want to, or can’t work, and it fell to 62.4% last quarter” (Schrager). As of the end of 2021, unemployment has hugely gone down. It was the upper class of society's job to provide welfare. Without such welfare the society would collapse. 

In conclusion there is a social responsibility in which an individual is expetect or even obliged to work and cooperate with other individuals and organizations in order for society to benefit as a whole. Whether providing housing, inploymend, or even funding a welfare program, the lower class needs some sort of aid in order to be able to contribute to society in the future. As stated before, It is the upper class in society which has the critical obligation to preserve the safety and welfare of those of lower class, in order to contain an equilibrium between economic growth and the welfare of society.

Works Cited

“Hud's Public Housing Program: Hud.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban

Development (HUD).” HUD's Public Housing Program | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), https://www.hud.gov/topics/rental_assistance/phprog.

Long, Heather, et al. “Why America Has 8.4 Million Unemployed When There Are 10 Million

Job Openings.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 8 Sept. 2021, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/09/04/ten-million-job-openings-labor-shortage/. 

MaCurdy, Thomas. “How Effective Is the Minimum Wage at Supporting the Poor?” Journal of

Political Economy, vol. 123, no. 2, The University of Chicago Press, 2015, pp. 497–545, https://doi.org/10.1086/679626.

Sandfort, Jodi R., and Martha S. Hill. “Assisting Young, Unmarried Mothers to Become

Self-Sufficient: The Effects of Different Types of Early Economic Support.” Journal of Marriage and Family, vol. 58, no. 2, [Wiley, National Council on Family Relations], 1996, pp. 311–26, https://doi.org/10.2307/353498.

Schrager, Allison. “If Nearly 40% of Americans Aren't Working, What Are They Doing?”

Quartz, Quartz, https://qz.com/516023/if-nearly-40-of-americans-arent-working-what-are-they-doing/. 

“Social Responsibility and Ethics.” Who Is Responsible And Why? | Pachamama Alliance,

https://www.pachamama.org/social-justice/social-responsibility-and-ethics. 

“Welfare Budget.” Federal Safety Net,

http://www.federalsafetynet.com/welfare-budget.html#:~:text=Welfare%20programs%20spent%20%24364%20billion%20in%20fiscal%20year,welfare%20totaled%20%24773%20billion%20in%20fiscal%20year%202019.