Is There Really a Missing Class?

            Is there really a missing class? In Katherine S. Newman and Victor Tan Chan’s essay “The Missing Class” they describe the missing class which would include roughly 50 million American’s. Newman and Chan state that “This missing class is composed of households earning roughly between $20,000 and $40,000 for a family of four.”  In order to receive government assistance that family of four would have to earn less than $20,000 per year. This becomes a problem though when the family earns only slightly more than the national poverty rate.

            Newman and Chen mention three families in their essay that are in this missing class. The first is a single mother who works in janitorial cleanings making $13.68 an hour with full benefits. This may not seem like she is very bad off, but since she lives in Brooklyn the cost of living is far beyond her wages. The next person is Tomas Linares who should have settled down into a career by now. Unfortunately that takes a college education in today’s world. Since he does not have this education, he is still working two jobs and making about $20,000 a year. The last person mentioned is Gloria Hall, who has recently become very sick. She worries constantly about where the money for her next treatment will come from, and what will happen to her sons if she dies. A quote from the essay really sum up the missing class explaining that, “They are the forgotten labor force – too prosperous to be the “working poor,” too insecure to be the “middle income.” These people need some help too, they may not need as much help as the poverty stricken, but nevertheless they still need some help.