Exit Zero Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Exit Zero - Essay Example only means for most people to achieve social mobility and overcome the traditional class divides that characterized America after the downfall of the steel mills in South East Chicago where it did not only transformed the affected families of the steel mills, but also the socio-economic society of America in general. America is no longer a socially mobile society it once pride itself to be but rather a socially stratified society where the economically deprived people can only aspire to better their lot but could no longer break the social and economic barrier. Moreso in 21st century economy where it is knowledge based and more and more jobs now requires a college education. The new glass ceiling in work are the educational certifications which now solwoly becoming exclusive to those who can afford it making it more difficult for people to transcend class barriers. The situation is now aggravated by the fact that college education is becoming economically prohibitive due to its high cost. It is no longer accessible nor affordable to those families whose source of income are based on factories and mills such as depicted in Christine J. Walley’s â€Å"Exit Zero: Family and Class in Postindustrial Chicago†. Along with the closure of those mills is also the figurative closure of opportunity to those people whose source of income comes from blue collar jobs such as those in the factories of South Eastern Chicago. They are unable to go to college and as a result, the only jobs available to them are those menial jobs that do not pay well. So they are stuck in the lower economic strata without any hope for social mobility and thus, the vicious cycle begun. The poor remains poor because they no longer have access to means that would improve their economic and social status. Nice paying jobs are shut to them because they do not have colleg e education. College education is inaccessible to them because of its high cost. So the 21st century economy became