In this article, the author asks 4 different women at 4 levels of income the same set of questions.
Location?
Occupation?
Family status?
Monthly rent?
Do you keep a budget?
One thing you need but can't afford?
One thing you want but can't afford?
The last thing you bought that required serious planning?
Do you have credit cards?
How much debt are you carrying now?
Saving for retirement?
Felt the effects of the wage gap?
At what age would you like to retire?
How much money do you think you'll be earning
in 10 years' time?
How happy are you on any given day, on a scale of one to ten?
How often do you worry about money?
Do you think your taxes are too high?
SOME OF THE ANSWERS
HAVE YOU FELT THE EFFECTS OF THE WAGE GAP?
MILLIonaire: I hate these sorts of questions because I feel it perpetuates the issue. I don't like putting blame on any one but myself....
350 K-onaire*
As the female in the family, I'm typically more involved in the care of the kids. When they get sick at school, I go to get them. When they have a day off, I stay home with them. Not because I have to or because my husband doesn't want to, but because I want to. I started working part time in my main job when my baby was 5 months old. I know I make less than male coworkers in the same field—I am less able to fully dedicate myself to my job like my male coworkers. But it's OK....
80,000 a year woman
It's pretty standardized as a teacher. But I felt it before when I was a 22-year-old administrative assistant. I was called "honey" and "sweetie." That made me go back to school. I couldn't stand it.
Just Above Poverty Woman
Yes, definitely! And also that women don't get maternity leave. Especially in a country like this. I was in shock when I found that out.
I wouldn't say there's anything terribly surprising here. The more money you make, the less you care about oppression of a certain racial or gender demographic, even your own.
But seeing all the information together made me realize why it's hard to get women together to pull in one direction, and why it's hard to get black people to pull together in one direction. Class, status, and the effects of income can make the people at the higher end of the food chain feel immune to the effects of oppression -- until there's job loss, or spouse loss (half income gone).
Black people, black women in particular, are better about remembering those that haven't made it yet. But after you read this, and you think about "The New Blacks," their relevant self-centeredness, and their eagerness to believe, along with so many white people, that race isn't real you'll realize that we have a lot fewer Commons, Pharrells, and Rayven-Symones among us than we should have. That's a reason to be proud.
But, the other thing I realize is - other than the wheel is round -- that adopting these white-ish attitudes are the reason for some of the new blacks success. Very white Hollywood and the less white dominated music industry embraces people they are comfortable with -- not the people we, as black and brown people, are comfortable with.
It would be easy to say that White Hollywood uplift the Whoopies and Zoe Saldanas and Taye Diggs-es because they like irritating us -- and that is somewhat true. Whoopi and Raven-Symone are there to say controversial things and get those ratings. At the same time, however, white Hollywood can't figure out why casting some of these new blacks in an otherwise white movie doesn't guarantee a diverse audience.
It is the green dollar line is the line that divides
1) new blacks who think everything's A-Okay racially speaking from old blacks very concerned with the social reality of race and racism;
2) affluent women not concerned about sexism and misogyny from non-affluent women very concerned about sexism and misogyny; and sometimes non-feminist
and also
3) white feminists from black and brown feminists
White women being married to white men, at the top of the societal food chain with most money and power, feel a lot like the black-looking, 350K Megan in the article above.
To be continued in part 2 - http://thankherforsurviving.blogspot.com/2016/06/4-women-4-incomes-2-women-who-dont-see.html
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