Low-Wage Life-Project Proposal for Hypertext 3

Bonnie C. Given

Professor Bousquet

Critical Thinking and Writing-Writing with New Media

November 4, 2009

For my third project, I would like to investigate the job of housekeepers and their struggle with a difficult low wage job in society. I have a fairly strong connection with this topic since my family has employed housekeepers for about eight years. Although I have come to see our housekeepers as wholesome, hard-working people, the limits of their work make it very difficult to move up in society. The concept of American Myth and Anti-American myth applies well to the lives of housekeepers who can’t move up from rags to riches, despite their desire to do so (Shipler 33). Ehrenreich uses the tool of describing low-wage jobs as difficult, but requiring little brain activity (73). A housekeeper’s work may be strenuous, but it is looked down upon because a maid doesn’t need an education, or a great amount of intelligence, to complete her day-to-day work. Also, she describes the workers as being worthless and controllable in nearly every context (84). A housekeeper is totally controlled by their employer because they are required to follow the rules of how the owner wants their house cleaned. Low-wage jobs are viewed as the worst of the worst (Schlosser 177). A low-wage worker can only move up. In a positive light, a housekeeper can receive more job opportunities and hope for better wages. However, people like Caroline may never experience this upward movement (61). Since most housekeepers are usually Mexicans, a huge problem in their occupation is trying to break down the racial barriers that place them even lower on the social scale (Ehrenreich 79). Shipler also touches on the topic of whether a low-wage worker should be able to experience to enjoy some of the luxuries of American life, even if they can’t afford it (33). A housekeeper may not consider his or herself as a full “American” if they don’t use some of their income for these indulgences. In general, it is debate of where the line can be drawn and when a member of low-income can make sacrifices to be a full member of their society. These three resources display the life of low-wage workers in several ways. Housekeepers represent a small population of these workers but deal with these issues daily, usually for most of their lives.

Works Cited

Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickle and Dimed. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 2001. Print.

Schlosser, Eric. Fast Food Nation. New York: Harper Perennial, 2005. Print.

Shipler, David K. The Working Poor. New York: Vintage Books, 2004. Print.