Journalist Barbara Ehrenreich (2001), discussed in a "How do we know what we know?" box in your text, worked in entry-level jobs as a cleaning woman, waitress in Key West, and Wal-Mart "associate"

Question

Please describe her experiences that were discussed in your text. What does she say about the Protestant work ethic—that if you work hard enough, you can make it in America? How did she compare the U.S. to other countries, in terms of low-wage work and benefits?
What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

At Wal-Mart, Ehrenreich had to stay late to clean up and arrive early to set up, both "off the books" (without pay). Working two jobs, she could not afford rent on an apartment and lived out of a car or in a run-down weekly rate motel, eating soup out of cans she heated on a hot plate. Ehrenreich had to wear an adult diaper because she was not permitted to take bathroom breaks during her shift. She often relied on the kindness of strangers, as her co-workers were always offering to share what little they had. Only the working poor, she sadly concluded, actually believe in the Protestant work ethic—that if you work hard enough, you can make it in America. The middle class has long since abandoned such illusions. She concluded that most "civilized nations" provided more services including health insurance, subsidized child care and housing, and public transportation, which help balance low wages.