Modern StudiesSocial Inequalities in the USA - HOUSING

Introduction - housing

Housing can have a huge impact on a person’s quality of life.

Housing depends on wealth – if someone is living in poverty they are more likely to live in a poorer area with poor quality housing.

Crime is much more common in poorer areas.

Poor housing is linked to poorer levels of health.

Housing and the White Flight

White Flight – in many major US cities there are distinct areas where most of the people are of the same ethnic groups – so called ‘vanilla suburbs’.

This is because people have decided to separate themselves i.e. segregate themselves.

Minorities moved to the cities in search for

work & escape racismBeing poor,

they found housing in the cheapest areas

Cities became poorer because ‘tax dollars’

went to the suburbs

Many better off whites ‘fled’ the cities & settled in the suburbs

Many businesses closed down or moved away

City has less money to spend on

services like schools

Areas becomes run down

The White Flight

Middle class black flight

From the 1960s onwards, many ethnic minorities became “middle class.”

They had good jobs and they too “fled” to the suburbs.

This is known as the “middle class black flight.”

The pattern of US cities look something a little like this:

A Model of US Cities

White Flight: less than 1/3 live in inner cities.

The majority live in the suburbs.

Minorities Middle Class Flight: Blacks and Hispanics with good jobs move to the suburbs.

INNER CITIES Majority of African Americans & Hispanics live here. Blacks refer to it as the ghetto. Hispanics refer to it as the barrio.

Businesses Leave:

the area becomes poorer.

Segregated housing

In the USA housing is very segregated – this means that the different racial groups tend to live apart.

Blacks and Hispanics tend to be concentrated in inner city areas due to poverty.

Rich whites and Asians live in the high class suburbs.

Inner city areas - Ghettos

Ghettos – inner city areas - are areas of poor housing and will often have the poorest people living in them. As Black and Hispanic people tend to be poorer, areas such as the Bronx have a high percentage of ethnic minorities.

The South Bronx

Conditions in the Ghettos

• 9.3 million Americans live in overcrowded or physically inadequate.

• Housing is run-down with poorly lit streets & few local shops.

• Streets are not cleaned regularly – rats and cockroaches are common.

• Play parks are vandalised and children play in the street.

• Mainly Blacks and Hispanics live here.

Middle-class suburbs

Wisteria Lane in Desperate Housewives – although fictional – is a good example of middle class suburbs.

As people in the white and black middle classes have gotten richer, they have moved out of the inner cities into the outskirts – suburbs.

Not all people in the suburbs are white. There are white suburbs and black suburbs.

Conditions in the suburbs

• Detached houses with gardens.

• Tree-lined, well lit streets.

• Good schools with modern equipment and well staffed schools.

• Parents drive children around or they have their own cars once they can drive.

High class suburbs

Mainly whites live here.Only the very rich live here e.g.

Hollywood stars. High fences and security gates.Large gardens with pools.Houses have alarms, video cameras,

private security forces patrolling the streets.

Huge houses.

Then they have kids of their own

Few positive role models in the community – crime and gangs are common

Can’t afford to flee to the suburbs

Suffer discrimination

Minority children borninto poor conditions

Unemployed or working in low

paid jobs.

Failure in School - leave with no qualifications

The Cycle of Poverty

Home ownership rates

Ethnic Group 2010

White 74.4%

Black 45.4%

Hispanic 47.5%

API 58.9%

Native Americans 52.3%

Question

• There are inequalities in housing between different ethnic groups in the USA.

• Describe, in detail, two inequalities in housing between different ethnic groups in the USA. (4 marks)