Sociology

Introduction    
The data from the U.S census on white families with two parents and two children with low-income levels has been constant in census carried out in 1999 and 2009. The lack of changes in the data may be an indication of stagnation of life in the economic well being of the low earning white families over the period.

Literature Review
National Statistics      
 According to the U.S censors Bureau (2010), the number of white families with an income of less than 10,000 by the year-end 2007 was 3.6 of the white population. Out of this, 1.3 earned less than 2,500 per month. Family expenditure for families with an income less than  56,870 and with children under 2 years was  8,500 and for those with children between 15- 17 years had an expenditure of about 9,450. These figures were the same as the census carried out in 2000.  The census shows that 5,259 families under the age of 65 years earn less than 15,000. The highest age bracket is for families between 25 to 34 years where 1,496 families earn below 15,000. The age bracket with the lowest number of low earning families is those with 75years and over where only 411 families earn below  15,000 (U.S Census, 2010).
                                                       
Observations
In the statistics data above, a family that earns below 56,000 has expenditure between 8500 and 9500 per child depending on the age of the child. This is considering that the expenditure is inclusive of clothing, housing, food, medical care, and other important aspects in the familys development.
Scholars agree that stigmatized individuals possess some attribute or characteristic that conveys a social identity that is devalued in a particular social context (Wendy, 2009). We therefore find several trends within this group that are not in line with positive human development.
                                                     
Cultural group
There is a high trend of people having low education levels according to the data, most cannot afford to go above the basic levels of education and this provides a high number of young people with low education. This result into high unemployment rates compared to other classes in the society. The income from those employed is too low to support all their essential needs.

Therefore, crimes in young generations, high level of unemployment in adults as well as drug abuse are much pronounced in this society.
                                                                 
Age
There is a drastic decrease in the number of families above 75 years earning below 15000. It may be assumed that, not many families get to this age and this may explain the decrease in the number of families at this age group. Due to hard economic conditions, the living standard for these people is very low and in most cases, they are not capable of meeting their needs. Children are the most affected due to poor hygiene and harsh environmental conditions. Adults on the other hand are more likely to engage in crimes to sustain their families.
                                                               
Gender
There is a gender imbalance in this class and mostly men are the breadwinners in their families. The rate of unemployment is very high and the income from those employed too little to fully support their families due to low levels of education that cannot secure a well paying job. It leads to stigmatization of the family where women are more affected than men Dont call me out of name because I wont answer you. Dont call me a welfare mother cause thats not who I am (Wendy, 2009). This is an example of a quote from a stigmatized mother who refused to be recognized by her social class.
                                                                 
Discussion
All groups have members who feel more or less indentified with the group however unlike other groups where members are bonded based on collective responsibilities, majority do not identify themselves with their social class (Wendy, 2009). This shows a case of denial and adaptability to the low social class by the members. While others feel emotionally secure to identify themselves with their social life, others have a life of denial and mostly likely may opt for class mobility into a better class. All the same, bonding is a major factor that brings these families together. The social learning theory best explains the lives of these low-income earners as given above.

 In social learning theory, environmental factors as opposed to personal factors are more responsible for the development of a particular personality. Elements beyond the control of a person will greatly influence the career choice. The greatest task in such a case is to find ways of coping with the circumstance as it unfolds.

The latest effort to analyze, categorize, and react to poverty in America, begins with a discussion of the continuing and pervasive appeal of cultural explanations as the root cause of poverty (Marks, 1991).

Discussions on this topic have strong opponents of the theory and proponents who try to prove on either side the relation between cultural values and low income or poverty in a society.
   
The best way to work with and help this group is by making them have a perception that social class boundaries are permeable. This means giving them a positive view that they can make their way from the low social class into the upper class. For those who have made it to the upper class would motivate the others to follow suit. Having studies that portray the social class as permeable as opposed to closed boundaries may help in determining the determinants in upward mobility beliefs (Wendy, 2009). The process of liberation of these people from their social bonding is so strong and plays itself at a psychological level and in most cases, breaking the bond in upward mobility becomes difficult. This is explained by the above theory where members of this social group will just look at nature to take its course in determining their development. The sources of conflict emerge in a situation where, as the members of this group believe, their destiny depends on forces beyond their control outsiders do not usually understand them.          
                                                               
Comparison
Comparing this report with the report on poverty in black families, there are similarities and differences in both cases. The report on black families is based on feminism theory, which explains the gender inequality and segregation of roles in families. However, the rate on poverty is larger in the black clients compared to the white families. In both cases there is a social class problem where mixing with the upper class is taken with suspicions from both sides.

The issues of family conflicts due to limited resources in the family is much extensive in both reports and habits such as drug abuse are distributed regardless of the race. Working with this class might be a unique and interesting activity once you prove that the class barrier can be broken and mobility is possible into an upper class. The challenge all the same will make them to leave the norms associated with this class as explained above.
                                                         
Conclusion
How people in real communities device collective responses to their problems, attempts are underway to provide to provide a common ground which is partly cultural and structural debate. (Marks, 1991). Such a ground when provided will give more light to the cause of social group trends. It will thus be possible to understand ones situation and the reasons why people find themselves in different levels in the society.