Sociology Paper #2 (2)

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Intro to Sociology - Najifa Tanjeem May 5th, 2023 - Sociology Paper #2 Shreya Mishra ● Introduction: Intersectionality shows how different social categories such as race, social class, ethnicity, nationality, and immigration status are connected to each other in complex and overlapping ways and create opportunities as well as constraints for many. I would like to apply intersectionality using the categories of immigration status, social class, and education, using my parents as an example, and wish to highlight the fact that not all immigrants are the same and that while my parents had opportunities to enter and work in the U.S. based on their past education and experience, there are also significant disadvantages for many who have not had the opportunities or background that my parents did, and I will highlight those differences with some examples. Institutions like the economy/tech companies created opportunities during the internet boom in the late 1990s but not for all because educated and experienced immigrants had an advantage over many citizens and residents who could not afford higher education in the U.S. or gain relevant workplace experience. It is even worse for others who should be granted asylum when they are fleeing from violence, but some end up as undocumented immigrants who live in the shadows and are exploited in many ways because they have no social standing and voice (except advocates who speak on their behalf). Many are exploited both by employers and criminals. I would like to address the importance of housing as a wealth creator and also the current state of U.S. Healthcare which can adversely impact one’s wealth and financial standing. Intersectionality can also be applied to immigrant groups depending on their level of education, knowledge of English, documented or undocumented status, and socioeconomic status. For example, A study found that "...Not all immigrants are alike in the eyes of U.S.

citizens. The immigrant groups that were ascribed positive characteristics most often belonged to privileged groups, marked by their use of English, proximity to Whiteness, and higher occupational status. These studies show us that immigrant groups are variously accepted into U.S. society, based on their ethnic, racial, and religious resemblances to the dominant majority, as well as by the opportunities and challenges arising from their educational and professional statuses." (Reference #5) All Immigrants Are Not Alike: Intersectionality Matters in Views of Immigrant Groups Özge Savaş, Ronni M. Greenwood, Benjamin T. Blankenship, Abigail J. Stewart, Kay Deaux . Additionally, "...The image of an immigrant (vs. someone native-born) is generally associated with lower power and status in many societies, but immigrants have additional social positions that affect their status. These include reasons for migration (voluntary vs. forced) and legality (documented vs. undocumented)" (Reference #5). So, for example, many fleeing "...gang violence, threats, extortion, persecution, and sexual violence" in Central America have very little opportunity to rebuild their lives and get access to affordable health care. (Reference #6) ● Opportunities due to government policy, economy, and education My parents are first-generation immigrants from India who had the opportunity to enter the U.S. during the late 1990s on H1B Visas as software developers. This was due to "...the Internet boom years when workers in computer-related occupations became the largest share of H-1B visa holders." (Reference #1) ranging from 65,000 foreign workers a year to 115,000 a year in 1999. Also, "...The U.S. Department of Commerce estimates that during the late 1990s, 28 percent of all U.S. programming jobs were held by H-1B visa holders." (Reference #1). The economy despite some challenges was doing well, and there was a demand for skilled IT workers. While my parents had degrees from Indian Universities, they had graduated from a

highly-ranked school that was recognized in the U.S. and had relevant work experience (about five years). So, they did not have the burden of college debt since higher education was much more affordable in India. Additionally, language was not a barrier for them since they were fluent in English because of their study and work unlike many immigrants to the U.S. from Spanish-speaking countries or immigrants to Finland where the language is a significant barrier (Reference #4) to assimilating into their society. In hindsight, they feel their knowledge of English (Reference #5) was a huge advantage apart from being aware of some aspects of U.S. society before they arrived and they were not prevented from entering like the Chinese were under the Exclusion Act at one time. To summarize, clearly, the good economy, IT boom, and demand for software developers created opportunities for many educated immigrants. However, the H1B visa also created issues for others, for example "...They estimate that absent the influx of foreigners, U.S. computer scientists would have earned between 2.6 and 5.1 percent more in 2001. Moreover, some U.S. workers switched to other occupations, lowering the number of domestic computer scientists by between 6 and 11 percent." (Reference #1, #2), though innovation and productivity by foreign scientists resulted in other fields benefiting and lowering consumer prices. ● Constraints of work visas One issue my mother faced during her green card process was that she could not change employers and the company she worked for did not raise her salary appreciably year after year despite her good job performance until she received her green card. There are cases like hers when companies took advantage of H1B workers by not promoting them. Additionally, the green card process took a long time for South Asian Indians, Chinese, and Mexican immigrants, it was a tense process at times, especially when the economy crashed during the 2008 financial crisis

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since according to current H1Visa rules, laid-off workers on work visas have to leave the country within thirty days if they cannot find another employer to sponsor their visa. However, despite everything my parents realized the importance of owning a home early on, even a modest one and it helped all of us have a stable base in a relatively safe town and helped us build our financial assets (Reference #3 Racial Wealth Gap Documentary - Netflix) While the school district was not rated very highly when we were born, it improved a lot over time and my brother and I received a good education from great teachers at school. Our family would fall in the middle-class category. Despite the challenges that my parents faced during the immigration process, they were in a better position than many refugees who arrived here with nothing. I was able to perform well enough in school to be admitted to Umass Lowell in Computer Science. While the immigration system is under a lot of stress I think it’s important not to treat immigrants like criminals, unless they have committed violent crimes. So one suggestion that I have is by giving undocumented workers residency rights using a token system after a background check (to eliminate violent criminals from the process) so that they can become tax-paying residents and contribute positively which will also ensure that they are paid fairly since right now some employers take advantage of undocumented workers. Also, H1Visa workers should be allowed to live and work/ pursue other professions even if they lose their job as long as they have not committed crimes. Since the green card process takes time, workers who have contributed to the economy, paid taxes, social security, etc. should be treated fairly, not like criminals and a token system can be used to prioritize permanent resident processing and a pathway to citizenship. However, the issue of affordable healthcare in the US is critical because it is extremely expensive and can potentially destroy one’s personal wealth in the event of an emergency,

especially if a person cannot afford health insurance or the insurance won’t cover treatment. ● Institution of healthcare and its current state in the US. The U.S. has the worst healthcare in terms of accessibility and affordability. A news article from Mother Jones reported that high healthcare costs were due to physician prices, hospital services, pharmaceuticals, and diagnostic tests. High prices clearly restrict accessibility. Also, “... Administrative costs are much higher in the U.S” (Reference #7) compared to other countries. A single catastrophic incident or hospitalization has the potential to bankrupt many families regardless of their immigration or social status in most cases. Not just that, Jacobin reports that the current administration recently “... is endorsing a plan to funnel significantly more Medicare money to insurance companies and further privatize the government insurance program for older Americans and those with disabilities.” (Reference #9). Private insurance companies will profit from “...the highest Medicare premium increases in history” (Reference #9) at the expense of Medicare subscribers. So, clearly, healthcare needs immediate reform. ● Issues with private health insurance and some solutions that have been offered. The question that needs to be asked is why patients can't pay the doctor or healthcare facility directly and what value do insurance companies provide when 20% (or in some cases greater) of insurance premiums are spent on administrative, overhead, and marketing costs which is wasteful. (Reference #8). Additionally, a single-payer system (“Medicare for all”) can be a solution where we can pay more taxes like Canada and get single-payer healthcare without insurance companies since they appear to be middlemen. The program would save about $500 billion and " .... be funded by combining our current, considerable sources of public funding (such as Medicare and Medicaid) with modest new taxes based on ability to pay." (Reference #10). This would eliminate

premiums, co-payments, and deductibles which gives patients as well as doctors independence from insurance companies "...and 95 percent of all households would save money." (Reference #10) References The economic impact of the H1B program 1. https://www.nber.org/digest/apr17/winners-and-losers-h-1b-visa-program The effects of high-skilled immigration policy on firms by Kirk Doran, Alexander Gelber, Adam Isen. 2. https://gspp.berkeley.edu/assets/uploads/research/pdf/h1b.pdf Racial Wealth Gap and Home Ownership 3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqrhn8khGLM Racism in Nordic countries especially in Finland 4. https://harvardpolitics.com/nordic-racism/ All Immigrants Are Not Alike: Intersectionality Matters in Views of Immigrant Groups Özge Savaş, Ronni M. Greenwood, Benjamin T. Blankenship, Abigail J. Stewart, Kay Deaux . 5. https://jspp.psychopen.eu/index.php/jspp/article/view/5575/5575.html 6. https://www.unrefugees.org State of US Health Care 7. https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2018/03/us-health-care-spending-is-hi gh-because-we-pay-more-for-everything/

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80/20 rule 8. https://www.healthcare.gov/health-care-law-protections/rate-review/#:~:text=The %2080%2F20%20Rule%20generally,Medical%20Loss%20Ratio%2C%20or%20 MLR . 9. https://jacobin.com/2022/06/joe-biden-medicare-prices-health-insurance Alternative to private health insurance 10. https://pnhp.org/what-is-single-payer/

Sociology Paper #2 (2)

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