Spotlight on Nickel and Dimed: on (not) making it in America Over the years, the ability to survive in the economy American without a university education has decreased. The job opportunities now available to many Americans without college degrees are called "unskilled" jobs. These forms of employment are often unstable and offer low wages with little change for advancement within the company. Low-income families often face many obstacles that prevent them from moving beyond the poverty line. Many misconceptions arise when talking about American families below the poverty line. These misconceptions are highlighted by statements such as that they are not working, working enough, or taking advantage of public assistance they do not need. In Nickel and Dimed on (Not) Getting by In America, Ehrenreich lives like a low-wage worker and reveals the truth about the working poor. The working poor are defined as people who are employed but whose income is below the poverty line. Families classified as “working poor” make up about 72 percent of low-income families. There is a common misconception that families living in poverty do not work enough to provide for their families. Unhappy people who work for low wages are often blamed for not being more conservative in their spending habits. It is also assumed that these people do not work enough hours. These views are often wrong for many working poor families. This can be seen from the fact that the average low-income family has a work effort of approximately two thousand five hundred hours, or the equivalent of one hour and a quarter of forty hours per week. Employment is often...... middle of paper ......nted=all&_r=0>.Ehrenreich, Barbara. Nickel and Dimed: on (not) getting by in America. New York: Picador, 2011. Print. Kim, Marlene. “Issues Facing the Working Poor.” Problems facing the working poor. United States Department of Labor, June 15, 1999. Web. May 28, 2014.The Red Phoenix. “Review of “The Working Poor: Invisible in America”” The Red Phoenix. Np, August 30, 2011. Web. May 28, 2014. United States Census Bureau. "Poverty Facts | Poverty Rates." Poverty in America, we can end it. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2012. Web. May 26, 2014. “The Working Poor Families Project.” The project for poor working families. Np, and Web. May 28 2014. .