The American Class Structure in an Age of Growing Inequality

Why is social inequality in America increasing?

In this Eighth Edition of his acclaimed and thought-provoking text, author Dennis Gilbert explores historical and contemporary empirical studies of class inequality in America through the lens of nine key variables. Focusing on the socioeconomic core of the American class system, Gilbert describes a consistent pattern of growing inequality in the United States since the early 1970s. In his search for the answer to why class disparities continue to increase, Gilbert examines changes in the economy, family life, and politics, drawing on vivid first-person accounts to illustrate the human emotion wrapped up in class issues.

Dennis Gilbert is Professor of Sociology Emeritus at Hamilton College. His publications include The Oligarchy and the Old Regime in Latin America, 1880 to 1970 (2017), Mexico’s Middle Class in the Neoliberal Era (2007), and Sandinistas: The Party and the Revolution (1991).