There has been an ongoing public discussion on the issue of raising the federal minimum wage for America's workers, which has remained the same for over eight years. The minimum
wage was raised in October of 1996 from $4.25 an hour to $4.75 an hour. In September 1997,
the minimum wage was again raised to $5.15 an hour. (Information current as of November
2005.)
One side of the debate maintains that a higher minimum wage will decrease the poverty level
of many workers. Individuals on the other side of the debate believe that a higher minimum
wage will lead to more unemployment because small businesses cannot afford the increase in
wages.
Write a short three-sentence summary of how each of the sociologists below would react to
the proposal to raise the minimum wage.
1) Herbert Spencer 2) Talcott Parsons 3) Emile Durkheim 4) Max Weber