In Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism, Robbins identifies the defining traits of the workforce, including segmentation and resistance. Nickel and Dimed act as a complement to help explain these traits through Ehrenreich's experiences living for a short time as a minimum wage worker. In describing the segmentation of the workforce, Ehrenreich notes the complete dehumanization that occurs daily towards those who are considered unskilled workers, employees in the hiring phase, and women. Resistance to change within the workforce is also documented. Nickel and Dimed show how the ambition to evolve into a higher working class is hindered and systematically made difficult, producing a market that profits by essentially causing enslavement and hardship for low-wage workers. Robbins writes about segmentation within social classes by businesses to target market individuals and increase profits (Robbins 22). The same type of stratification prevails within the working population. This type of population, however, is used to maintain a large underclass and has enormous consequences for those who are victims of such segregation. One of the themes displayed by Nickel and Dimed is the lack of humanism within the workforce. Ehrenreich does a great job of pointing out that this contributes to worker segmentation. It makes it very clear that there is a distinct difference between how low-wage workers and others experience employment. One thing that is used to perpetuate this division in the United States is terms like “unskilled workers.” Ehrenreich emphasizes that in reality, the unskilled worker does not exist. She notes that every job she's entered has required her to learn... middle of paper... clothes and emergencies. When it’s presented so clearly, it’s easy to understand why people get stuck. If one is never stable in such a fundamental way, it is almost impossible to acquire the skills, time and resources necessary to obtain a better-paying job. From the examples presented previously, it can be concluded that as a culture, labor is rather oppressive. Its success is based on the failure of people. It depends on citizens' lack of ability to overcome circumstances and move up the socio-economic ladder. That's not to say that the workforce isn't incredibly dependent on high-paying jobs, like those of CEOs or company directors. This, however, seems to perpetuate and foster a lack of humanism, as Nickel and Dimed show. A system in which people find themselves trapped and therefore face discrimination, dehumanizing practices and a lack of adequate remuneration..