Short answers, pulled from the story.
Merchants were explicitly ranked below peasants in the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan. This historical detail contradicts modern assumptions about economic power always translating to social status.
Black women make up 6% of employed workers but are 32% of home aids and earn on average $23,803 per year while performing essential labor. They constitute nearly two-thirds of workers in the 20 occupations with the lowest median wages for full-time year-round employees.
The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 was originally designed as a tool to reduce class inequality establishing labor standards for employees. Employers are set to pay a minimum wage which has changed over time taking place from 2007 to 2009 increasing from $5.85 to $7.25 per hours.
Psychologist Thomas Fuller-Rowell states experiences of class discrimination are often subtle rather than blatant. The exact reason for unfair treatment is often not clear to the victim according to his professional association posting.
An article citing a 2000 IRS source related to earned income reports that in 1997 this program lost $7.8 billion due to fraud and errors. These funds which could have benefited the working poor were consequently unavailable to them due to mismanagement and theft.