Final Dreamz


So, I focused primarily on gender and the American Dream and how the opportunistic feature of the dream is unequal when concerning genders as there are certain notions embedded into society that place men at a higher ranking of success than women. The issues revolving around this idea is that the success and opportunities of women are hindered by the gender stereotypes that surround aspects of living such as education, occupations, income and more.

I learned that men and women share slightly different definitions of the American Dream. In terms of the nature of the American Dream, men responded by saying that it was mostly about acquiring material goods, while women were more likely to say that the Dream was about acquiring spiritual happiness (White & Hanson 84). I found that interesting as I would of also expected a sentiment towards material goods from women, however the spiritual happiness I had expected to have greater numbers by women.

More knowledge I encountered on my research was within the scholarly article “The Women's Obstacle Course: Southern African-American and Rural Women's Barriers to Academic Achievement,” by philosophy professor at FSU Sue Hammons-Bryner, which
focused on women’s obstacles towards educating themselves and why the American Dream has been made difficult by gender barriers, specifically for women. “The widespread use of white, urban, middle-class christian males as subjects in achievement studies reflects the race, class, and gender biases of scholarly research that portrays White, middle-class male traits as the standard for achievement and achievement motivation”  (Hammons-Bryner). Hammons-Bryner identifies that white males are the dominant force of success in education, ultimately creating the gender bias within education and thus allowing for men to have a greater chance of success for future dreams.

I also learned more about my topic from University of Connecticut professor Benjamin Newman’s article “Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Local Gender-Based Earnings Inequality and Women’s Belief in the American Dream,” which focuses on how women’s belief in the American Dream is hindered due to gender based earnings inequality. “While worthy of note, celebration of these gains is tempered by the fact that the median American woman at present earns only 72 cents for each dollar earned by the median man, 1 and that gender gaps persist in forms of participation beyond voting in political interest and knowledge and in the political ambition and representation of women,” Newman highlights the gender gap with income and goes on to demonstrate how women may be distracted from achieving their dreams with the constant struggle of gender disparity.

Overall, I have concluded that a women’s version of the American Dream may be presented with the obstacle of gender stereotypes and gaps that cause a lack in confidence and thus less successes in future endeavors. Hammons-Bryner and Newman both identified areas in which women lacked the same amount of achievement as men, including education and earnings. However, I think that a reduction in the gender stereotypes and gaps can help to improve the women’s success in the American Dream.


Comments

  1. UnknownDecember 5, 2017 at 12:38 AM

    I think it this topic is really interesting, and I completely agree with what you said in the intro paragraph about expecting women to have more material goods in mind compared to spiritual. I mean, after all, we are women, and we like nice things. I think it is extremely unfair that women are stereotyped till this day about how we are weaker and cannot achieve great things compared to a man, especially a white privileged man. I would think that by now, the twenty first century, we would have overcame this gender barrier because America is centered around equality. Women are usually seen as "smarter" than men (academically) in classrooms, so why are we still seen as lesser? The fact that women make only 72 cents to a man's dollar is surprising and upsetting. Because of all the stereotypes, women can be discouraged and not think they can achieve the American dream. Also, resources may hinder their journey to the top as well because there are so many sexist people out there who doubt the abilities of women.

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  2. Andrew BarrettDecember 6, 2017 at 8:27 PM

    I find the topic of gender difference in the American Dream interesting. I don't like the gender roles given to women in America. I find it disappointing there aren't more women in STEM. Women can do math and science just as well as men, so why is it mostly men? Gender roles and stereotypes, I think. I hope we're reaching and end of the family model where women are expected to cook, and clean, and take care of the kids. I hope were reaching a family model where men and women have a more equal role in supporting the children and the family's finance.

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