The effects of social stratification on American society makes one consider the concept of the American dream. … The American dream describes the individual who goes from rags to riches. This is someone who is poor or disadvantaged, and through diligence and hard work is able to become prosperous and successful.
The American Dream is the national ethos that people’s lives would be better and more abundant with many opportunities. … Therefore, our social class affects our ability to realize the American Dream because we face challenges to make ends meet, intersectionality and education because of high status.…
Social class plays a role in American life by presenting distinct differences among people based on power, wealth, and status within various social classes based on their income.
How does the American Dream affect society?
According to the ideal of the American Dream, everyone deserves the opportunity to pursue happiness and economic prosperity, and the government should protect the right of every citizen to achieve their highest aspirations and goals.
Directly, individuals from higher social classes are more likely to have the means to attend more prestigious schools, and are therefore more likely to receive higher educations. Indirectly, individuals who benefit from such higher education are more likely to land prestigious jobs, and in turn, higher salaries.
How does education affect the American Dream?
For many Americans, their dream is to provide a better future for their children, hinging on financial security. … With high returns – an average $1 million increase in lifetime earnings for each college degree – higher education is the only investment that can lift a child out of poverty and into their American Dream.
How is education an obstacle to the American Dream?
While most Americans believe that higher education is valuable for students and beneficial to society, they also believe that the state of the economy, self-interest, and costs inhibit some institutions from helping students achieve the American Dream.
Sociologists generally posit three classes: upper, working (or lower), and middle. The upper class in modern capitalist societies is often distinguished by the possession of largely inherited wealth.
It matters to sociologists because the fact that it exists reflects unequal access to rights, resources, and power in society—what we call social stratification. As such, it has a strong effect on the access an individual has to education, the quality of that education, and how high a level he or she can reach.
The United States has roughly six social classes:
- Upper class.
- New money.
- Middle class.
- Working class.
- Working poor.
- Poverty level.
How is the American dream different for everyone?
The American dream is different for each of us. Some may want to get rich while others are more concerned with just being safe from an oppressive government and to escape poverty. It all depends on our interests and abilities, and our desire to work and achieve whatever goals we have.
Is the American Dream still alive today?
According to a survey of over 14,000 Americans, 37% of the population believe the American dream is less attainable than it used to be. This is down to a range of different factors. … In conclusion, the American dream is alive and can be achieved.
The fact that lower‐class people have been found to hold more egalitarian values and to be more likely to help regardless of compassion level suggests that it is the greater resources of higher‐class participants that makes them more selfish and therefore less likely to help others.
In all social groups class plays a major role in the attainment of children in education. … At all age groups in the education system it is apparent that working class children achieve lower attainment than children from a middle class background.
By comparing their wealth, education, occupation, aesthetic tastes, and behaviour with those of others, individuals can determine where they stand in the social hierarchy, and this subjective social rank then shapes other aspects of their social behaviour. More recent research has confirmed these findings.