Gender Divide and the American Dream

The gender divide in American has always been prevalent and will continue you to be. As with salary, rights, opportunity and so much more women are at more of a disadvantage then men because of they way society has given gender roles. Many men and women perceive the world differently solely because of the way society has told them that they should view it this way or that. The American Dream is no different in that men and women share different views and ideas of the American Dream. 

While I was skimming through the book "The American Dream in the 21st Century" there were many chapters and ideas that caught my attention but the one that stuck with me that most was the chapter on gender and the American Dream. "Whose Dream? Gender and the American Dream" is chapter five in the book and Sandra L. Hanson talks about how, as you probably guessed, gender and the American Dream. Hanson identifies the background of gender rights and equality, she talks about how "education, occupation, earnings, politics, and opportunity shows a gender divide that (in spite of progress) remains considerable" (96). She also goes into detail about different attitudes on women and men being unequal. Throughout the chapter Hanson gives evidence on her claims in the forms of tables, polls and surveys. In this surveys women and men are asked question about their American Dreams and Hanson uses the answers to shows how women perceive the dream differently. 

I chose this chapter because I am a women so, I was curious on how the American Dream differed from man to women. I also am a supporter of women's rights and equality so I felt this chapter intrigued me the most. As Hanson wraps up her chapter she concludes "gender contrasts do show that men believe in the dream more than women do, and men are more likely to define it in material ways" (96). So, the inequality of men and women does have an effect on how they perceive the American Dream. The belief that women believe in the dream less could relate to the fact that "women are more likely then men to see the inequity in the dream" and how women feel that the American dream is unfair. Overall, Hanson concludes that women feel the American Dream is unfair and men have more opportunity therefore women believe in the dream less. 

While I was reading this chapter one main question kept running through my mind. What ways can society change the dream in the future to have equal dream for men and women? Even better, not just changing the dream to be equal for women but what can society change to make the dream equal for everyone who is treated unequal? Before there can be an equal view of the American Dream, there has to be equality throughout the U.S. and we aren't very close to achieving that anytime soon.