Introduction
It is a common phrase, the world over, that America is the land of opportunity where dreams of many in terms of social status are actualized. Severally, people talk about the American dream and the numerous chances of making it through the many opportunities that abound. Consequently, America found its moniker as the land of opportunity. This view is not restricted to the working class alone, indeed this view is also held by high school students who have an understanding of the relative privilege existent in America. The students usually measure the social position of their family against their friends’ families as well as doing a comparison between the financial positions of their community as against the other communities. Students mainly of the middle class position, have little understanding of the working of the American class structure which has not changed over time. Besides the ignorance evident amongst high school students about the working of the American class structure, they also exhibit a poor understanding of sociology. These students usually hold the view that poor persons in society are to blame for their predicament. The lack of an understanding of the working of social structure that pushes people to their respective social position explains the flawed and erroneous assumption that opportunities are equal to all in America. As will appear later in this discourse, to presume that all persons in America have equal opportunities is to lose sight of reality and ignorance of how the social structure works.
This general perception amongst high school students can be attributed to textbooks that these students learn from while in school. Despite the fact that history textbooks for high school students highlight the major and specific points of labor history in the country, the same books ignore the strikes of the 1980s and the prevailing situation in the labor market. Some of the aspects that those textbooks fail to cover include issues facing labor such as the exportation of jobs to overseas and the growth of multi-national corporations. To this end, authors of high school textbooks construe labor history only as that of long time ago. As a result, they assume that the labor issues have been fixed and as such trade unions for laborers are not necessary. Consequently, those textbooks consider the existence of trade unions for workers as superfluous. In effect, American textbooks available to high school students for history studies never anchor their analysis of the events in labor history on social class.
Almost half of these high school textbooks omit any discussion of class structure, social class, income distribution, inequality or social stratification. The absence of an examination of class structure is especially evident in a textbook that seeks students to describe the three middle class values that united free Americans of all classes. This statement can only proceed under an assumption that all Americans are of middle class. As such, the mindset forged by high school students is partly shaped by their textbooks which fall short of important labor data.
A number of persons have worked their way up the social ladder in America and thus regard America as a land of opportunity. However, this is not always the case for all. The extent of individual chances of succeeding and realizing the American dream is dependent on the race, income, ethnicity, wealth and education of one’s parents. His study attempts to counter the widely held perception that opportunities are available to all persons in equal measure irrespective of their backgrounds. I shall do an audit of the factors that contribute to one’s success in the social world in America.
Race
A study conducted on the labor market especially on job opportunities for minimum wage jobs, indicates a bias against persons of African and Asian descent. A study of employment opportunities in central Harlem of fast-foods business show employers, even of black descent, tend to favor applicants who are not of African descent. This does not mean that the representation of the blacks in the minimum wage businesses is low. On the contrary, the blacks constitute the highest number of employees in such relatively low-end jobs. Nonetheless, their rate of rejection in application for employment is usually at a higher rate than that of applicants that hail from other ethnic backgrounds and possessing similar educational qualifications.
Research also indicates that the racial prejudice when it comes to employment is not restricted to low end jobs. It has been the finding of such studies that black professors work in classroom while teaching is usually distinct and more complex compared to the white professors. This is due to the extensive emotional management required in order to negotiate a devalued racial status. This negotiation and identity of black professors in classroom is marked by social constraints which have the effect of influencing the emotional demands of teaching thus increasing the workload of the black professors and thus hampering their efficiency.
This reliance on race in opinion making amongst students on race is due to the fact that race is normally an attribute that people consider while making opinions about groups and individuals. The black dons, therefore, find themselves fighting racial stigma which in many events take an emotional toll on them.
Income/wealth
The income of one’s parents also has a bearing on the chances of upward mobility in social status in America. This factor usually goes back to the initial stages of a child at birth. A poor mother or parent is more likely bound to lack essential medical care for her child than a rich mother or parent. In most instances, mothers go to hospitals during the last stages of pregnancy. As a result of poor care afforded to poor mother, usually the babies from poor families are less healthy compared to those of the rich parents. More so, conditions of life after birth while at home are distinctively different. Children from affluent backgrounds are able to get the best of education in topnotch schools that take care of their individual needs. In most cases, even children from poor backgrounds who are fortunate enough to attend similar schools as those from rich families face a myriad of challenges. Social science research has shown that teachers are often surprised at students of poor parents who excel. This negative perception even amongst teachers is compounded by the limited and careless attention accorded to children from poor families. In addition, students from rich families enroll in special coaching sessions for aptitude test. Besides, affluent children benefit from sharing of a similar background with test makers of the aptitude tests as well as getting along with the vocabulary and the assumptions of such aptitude tests.
As a result, the social class of a student’s parents to a big extent determines whether the student will attend college or not. In effect, most students from rich families are able to acquire white collar jobs owing to their superior education. On the other hand, students from poor backgrounds end up with blue collar jobs which are less rewarding in terms of remuneration. As such, the income of one’s parents has a determining factor on the social status of the particular person. It therefore follows that it cannot be said with authority that all Americans have equal opportunities to flourish in the economic world.
Ethnicity
The ethnicity of a particular individual has an effect on their mobility up the social ladder. Studies have indicated that legal immigrants have been favored b employers at the expense of the native-born Americans in hiring. Native-born applicants normally find themselves at a disadvantage compared to the immigrants when it comes to securing entry-level work. This phenomenon is explicable since the immigrants find the wage usually offered as attractive and thus are more dedicated in their work. In contrast, native-born Americans find such wages as unattractive since they do not benefit from the comparatively low wages that the immigrants are usually well aware of in their home countries. More so, Latinos find it easier to find work compared to African-Americans as evidenced by their rate of employment. The acquisition of jobs translates to better living conditions and a step towards realizing the American dream for the individual.
Conclusion
While it has been sold that America is a land full of opportunities for realization of people’s dreams, the same is not the case. It may well be the case that a number have succeeded in reaching this mark. However, it need be borne in mind that several factors such as ethnicity, race and income of an individual contribute to the rate of mobility of an individual way up the social ladder.
Works Cited
Ehrenreich, B. "“Nickel-and-Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America,”." Harper Magazine (1999): 1-10. < http://www.ems.ucsb.edu/people/rightmire/ling2/Nickel-and-Dimed_excerpt.pdf>.
Harlow, Roxanna. ""Race Doesn't Matter, but": The Effect of Race on Professors' Experiences and Emotion Management in the Undergraduate College Classroom." Social Psychology Quarterly 66.4 (2003): 348-363. < http://www.fsu.edu/~soc/sws/Harlow_2008_Race.pdf>.
Leung, Ying Ling. The Model Minority Myth: Asian Americans Confront Grwoing Backlash. New York: Center for Third World Reporting , 1987.
Loewen, James. "The Land of Opportunity." Introduction to Sociology (2009): 317-326. < http://www.musichost.com/professormike/pdf/Loewen.pdf>.
Newman , K and Chauncy Lennon. ""The Job Ghetto,"." The American Prospect 22 (1995): 66-67.
