21st Century American Dream Research Paper

James Adam coined the term “American Dream” as a life that is “better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability and achievement” (The American Dream). Hence, the American Dream is about gaining freedom and opportunities to express oneself through hard work. In the 1950s, women were seen as “homemakers” and child caretakers; their version of the American Dream were to help support the “breadwinners” of the family. However, over time, social norms began to change; women in the 21st century now pursue their own American Dream by joining the workforce to help them obtain more opportunities and freedom in life. Compared to women in the 20th century, women in the 21st century now have an easier time obtaining

According to the House Beautiful, a popular magazine about domestic art, in order for women to be the perfect housewife, they had to “meet…[their] husband’s every need” by “understanding why he wants it this way” and “forgetting…[their] their own preferences” to tend to him instead (Britten and Brash 58). This magazine reinforced the message that women should abandon any career aspirations to take care of not only their children but also their husband. Women only had to support their husbands, the breadwinner of the family, to ensure that they were well rested and fed, so they could make enough money to provide a life with a decent standard of living in the suburbs; the standards back then prevented women from entering the workforce. Hence, during the 1950s, women also achieved their version of the American dream by becoming the ideal

To illustrate, “...about 52 percent of all management...and related occupations were held by women in 2015” (Doughtie). This shows that compared to back then, women are now joining the workforce to express to society that they can do the same work as men and to obtain better opportunities like a higher standard of living for themselves. Back in the 1950s, women were not even allowed to consider anything outside their traditional roles of being a mother, homemaker, or a wife; now, they are slowly integrating into different industries such as business which was once dominated by men. Furthermore, some companies even have female leaders; an example is that AVON’s Corporation Executive Officer is Andrea Jung, a woman who is in charge of “[updating her company’s] business model and modernizing a brand” that has been around for a while (Bell). To be more specific, women have not only joined the workforce as simply members of the industry, but they have also climbed to higher managing positions in them. Compared to the 1950s when women were subjected to roles that limited them to the household, women in the 21st century now join the workforce to seek more opportunities that allow them to have more freedom to express themselves. By the 21st century, women now join the workforce in an increasingly