Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® Masters Theses & Specialist Projects Graduate School 8-2014 Examining the Influence of Race, Class and Gender Inequalities on Perceptions of the American Dream Since the 2008 Economic Recession Scarlett .D Marklin Western Kentucky University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses Part of the Inequality and Stratification Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, and the Sociology of Culture Commons Recommended Citation Marklin, Scarlett .,D "Examining the Influence of Race, Class and Gender Inequalities on Perceptions of the American Dream Since the 2008 Economic Recession" (2014). Masters Theses & Specialist Projects. Paper 1390. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/theses/1390 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in Masters Theses & Specialist Projects by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact [email protected]. EXAMINING THE INFLUENCE OF RACE, CLASS AND GENDER INEQUALITIES ON PERCEPTIONS OF THE AMERICAN DREAM SINCE THE 2008 ECONOMIC RECESSION A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Sociology Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, Kentucky In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Arts By Scarlett D. Marklin August 2014 I dedicate this thesis to my mom, Susan, who has always been a great inspiration to me. I also dedicate this work to my cohort, finishing a master’s degree on time can be done. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would first and foremost like to acknowledge and thank the members of my committee, Dr. Lauren McClain, Dr. Anne Onyekwuluje and Dr. Holli Drummond for their continued guidance, support and encouragement. Lauren, you are a tremendous mentor and teacher; your insight, infectious nature and dedication has been my foundation throughout my academic career. I am so honored to have been able to “stand on the shoulder of a giant.” Your guidance throughout my graduate career has been invaluable and I would not be the sociologist I am now without you as my mentor. I owe all my success to having such a dedicated mentor, thank you for everything! Dr. Anne Onyekwuluje, you have been an inspiration. Your smiles and encouragement from down the hall always made my days of “gloom and doom” bearable. Your gentle nature pushed me on when I thought I wanted to give up. Our short talks in my office doorway will be missed. Dr. Holli Drummond, thank you for being a wonderful teacher and getting me interested in Sociology as an undergraduate. I may have never stayed the course had I not taken your classes. I’ve learned so much from you over the years and it has been a pleasure to know you. I thank you for all the times you had to fill out forms for me to go to conferences, your guidance and wisdom made my progress at the masters level so much easier; you are amazing. I would like to thank the Department of Sociology at Western Kentucky University for being there for me for the last two years. A special thanks to Dr. James Kanan; you did the impossible and helped me find funding to begin this adventure and without you, I would not have pursued my masters in Sociology. I give a huge shout out to the department head and all around amazing guy, Dr. Doug Smith, the countless times iv I raided your office to borrow books and get advice on how to proceed, you have been a rock for me. I always enjoyed your laughter and your stories of by gone times. You have consistently supported my academic and sociological growth by encouraging and funding conference presentations, introducing me to a greater sociological community and providing opportunities for graduates to expand their academic network. You are the honorary fourth member of my committee, you gave valuable insight and continued encouragement and support and I greatly thank you for everything. Dr. Jerry Daday, taking your class as a directed study added to my knowledge of statistical understanding. You have an enthusiasm for teaching that made learning Stata and statistics extremely easy and I will always remember you. Dr. Groce, your passion and skill for teaching has always inspired me to “teach like you.” Your stories will always be remembered and hopefully by this time next year, I will have learned how to play the guitar somewhat decently. Dr. Kate King, the office talks across the hall made me feel like I was apart of the team. You made me smile and I wish I could have taken you for more classes, but I will take your lessons with me as I continue my education at Florida State University. I will miss your smile and your “go getter attitude.” Vicki Armstrong, you are an amazing angel. Everytime I had an issue, you had an answer. You have taken care of so many mishaps of mine that I am forever in your debt; you are a super woman and an assest to the department in more ways than I can express here. I would not have “made it” without the support and comraderie of my cohort: Donald Hays, Ashley Hadden, Ashley Parrish, Cecelia Satterly, Justin Woesheter and Jacob Clute. The first day of Proseminar when Dr. Smith said that our bond as a cohort would get us through a lot, boy was he right. You guys are amazing and I am deeply v honored to have gone through the last two years with you, I love each and everyone of you. Ashley for all the late lab nights, early morning grumblings, teaching do’s and don’ts, phone calls of desperation and frustration, I thank you for always being there and for having my back. You are a wonderful person both truthful and honest which I needed, even if sometimes I did not always want your honesty! Donald, you are magnificent and I hope to articulate myself half as well as you one of these days. Your constant encouragement always made me feel like I had to be doing something right. To the graduate students this year, Kristina Gamble and Jasmine Routon, you both made me laugh with your humor and stories. You ladies are strong and inspire others to greatness, I wish you well in all your future endeavors. The department has made me a better person, not only academically, but holistically. I am going to miss the first floor of Grise; it has become a part of me. I grew from a kid into an adult in these halls and spent half my time during the last two years in the lab alone. Jimmy Johns® is definitely going to miss my orders! I am so grateful to have known each and every member of the department as well as the staff, you guys have become my extended family and I love you all….thank goodness for Facebook®! vi CONTENTS List of Tables ................................................................................................................. viii Abstract ........................................................................................................................... ix Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 1 Literature Review .............................................................................................................. 2 Theory ............................................................................................................................. 25 Current Study .................................................................................................................. 27 Method ............................................................................................................................. 28 Results ............................................................................................................................. 35 Discussion ....................................................................................................................... 50 References ....................................................................................................................... 58 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Mean and Standard Deviation of Dependent, Independent and Control Variables .............................................................................................................. 36 Table 1 Continued. .......................................................................................................... 37 Table 2. Logistic Analysis to Predict Odds of an Individual Attaining the American Dream .................................................................................................................. 40 Table 3. Logistic Regression Analysis to Predict Odds of an Individual Attaining the American Dream. ................................................................................................ 42 Table 3. Continued. ........................................................................................................ 43 Table 4. Examining Changes in the American Dream Over Time. ............................... 49 viii EXAMINING THE INFLUENCE OF RACE, CLASS AND GENDER INEQUALITIES ON PERCEPTIONS OF THE AMERICAN DREAM SINCE THE 2008 ECONOMIC RECESSION Scarlett Marklin August 2014 64 Pages Directed by: Dr. Lauren McClain, Dr. Anne Onyekwuluje, and Dr. Holli Drummond Department of Sociology Western Kentucky University America has a national ethos embodied in the moniker “land of the free” and defined by a set of ideals in which being free means all men and women have an equal opportunity for prosperity, the pursuit of happiness and success. In essence, simply having access to upward social mobility achieved through one’s own perseverance