Contributed by Dayna Moelleken, undergraduate social stratification student.
The term
"American Dream" relates to the assumption that every American can achieve success and prosperity through initiative, determination,
and hard work. However, could it be that the American Dream is far
likelier to be realized among those born into the right family in the right zip
code? Like most Americans, I believed that if you worked hard and
wanted it badly enough, it could be yours. Of course I knew that in reality such
factors as sex, race, and class background could influence one’s trajectory,
but I did not fully appreciate the relevance of location.
In this PBS Race
Matters segment, Harvard economist
Raj Chetty builds a strong case demonstrating that where you grow up profoundly
affects your life chances. Chetty and Nathaniel Hendren studied more than
5 million U.S. children and found that those living in low-poverty
neighborhoods, in comparison with poor children in high-poverty areas, were far
more likely to attend college, less likely to be involved in teen pregnancy,
and also as adults, earned higher incomes and had more stable families (Chetty and Hendren, 2015).
Chetty also cites The Moving to Opportunity
Study that had similar findings. Vouchers were given to 4,600
families, which allowed them to move into higher income areas. Children under
the age of 8 that were moved into low-poverty neighborhoods were 30 percent more
likely to go to college and had higher incomes than those remaining in poor
locations. Chetty argues that such findings are largely the consequence of far
better schools and exposure to positive role models.
So how do we fix this
problem? Chetty says vouchers and relocation aren’t a permanent
solution to helping the poor because everyone can’t be moved. Rather,
he argues that mobility out of poverty will more extensively be achieved by significant public investment in improving impoverished areas.
To see how your area influences
social mobility of its youth, employ this New
York Times interactive graphic
based on research by Chetty and Hendren.
