Waiting to be Cinderella’d?: Attitudes on Class Differences Among Women

Abstract

This article explores the way in which college students construct attitudes about class differences among women. Social work student researchers interviewed 30 college students at a Midwestern public university and asked them to tell stories about women in two different social class positions. The results revealed that social class differences are constructed based on factors related to family of origin, personality, structural inequities, personal choices and relationships, as well as other intersecting experiences. In addition, participant stories highlighted gendered attitudes towards women in poverty. Implications for social science teaching, practice, and research are discussed.

Keywords

• Feminization of poverty, gender, attitudes, college students, social class, social work