Breathing New Life into the American Dream
by Amy M. Robinson
The American Dream is no doubt evolving. Gone may be the days when a house, two and a half children, a dog and a white picket fence were universally accepted as the be-all and end-all. But, the founding principle of this nation’s vision—the opportunity for prosperity, success and upward social mobility—remains highly sought-after, even as technological advancements, rising costs of education and economic challenges have changed the way many of us define success.
For those of us long familiar with direct selling, we understand
wholeheartedly the many ways in which this industry touches the lives of
millions each day. We see firsthand how mothers, recent college
graduates, military spouses and post-retirement individuals pursue
economic success, social networking and career advancement by way of the
business opportunity. We take pride in direct selling’s ability to
provide much-needed support to social causes around the world, and we
experience the direct selling difference ourselves each time we stop to
listen to a distributor’s success story.
While this industry presents a truly equal opportunity for both men
and women, it is no secret that women have played an active role in
transforming direct selling into what it is today: an industry that
changes lives for the better.
Of the 15.9 million direct sellers in the United States, roughly 77
percent are women. What’s more, these 12.2 million women comprise a
diverse group, not simply in terms of age or race, but also in terms of
education, career experience, skills and interests. In fact, according
to the DSA’s National Salesforce Study, more than half of all direct
sellers have a bachelor’s or advanced degree. And, still, more than half
of direct sellers have children under 18 at home.
Perhaps most telling is the fact that these numbers reveal an overlap
between the two groups. Even as women in the direct sales channel
pursue higher levels of education, many still balance family
responsibilities and career aspirations simultaneously. These numbers
not only reflect similar trends in the U.S. national workforce, but they
also support recent findings regarding women’s perceptions of the
American Dream.
According to a recent Forbes survey, 84 percent of working
women say that staying home to raise children is a financial luxury to
which they aspire either temporarily or long-term. This number is
particularly astounding when one takes into consideration how the rising
cost of living has made this dream more difficult to achieve.
In 2010, the Department of Commerce issued a study revealing what it
would take for families to achieve the aspirations of the middle
class—which it defined as home and car ownership, opportunities for
vacations, access to health care and enough savings to retire and
contribute to the children’s college education. The study concluded that
even two-earner families today would have more difficulty achieving
middle-class status than they had two decades ago.
Direct selling certainly offers a solution, which no other industry
can match. Even more, countless women stand as mentors to those who
follow in their footsteps, looking to provide much-needed support at
home without sacrificing the opportunity to build a successful business.
These women not only serve as leaders in the field, but also at the
executive level. The female perspective of the direct selling industry
is widely represented by women so inspired by the opportunity that they
have risen to top-level positions in efforts to provide guidance to
those who look to the sales channel as a source for supplemental income,
social empowerment and personal growth.
These women give selflessly of
their time to spark a passion for social causes, raise funding for
charitable organizations and drive more people to channel their creative
energy to give back to others. These women also work tirelessly to
remind key policymakers and regulators about the impact of direct
selling on the national economy and otherwise slow-to-improve employment
rates.
Perhaps most importantly of all, they inspire us each and every day
to establish our own definition of the American Dream—such that we might
carve our own paths for achieving it.
NOTE: This article is originally published at this website:
http://www.directsellingnews.com/index.php/view/breathing_new_life_into_the_american_dream
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