{"id":18604,"date":"2026-07-29T11:50:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T11:50:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604"},"modified":"2026-07-29T11:50:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T11:50:52","slug":"the-american-dream-has-given-way-to-the-great-postponement-an-ivy-league-professor-says-where-achieving-doesnt-rely-on-hard-work-anymore","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604","title":{"rendered":"The American Dream has given way to the \u2018Great Postponement,\u2019 an Ivy League professor says, where achieving doesn\u2019t rely on hard work anymore"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For many workers in the United States (and around the world for that matter), the American Dream is a beacon of hope: The idea that anyone, regardless of social class or where they were born, can prosper and succeed if they work hard enough.<\/p>\n

\n

Susan Wachter is a professor of real estate and finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and in an article<\/a> published yesterday, she evaluated how the American Dream is faring as the U.S. turns 250 years old.<\/p>\n

Prof. Wachter writes that \u201cin the 20th century, the American Dream entailed a familiar sequence: finish school, find a job, get married, buy a home, raise a family \u2026 In the 21st century, affordability has taken a turn for the worse\u2014far worse\u2014in the years since 2022. Housing costs for new home buyers have more than doubled. Mortgage rates went from 3% to 6%, and housing prices rose by 40%.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe result is the Great Postponement\u2014not only of homeownership, but of other key life markers.\u201d <\/p>\n

Evidence of this \u201cpostponement\u201d can be found across a range of milestones, Prof. Wachter says. According to a June study by Realtor.com<\/a>, a record 25.2 million adults under 35 were still living with their parents in 2025\u2014nearly one in three. Perhaps more surprising is that the vast majority\u201470%\u2014were employed, a share that has held steady, meaning co-residency is climbing due to growth in adults with steady jobs rather than those looking for work.<\/p>\n

Other milestones are also moving back: The Census Bureau reported<\/a> in December that the estimated median age at first marriage increased to 30.8 for men and 28.4 for women, up from ages 23.5 and 21.1, respectively, in 1975. Likewise, a 2025 report published in the National Library of Medicine<\/a> noted the mean age of mothers at first birth increased 0.9 years, from 26.6 in 2016 to 27.5 in 2023.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Of course, the motivation behind the shift isn\u2019t purely economic. Prof. Wachter points out that it also occurs due to \u201cexpanded educational and career opportunities for women, who are increasingly choosing to delay marriage and childbearing.\u201d <\/p>\n

Homeownership, however, is largely a question of finances<\/a>. A decade ago, according to Freddie Mac data<\/a>, 30-year mortgage rates were 3.45%. Skip to 2026, and that rate is now 6.58%. <\/p>\n

As well as mortgages being higher, house prices have become less accessible: The National Association of Realtors publishes<\/a> a housing affordability index, with a reading of above 100 meaning a family with the median income has exactly enough income to qualify for a mortgage on a median-priced home.\u00a0In 2023, that index was just shy of 97, meaning the mean family could afford a home. <\/p>\n

By May of this year (the most recent confirmed data on the index), the index had risen to 105.1\u2014meaning most families couldn\u2019t afford to buy a home.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor many young adults, buying a first home is no longer the first step toward financial security but the reward after years of saving, career advancement, and often family assistance,\u201d Wachter says.<\/p>\n

Family finances<\/h2>\n

With the Great Wealth Transfer scheduled to get underway in the next few decades, younger generations could be forgiven for thinking a windfall might be coming their way.<\/p>\n

However, \u201cnot every family has resources to share,\u201d Wachter says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe result is an increasingly \u2018K-shaped\u2019 economy, where young adults with access to parental wealth continue progressing toward homeownership, while equally capable peers without those resources face much steeper obstacles,\u201d she writes. \u201cOpportunity increasingly depends not only on individual effort but also on family resources.\u201d<\/p>\n

Several new policies are being enacted to support individuals without family money to get onto the housing ladder, opening up the possibility of the American Dream for more people. The 21st Century Road to Housing Act, passed this year, is one example and includes a number of proposals to increase housing supply and expand access to affordable housing.<\/p>\n

However, Wachter adds: \u201cThe question is whether our housing policies can evolve quickly enough to ensure that achieving the American Dream depends once again on opportunity and hard work rather than circumstances of one\u2019s birth.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For many workers in the United States (and around the world for that matter), the American Dream is a beacon of hope: The idea that anyone, regardless of social class or where they were born, can prosper and succeed if they work hard enough. Susan Wachter is a professor of real estate and finance at […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":367,"featured_media":18605,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[123],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18604","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"yoast_head":"\nThe American Dream has given way to the \u2018Great Postponement,\u2019 an Ivy League professor says, where achieving doesn\u2019t rely on hard work anymore | Unlock Informed Choices with Us<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\""The question is whether ... policies can evolve quickly enough to ensure that achieving the American Dream depends once again on opportunity and hard work rather than circumstances of one\u2019s birth."\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The American Dream has given way to the \u2018Great Postponement,\u2019 an Ivy League professor says, where achieving doesn\u2019t rely on hard work anymore | Unlock Informed Choices with Us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\""The question is whether ... policies can evolve quickly enough to ensure that achieving the American Dream depends once again on opportunity and hard work rather than circumstances of one\u2019s birth."\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Unlock Informed Choices with Us\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-29T11:50:52+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2048\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1365\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Eleanor Pringle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Eleanor Pringle\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=18604#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=18604\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Eleanor Pringle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6ade084e7415268476ee922c03a3d9b8\"},\"headline\":\"The American Dream has given way to the \u2018Great Postponement,\u2019 an Ivy League professor says, where achieving doesn\u2019t rely on hard work anymore\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-29T11:50:52+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=18604\"},\"wordCount\":688,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=18604#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Business\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=18604#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=18604\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=18604\",\"name\":\"The American Dream has given way to the \u2018Great Postponement,\u2019 an Ivy League professor says, where achieving doesn\u2019t rely on hard work anymore | Unlock Informed Choices with Us\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=18604#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=18604#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-29T11:50:52+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6ade084e7415268476ee922c03a3d9b8\"},\"description\":\""The question is whether ... policies can evolve quickly enough to ensure that achieving the American Dream depends once again on opportunity and hard work rather than circumstances of one\u2019s birth."\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=18604#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=18604\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=18604#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176.jpg\",\"width\":2048,\"height\":1365},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?p=18604#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The American Dream has given way to the \u2018Great Postponement,\u2019 an Ivy League professor says, where achieving doesn\u2019t rely on hard work anymore\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Topat10.com\",\"description\":\"Your Trusted Source for Honest Reviews on the Best Online Services, Products, and Websites – Unlock Informed Choices with Us\",\"alternateName\":\"Topat10\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6ade084e7415268476ee922c03a3d9b8\",\"name\":\"Eleanor Pringle\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Eleanor Pringle\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/topat10.com\\\/?author=367\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The American Dream has given way to the \u2018Great Postponement,\u2019 an Ivy League professor says, where achieving doesn\u2019t rely on hard work anymore | Unlock Informed Choices with Us","description":""The question is whether ... policies can evolve quickly enough to ensure that achieving the American Dream depends once again on opportunity and hard work rather than circumstances of one\u2019s birth."","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The American Dream has given way to the \u2018Great Postponement,\u2019 an Ivy League professor says, where achieving doesn\u2019t rely on hard work anymore | Unlock Informed Choices with Us","og_description":""The question is whether ... policies can evolve quickly enough to ensure that achieving the American Dream depends once again on opportunity and hard work rather than circumstances of one\u2019s birth."","og_url":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604","og_site_name":"Unlock Informed Choices with Us","article_published_time":"2026-07-29T11:50:52+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2048,"height":1365,"url":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Eleanor Pringle","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Eleanor Pringle","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604"},"author":{"name":"Eleanor Pringle","@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6ade084e7415268476ee922c03a3d9b8"},"headline":"The American Dream has given way to the \u2018Great Postponement,\u2019 an Ivy League professor says, where achieving doesn\u2019t rely on hard work anymore","datePublished":"2026-07-29T11:50:52+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604"},"wordCount":688,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176.jpg","articleSection":["Business"],"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604","url":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604","name":"The American Dream has given way to the \u2018Great Postponement,\u2019 an Ivy League professor says, where achieving doesn\u2019t rely on hard work anymore | Unlock Informed Choices with Us","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176.jpg","datePublished":"2026-07-29T11:50:52+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6ade084e7415268476ee922c03a3d9b8"},"description":""The question is whether ... policies can evolve quickly enough to ensure that achieving the American Dream depends once again on opportunity and hard work rather than circumstances of one\u2019s birth."","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176.jpg","width":2048,"height":1365},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?p=18604#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The American Dream has given way to the \u2018Great Postponement,\u2019 an Ivy League professor says, where achieving doesn\u2019t rely on hard work anymore"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/","name":"Topat10.com","description":"Your Trusted Source for Honest Reviews on the Best Online Services, Products, and Websites – Unlock Informed Choices with Us","alternateName":"Topat10","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/#\/schema\/person\/6ade084e7415268476ee922c03a3d9b8","name":"Eleanor Pringle","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Eleanor Pringle"},"url":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?author=367"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176.jpg","uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176.jpg",2048,1365,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-768x512.jpg",768,512,true],"large":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-1024x683.jpg",1024,683,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-1536x1024.jpg",1536,1024,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176.jpg",2048,1365,false],"mailpoet_newsletter_max":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-1320x880.jpg",1320,880,true],"woocommerce_thumbnail":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-380x380.jpg",380,380,true],"woocommerce_single":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-1000x1365.jpg",1000,1365,true],"woocommerce_gallery_thumbnail":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-120x120.jpg",120,120,true],"shareblock_justify":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-800x533.jpg",800,533,true],"shareblock_small":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-120x120.jpg",120,120,true],"shareblock_largeslider":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-1920x1280.jpg",1920,1280,true],"shareblock_featurelarge":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-1000x650.jpg",1000,650,true],"shareblock_midlarge":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-760x600.jpg",760,600,true],"shareblock_slidergrid":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-500x350.jpg",500,350,true],"shareblock_featurelist":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-500x368.jpg",500,368,true],"shareblock_featuresmall":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-450x450.jpg",450,450,true],"shareblock_justify_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-20x13.jpg",20,13,true],"shareblock_small_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-20x20.jpg",20,20,true],"shareblock_largeslider_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-20x13.jpg",20,13,true],"shareblock_featurelarge_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-20x13.jpg",20,13,true],"shareblock_slidergrid_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-20x14.jpg",20,14,true],"shareblock_midlarge_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-20x16.jpg",20,16,true],"shareblock_featurelist_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-20x15.jpg",20,15,true],"shareblock_featuresmall_sload":["https:\/\/topat10.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-1300555776-e1785321155176-20x20.jpg",20,20,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Eleanor Pringle","author_link":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/?author=367"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"For many workers in the United States (and around the world for that matter), the American Dream is a beacon of hope: The idea that anyone, regardless of social class or where they were born, can prosper and succeed if they work hard enough. Susan Wachter is a professor of real estate and finance at…","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18604","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/367"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18604"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18604\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/18605"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18604"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18604"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/topat10.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18604"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}