This is a fairly recent phenomenon, Ehrenreich notes “Since the midnineties, this perpetual winnowing process has been institutionalized under various euphemisms such as “downsizing,” “right-sizing,” “smart-sizing,” “restructuring,” and “de-layering”—to which we can now add that outsourcing of white-collar functions to cheaper labor market overseas” which was at its peak during the 1980s and 1990s. Many corporations suddenly realised they could get the same job done for a small percentage of the wages they were paying, so they started outsourcing many types of jobs to third world countries and downsizing their home offices. Indeed, the “Cheese” (“a stable rewarding job”) — as described by Ehrenreich has moved globally.
Ehrenreich employs an interesting device in her essay where she undertakes to change her Identity to get into the ‘white-collar’ job market. The section in the essay takes on a novelistic tone that is quite revealing and gives an insight into Ehrenreich psychology, personal fears, and failings: “I had some built-in disadvantages…show more content… Less than 50 percent of workers in Ontario have full time jobs. In addition, corporations increasingly are paying minimum wage, no group benefits, and wage freeze. They tend to hire a new part time crew every three months, or extend a contract for another three months: in other words, no raises, no promotion, no steady job — that is how it works for the ‘new’ middle class nowadays which is the root cause of the problem Ehrenreich captures in the title of her essay: “The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream.” Ehrenreich’s title for the essay [“The (Futile) Pursuit of the American Dream”] is worth noting because the common understanding is that in America all workers have the potential to achieve the American Dream but Ehrenreich draws attention to the futile aspects of chasing that dream which is the core theme of her
