Protestant Work Ethic

The Protestant work ethic (PWE) is an ideology or worldview that emphasizes self-discipline and [Page 672]commitment to work. Its main tenet is that hard work leads to success. A core value in the United States and many Western countries, this view is embodied in sayings such as “the early bird gets the worm” and stories such as The Little Engine That Could, a classic children's book. Shared endorsement of the PWE helps create a common belief system that can explain both individuals' status within a group and different groups' relative status positions within society (i.e., higherstatus individuals and groups must have acquired their status through hard work). Consequently, belief in the PWE is related to attitudes toward both advantaged and disadvantaged individuals and groups and ...