Children and Parents
3 types of parenting styles
1.Authoritative: high emotional support, consistent moderate control- REASONING CONTROL 2. Permissive: STRONG emotional support, little control 3. Authoritarian: low support, coercive (unreasoned) control
What did Lareau's study have for its study group?
12 white and black families- children third to fourth grade
Breakdown of trends in divorce rates- 10 years into marriage 1960-1989 graph
1985-1989: 4 year degree: 12% No four year: 32% Increase for both then decrease
What type of parenting style is preferred?
Authoritative, Authoritarian styles thought harmful
What do middle class parents have?
Autonomy and self-direction and want to enhance kids talents
Language use- working class
Because I said so- directives
BOOK QUESTION: How much time do parents and children spend together?
Because so many mothers work now- parents spend nearly half as much time with children vs past. Defeat by doing less housework/cut back in leisure time.
How do fathers indirectly help the kids?
Better adjust @ home and school due to financially and supporting mother
What does Lareau find?
Big differences in parenting styles by social class- not by race
What ages is primary socialization:?
Birth- age 16
Language use- middle class
Child encouraged to pursue reasoning behind parent's directives- bargaining over choices
What is the one central task of the public family?
Child rearing
Consequences- lower class families
Childs emerging sense of constraint when confronting social institutions; alienation
Consequences- upper class families
Childs emerging sense of empowerment and entitlement, Learns how to see opportunities within institutional structures to get what he or she wants or to make change
How does family life intersect with other institutions?
Church/school/work/social events
Breakdown of trends in fathers involvement- 1965-2000 graph
College educated fathers spend more time with their kids: 2000: College educated married fathers- 1.2 hours per hours with kids, college educated- all fathers- 1.1, not college educated/married fathers: 1.0, not college educated/all fathers: 0.7. OVERALL- all 4 basically U shaped graphs; increasing.
How do Authoritative parents treat kids?
Comfort and protect them. Know they can talk to their parents. feel protected and loved. control- doesn't go overboard. no yelling. ask why they did it. parents- explain why it made you sad/mad
BOOK QUESTION: How has the well-being of American children changed over time?
Compare average child today vs past= misleading. Economic inequality has increased. % of kids in bottom and top of ladder has increased and middle group has decreased. Children in top of ladder= doing well. Children in bottom of ladder= doing bad. Children in middle of ladder= suffered moderate reduction in well-being
Interventions in Institutions- middle class families
Criticisms and interventions on behalf of child, Example: PTA involvement, or parents advocate for child in parent-teacher conference
What are the views of working class families for adulthood and childhood?
Deadening adult work. Being themselves at home only. Childhood- time to enjoy being young. Kids be kids.
Interventions in Institutions- lower class families
Dependence on institutions, but sense of powerlessness against authority; Conflict between practices at school and at home (structured vs. unstructured)
Resident Fathers benefits
Economic resources- hard to keep track of how much they have put in Greater father-child interaction linked to lower behavioral problems and delinquency and higher cognitive ability, education and psych. wellbeing; no differences by child age/race/ethnicity. Not well done studies though.
What is childrearing based on?
Education, resources, experiences, and job conditions
why do Children of highly educated and high earning parents enjoy greater resources?
Have two parents; happier household. organized activities- increased skills. Parents educated- help with homework. Hard to have these not positively help you in life.
Breakdown of trends in mothers' median age when she gave birth 1960-2000 graph
High education (college) mothers usually have highest age then middle education (HS) then low education (no HS). all mostly increase as time continues.2000: H: 32, M: 27 and L: 23.
What are the consequences of nonparent care?
Higher quality of care, higher test scores, but more childcare increases risk-taking behaviors
Trends in graph of median family incomes: 1960-2000
Income inequality has increased over time- most income increased for high education. 2000: low ed.-25,000, med. ed.- 41,000, high ed.- 76,000
How is the fathers' influence indirect?
Income, supporting the mother emotionally, providing united 'front' to the child re discipline, etc
How do Parental circumstances and parenting powerfully shape life chances of next generation?
Intergenerational transmission of class position (kids usually have the same class as their parents do) AND Challenges popular rhetoric of autonomy, personal responsibility, and equal opportunity
Organization of daily life- natural growth?
Kids hang out with their choice of friends, pick their play
Organization of daily life- concerted cultivation
Kids- leisure activities that are controlled by adults. Self- restraint is rewarded.
Why do college educated wait until they are older to have kids?
Know more about the world; stable union; stable job; more mature.
How do fathers directly help the kids?
Learn more vocab and cognitive gains due to interacting with them
What is secondary socialization?
Learning how to function in particular groups within society (e.g. profession)- ongoing process, Learn about place in society (professionally)
What is primary socialization?
Learning language, rituals, routines, behaviors, norms that enable membership of a culture- LANGUAGE
Why do Fathers matter, but may matter less than mothers?
Less time spent with child; Doesn't mean that fathers couldn't matter more if they interacted more with their children.
How does poverty affect kids?
Live in bad neighborhoods and high stress- affect brain and behaviors plus school achievement in young children
Breakdown of trends(%) in single motherhood graph
Low education mother-highest, high education-lowest. 2000: L: 42, M: 29 and H: 8. Sharp increase in middle and low education. Not high/change in high education
What's natural growth?
Lower class want kids to grow on their own. They do basic care for their kids. Unstructured play and get independence.
3 tasks of child rearing
Material support, emotional support, control
How many kids have parents in prison?
More than half- increasing their chance in going to prison. If father is in jail- ambiguous loss of father
What are the two different sets of cultural repertoires that Lareau found?
Natural growth working class, concerted cultivation- middle class
What's evidence is more limited and less consistent?
Non-resident fathers
Non-resident fathers effects on frequency of contact or visitation, regardless of race, child gender?
None
What do parents also start to teach kids, but society continues it?
Norms and values
How did Lareau collect data?
Observations at home and at school, interviews.
What were the 3 key dimensions Lareau looked at?
Organization in daily life and language= ENGAGING and social connections
What is MacLanahan's argument?
Parental resources differ by parent education
What is Lareau's argument?
Parenting styles differ by class
What are the group differences for parenting styles?
Race/ethnicity, Religion, Status and class differences- ALL PLAY A PART IN PARENTING
Concerted Cultivation
See kids as project. Organized activities. Reasoning and language development= important. Close supervision of their experiences in school.
What were the other 2 not main goals of Lareau's study?
Social structure in daily life and connections with class positon/networking experiences
BOOK QUESTION: What are the main goals in socializing children and how do parents differ in the way they fulfill their role?
Socialize with children- teach kids to function in society. Teach children norms and values. Give both material and emotional support and exercise control over them. Combo of high levels of emotional support and consistent, moderate discipline= best parenting style. Children are socially competent- not as good for minority groups though.
BOOK QUESTION: How does the socialization of children vary by ethnicity, class, gender, and the sexual orientation of parents?
Some rely more on strong discipline. Working class parents stress obedience and conformity more than middle class parents. Middle class parents stress autonomy and self-direction. Show values within their jobs for social classes. Socialize with kids genders differently- preexisting differences seen in childhood and adulthood. Lesbian parents' kids aren't different from normal kids.
How does society treat genders differently for kids?
Toys and rewarding behaviors
BOOK QUESTION: What barriers must parents overcome in socializing their children?
Unemployment and poverty, Job loss/low earnings, angry Fathers,. Family instability, exposure to different types of households, Mass incarceration, nonparental child care.
How does intersections with institutions depend on social class?
Upper families may go to more elite things vs lower families may go to more fun/cheap events
What are the views of middle class families for adulthood and childhood?
Work- challenging/rewarding/stimulating. Childhood- training ground for adulthood. Train for creative careers.
Do Children of highly educated and high earning parents enjoy greater resources than children of less educated / lower earning parents?
Yes- they have a leg up in life. Shows how it's not surprising that parental class position tends to be inherited by children.
Economic resources account for
about half of gap in child outcomes between dual and single parent families
Breakdown of trends in mother's employment (%) graph
all increase as time continues. 2000: H: 64, M: 57 and L: 30. Increase the least for low education and the most for high education.
What are Child support payments associated with?
better child outcomes, especially academic achievement and less externalizing behavior problems- shows how economic resources are important
Father role's then vs now
breadwinners; Today, more involved in direct care, nurturing, engaging in activities, sharing responsibility for arranging care, etc.
Positive/authoritative parenting and closeness do seem to promote
child and adolescent wellbeing
Who pays more in child care- Unmarried fathers or divorced fathers
divorced fathers
Early studies focused on what type of fathers?
divorced fathers; more recent work includes unmarried fathers
Fathers divided by
economic resources and parenting/involvement
Differentiate parenting styles along dimensions of
emotional support and exercise of control
What is the family myth?
equally share the work but it actually isn't equal
How do Authoritarian parents treat kids?
judge/snicker/tell them you don't love them. not reasoning why- because i said so. can involve physical discipline. parents get cold/mean- withdraw from kids. Kids support themselves
How does COHO affect kids?
less time and energy to kid, less engaged with school, bad environment
How does having a single parent affect kids?
low income, good environment, depression, less supervision, race plays a part as well
More transitions cause...
more problems in kids
What do working/lower class parents have?
obedience and conformity, safe home.
Socialization involves
parents, peers, media- HUGE INFLUENCE. Focus on forming young people and being apart of society
Two stages of socialization:
Primary socialization: and secondary socialization
What do Differences in childrearing practices lead to
transmission of social class across generations
What type of father is informal support more common with?
unmarried fathers at least early on
