Essay about Effects of Socioeconomic Status on Children

Literature on the effects of low socioeconomic status (SES) on one’s psychological well-being is well established. Prior studies show that low-SES not only impacts individuals’ mental well-being, but also affects their children’s developmental trajectories. This paper reviews one of these numerous studies and further discusses the influences of parental SES on one’s life outcomes, as well as intergenerational mobility and achievement gap through a developmental perspective.

This paper will look at the differences in high-status children and low-status children. The author will discuss two children who exhibit these behaviors with and how differently they react to people and situations. Using the readings and theories of Erikson, Piaget, Vygotsky, Bandura, and Kohlberg to address their characteristics. These theorists have researched and developed insight into children’s stages and readily explain their behaviors, thereby allowing for a greater understanding and insight into children.

Here the author talks about couple of kids who belong to different social class and race. She mainly focuses on how economical condition affects parenting. Although most of the parents want the best from their kids but indeed they have to balance between their work and financial situation and tune it with their parenting style.

Social class is a large faction of people who have similar positions in an economic system. In an exemplary world, all students would have an equal shot at success, excellent schools, and educators that dedicate themselves and their time to achieving this goal. However, social class can significantly affect a student's success, highlighting the correlation between low socioeconomic statuses and academic problems. In all social groups, class plays a significant role in the attainment of children in education. Unfortunately, this has always been the case and the effects are just more evident today. Families from high social classes are more likely to obtain a greater level of education than those in low social classes. Members of upper social classes tend to be better educated and have higher incomes; therefore, they are better able to supply educational advantages to their children as well. Being in a financially disadvantaged can also affect a child’s performance during school.  It is important, therefore, to examine the way in which education is distributed through social class. Between societal pressures, expectations and parental negligence, children can be negatively impacted in their pursuit for future success through their education as exemplified through “College Pressures” and “The Sanctuary of School”.

Annette Lareau is the author of Unequal Childhoods, she study African Americans and white families to understand the impact of how social class makes a difference in family life, specifically the children lives. This book talks about how the social class will determine how children will use their cultivate skills in the future. Through her research, she finds the differences in the parenting styles of twelves families, which all the kids was in the third grade. While reading the book Lareau found that middle class parents practice concerted cultivation, and working class and poor parents practice accomplishment of natural growth.

Rendon (1994) points out “students from underrepresented backgrounds often experience isolation, a lack of self-efficacy, and a lack of a sense of belonging in college contexts”(p. 48). Furthermore, one needs to take it one step back and realize that most students of color are much more likely to attend schools where most of their peers are poor or low-income. Therefore, socio economic status (SES) determines the education a person receives throughout K-12. Walpole (2004) also describes how “low SES parents are more likely to define success as a secure full-time job after graduating from high school. College attendance is not an expectation and often means enrolling in a community college or technical school when it does occur” (p. 47). When a student reaches the

All Americans are at risk of developing obesity, with an obesity rate of 36.5% of the population (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). The increase of obesity in the United States has led to the development of other costly comorbidities, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and even some types of cancer, and therefore should be avoided at all costs (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Although all groups are at risk for obesity, vulnerable populations such as low-income children, face

Education does not just take place in schools. Classrooms are places where many forms of discourses come together. Students and teachers with various forms of knowledge and ways of communicating interact together and unfortunately some ways of knowing and communicating hold more value than others. Sometimes researcher should stop looking at the bigger picture; capitalist economies and the true nature of society should become more of a focus in education research. You cannot hope to understand why students from lower socio economic areas do poorly compared to students whose parents are more affluent unless more is done to understand the prior.

When analyzing children growing up in poverty a lot of factors come into play such as their physical, psychological and emotional development. To grow up in poverty can have long term effect on a child. What should be emphasized in analyzing the effects of poverty on children is how it has caused many children around the world to suffer from physical disorders, malnutrition, and even diminishes their capacities to function in society. Poverty has played a major role in the functioning of families and the level of social and emotional competency that children are able to reach. Children in poverty stricken families are exposed to greater and emotional risks and stress level factors. They are even capable of understanding and dealing with

Imagine a boy that has been teased mercilessly by his peers throughout his schooling because of his clothes and his free and reduced lunch status. He is constantly under pressure from peers to have the newest and niftiest gadgets; nevertheless, his mother cannot afford to provide food and permanent housing, much less, these extra luxuries. Therefore, he has to comprise with what his mother can afford. She tries to provide for her children and wants to offer them the world. Nonetheless, due to her economic situation, she cannot provide her for children adequately; they are forced to ask for aid from the government, close family, and friends. This situation brings light to the turmoil that socioeconomics brings upon children and that they need to endure to survive in this society. When it comes to socioeconomics, children are the utmost affected. Socioeconomics has long term effects, prevalently distresses children in school and in development. Through my friend’s experience that he has shared with me, it has allowed me to notice the harrowing effects that socioeconomics has on children.

For my topic proposal, I am deciding to focus on socioeconomics and how it effects the ways children are raised. I have a very close friend that I plan on interviewing; he was raised in a working-poor home and it has affected him tremendously when it comes to the subject of money. I will also compare both of our childhoods to further show the effects socioeconomics has on children. Some questions I plan of asking are as follows: “Did knowing your socioeconomic class effect how people treated you through school?” and “Do you feel like knowing about your parents’ money issues effected your performance in school and furthermore your view of the value of the dollar?” I also plan on using one of the articles we read for class by Annette Lareau “Concerted

A black child gets accused of stealing. A women gets hired because of her skin color to improve the company's image, a handsome men will rather get the manager job than a mother of two children. These stereotypes influence our society in every aspect of life and the establishment of these stereotypes start in childhood environments like school. Gender, race and socioeconomic stereotypes about intelligence get introduced around first grade which influence academic and career choices on the long run (Anderson). Education is a fundamental right, necessary to get individual freedom and yields development benefits. The truth is that many children, even in the U.S., have troubles receiving a proper education because of inequality caused by stereotypes.

Studies have shown that students from a lower socioeconomic household have a harder time developing their academic skills in school versus students from a higher socioeconomic household.This is due to the fact that students from a higher socioeconomic have better access to resources in terms of technology , education , better environment , individuals and overall better quality of life.

Socioeconomic status (SES) is one of the most widely studied constructs in the social sciences. Several ways of measuring SES have been proposed, but most include some quantification of family income, parental education, and occupational status. Research shows that SES is associated with a wide variety of health, cognitive, and socioemotional outcomes in children, with effects beginning prior to birth and continuing into adulthood. A variety of mechanisms linking SES to child well-being have been proposed, with most involving differences in access to material and social resources. For children, SES impacts well-being at multiple levels.

Socioeconomic status affects development during all stages, but the infancy stage is affected dramatically because the effects on health and wellbeing are at a crucial stage of life that affects an individual throughout life. Infants born into higher socioeconomic status’ needs are met more adequately than those of its counterpart infants of the low socioeconomic status. Infants needs being unmet due to lack of resources have been linked to growth restrictions, as well as failure to thrive. According to (Mcloyd,1998) “Lower IQs, higher rates of perinatal complications, increased exposure to lead are all factors that are linked to poverty in children’s development.” A family’s ability to provide is a huge factor in the growth of an infant. When those basic needs are stunted the infant isn’t allotted the full amount of resources hindering growth. Low-income families are at an elevated risk to not have adequate health insurance findings show that children are at a higher risk for illness.