This weeks readings really made me think. Lareau does a good job in the article to express the idea that one's socio-economic postion is often passed down to one's childern. As Lareau puts it "I demonstrate that parents differ by clas in the ways they define thier own roles in their childerns lives as well as in how they percieve the nature of childhood" (Lareau 748 ). In the articel she talks about how middle-class parents tend to be "concerted cultivation" in their approach. While lower class and working class parents tend to be "natural accomplisment" based. It is interesting to see who the differenting parenting styles actual affect and propogate the cyclical nature of poverty forward. The Duham article made me realize that many
Primary education, Supplemental tutoring, summer camps, secondary education, family activities, higher education, first full-time job, subsequent employment, present employment with the age of the person, present residence, second residences"(pp.336-340). He lets you look into the life of different people, some from upper-class families and some from lower class families. The reader can see for themselves that the way they are brought up, whether it is from and upper-class family or lower-class family, it affects them. It
In the study Lareau conducted, it can be see that working class and poor families differ slightly in that being poor means less resources and a means of a greater struggle for the child. The similarities found explain why being lower class has it benefits in some areas then if you were middle or upper class. Now Lareau is not telling people to raise their children one way or that being rich is better because even the rich have many disadvantages their children encounter. Lareau emphasizes, “Overall, daily life for working-class and poor children is slower paced, less pressured, and less structured than for their middle- and
In the UK, particularly in England and Wales, children’s life chances are determined by the economic status of the families into which they are a part of. Children from poor households are more likely to suffer the consequences of their families’ condition. They will have to endure the stigma of poverty in a profoundly lopsided society where the socioeconomic standing of individuals is determined by their capacity to buy. These poor children also have less access to quality educational opportunities (Welbourne, 2012). Furthermore, children living in poverty at present are likely to remain poor for the rest of their lives because of intergenerational cycles of poverty
She also talks about how middle class parenting differs from the other social class. The middle class parents mostly dominate the lives of their children while the working class parents cannot concentrate that much on their kids. She also brought a name for this phenomena called “Concerted Cultivation”.
Exploring the nuances of race and social position beginning in childhood and culminating in adulthood Lareau explores different approaches exercised by parents in raising children. Separating families into three categories, including: middle-class, working-class, and poor, the author began her study. Attempting to answer the question, “What is the outcome of these different philosophies and approaches to child rearing?” Lareau discovers that the answer was found in the “transmission of differential advantages” (Lareau 2011:5). Accordingly, these advantages equip children with tools to navigate through life progressively or prohibitively respective to the individual instruction obtained in childhood. In unearthing these discoveries, the author employed the use of ethnography through naturalistic observation utilizing field notes and taped recordings of interviews with family members.
Lareau explains how different social class: middle class, working class, and lower class have individual parenting styles to discipline their child. Using the technique of naturalistic observations, the author analyzed that the relationship of children between their families and the extrinsic world differs by their social class. Each chapter takes the reader on a journey of one child’s experiences at home and in social institutions and how different parenting styles influence a child’s life at home and in the outside world. Through her study, the author discovered significant differences between each social classes, in regards to the practices of child-rearing. Lareau explains that how distinctive practices of child-rearing in different social classes can result in social class inequality.
The book Unequal Childhoods describes observations made by Annette Lareau to shed light on the significance of social class and how it affects student’s learning. Lareau presents her observations by highlighting the two dominant ways of parenting that ultimately affect how successful students become as they transition into adulthood. These styles of parenting consist of Concerted Cultivation where parents put through kids through structured activities, and Accomplishment of Natural Growth where unrestrictive freedom and directives are exercised (20-22).
Regardless of social class most parents wish for their children to be happy, healthy, and successful; however, parents disagree on the best way to raise their children to be all of those things, which is when social class determines the parents’ child rearing method. Whether a child comes from a working class or middle class family affects the child’s development and socialization; and consequently the child’s future.
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.
The younger son, Richard Rodriguez, wrote his story of growing up and being educated in his family. He explains, very early in his life education change him and brought upon him. School focus his to speak only English, his parents encouraged him becoming an educated person and they pushed him to work hard at school. At the same time his parents didn’t want him to forgot his language and culture. After that he challenge himself, speak more English than Spanish until English become his primary language. The more he successes the less he connects with his family, this is a big effect his family life, his parents would feel so painful about his life had changed. In his reading see like he doesn’t happy with his successes.
Conflict view sociologists believe that the inequalities between children and adults are greater than ever, and that children today experience greater control, oppression and dependency, not greater care and protection. This view suggests that children’s wellbeing, personal freedom and resources are all controlled more so than they were before the supposed ‘March of progress’ and there is a vast amount of inequality between children still. For example, class inequalities are very present, as children of unskilled manual workers are over three times more likely to experience conduct disorders than the children of professionals (Caroline Woodroffe 1993). In addition to this, children born into poor families are also more likely to die in infancy or childhood (Marilyn Howard 2001).
All families want their children to be happy, healthy, and grow. Social classes make a difference in how parents go about meeting this goal. In Annette Lareau book, Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life, she promotes middle class parents as concerted cultivation. Middle class parents encourage their children’s talents, opinions, and skills. For example, engaging their children in organized activities and closely monitoring children’s experiences in school. According to Lareau, middle class children gain an emerging sense of entitlement through this pattern of converted cultivation. This causes a focus on children’s individual development. There are signs that the middle class children gain advantages from the experience of concerted cultivation. However, the working class and poor children do not gain this advantage.
In the article “Culture of Success”, Brink Lindsey is quite equivocal; first Lindsey claims that low income is affecting education, but based on the surveys and research conducted he invalidates, his claims. Apart from low income, the main reason which Lindsey considers is lack of parental education, working for long hours to support the family and because of this they, do not involve more in their child's life, and do not give the motivation to develop
However, they are individuals just like any other child and they should be given the same opportunities that all children have. Poverty is a huge problem in many areas of the world. MacQueen states “poverty puts children behind from birth, and keeps them behind for life (2003).” If a child is in a household with little money, they may lack “the stable home in a safe neighbourhood, adequate nutrition, and the kind of involved parenting” that would be influential on the correct and desired development of the young child (MacQueen, 2003).
However she makes an egregious idea about the lower class. In the article it states “The problem is the differential impact on children from poor families. Babies born to low-income parents spend at least 40 percent of their waking hours in front of a screen — more than twice the time spent by middle-class babies. They also get far less cuddling and bantering over family meals than do more privileged children.” I disagree with this statement. In an article “The Impact of Parents’ Background on their Children’s Education” it states that Even though the parents of low-income families participate less in their children’s education, according to Neuman, “most parents – even low-income and culturally and diverse parents – possess the attitudes and at least the sufficient early literacy skills and knowledge to help their children get on the road to literacy” (Neuman 221)….. Even though most research shows that low-income families are less involved in their children’s education, there is still some research that proves that social status has a small impact on the successfulness of their children’s education. Disregarding social class, nearly all children in the United States will almost always have some interactions with literacy in their early years of education with their parents before officially starting school.” (http://www.macalester.edu/educationreform/publicintellectualessay/Gratz.pdf) No matter what social class a parent is in every parent will make the sacrifice to make sure their child is