The Effects of Social Class to Family

Even in the emotional support and compassionate partnership of a family, money can dominate the well-being and status of both the parent and child. In most cases, you either get financial support from your family and relatives or their emotional and courageous support, but it is rarely likely that a family member that gets the best of both worlds. In Grestel and Sarkisian’s ‘the Color of Family Ties” Blacks and Latino(as) are more likely to get along with extended relatives rather than their White counterparts, but on the other hand, Whites are more likely to give and receive financial aid from their relatives than their non-Whites (49). However, not all Whites are rich and not all non-Whites are poor, so by placing them in the same income, level of education, and along the scenarios of family matters, and the results show a different story. To impoverished Whites, like their non-White counterparts, would more likely ask for help on their basic needs and visit their families more often (51). While middle-class non-Whites would talk more about “personal concerns or share money with relatives than are their poorer counterparts.” (51) This data read made an interjection to my personal life due to the fact that even though I am systematically poor than the majority of my family, I still gain both financial and moral support in my family because it’s just a special case that they’re willing to help me

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.

Naomi Gerstel and Natalia Sarkisian, the authors, did a research on Americans’ life and wrote the article to describe the relationship of family between the different races. In the introduction of the article, Naomi and Natalia mentioned that political people focused on the ties between married couples and their children. In the society, people often hear that poor families were chaotic and their family tie was weaker because rates of non-marriage and single parenthood were very high. There were there two bar graphs at the top of pages to show Gerstel and Sarkisian’s examination on

Accordint to the author Gonzalez-Mena, “The Status—that is, the family’s position in society—affects socialization and can in turn affect expectations as well as where children find themselves” (p.126). That is, children socialization is greatly affected by the status of the family due to, the different expectation between children belonging to rich families and that children living in poverty.

Social class has been always been in our society since its establishment. Back then, white,

Annette Lareau, author of Unequal Childhoods Class, Race, and Family Life, revealed her research findings in this enlightening text featuring twelve socially, economically, and culturally diverse families having a child nine to ten years of age respectively in their nuclear family unit. These families were garnered from the author’s coinciding study comprised of eighty-eight children. Lareau, along with her research assistants, visited each family approximately twenty times. Visits included time spent within the home, as well as family events, school functions, doctor’s visits, structured activities, shopping trips, and church services. Wide-ranging contexts allowed researchers a unique opportunity to observe and record a multiplicity of interactions within each family unit.

This week’s readings are following the theme of the class, and its connection to forming a family and child rearing. There are three articles that discuss the way children are raised, the effect of marriage on the class and on the growing inequality as well as the pressure that people face due to instability in their jobs and economic life. Connecting socioeconomics and sociocentrism orientation, class and family are shown from different angles in order to understand inequalities and class divisions.

Naomi Gerstel and Natalia Sarksian have shed new light on the subject of minority families and their differences to the traditional nuclear families in their essay, “The Color of Family Ties.” According to their work, those of White descent make up most of all nuclear families which can be described as a father, mother and children all living in one household. Gerstel and Sarkasian point out that it is not always the case that, “Black and Latino/a, especially Puerto Rican families are more disorganized than White families, and that their families ties are weaker,” as they are often thought of by those in politics or the media (62). In fact Gerstel and Sarkasian write, “Blacks and Latinos/as, are as likely as

Many people question, does race affect the depth and strength of a family’s ties? Gerstel and Sarkisian used their essay, “The Color of Family Ties,” to support their opinion that yes; race does have a direct effect on the strength of a family. “We often hear that Black and Latino/a, especially Puerto Rican, families are more disorganized than White families, and that their family ties are weaker, because rates of non-marriage and single parenthood are higher among these minority groups. (Gerstel and Sarkisian p. 1)” The writers continue on to say, “taking this broader perspective on family relations refutes the myth that Blacks and Latinos/as lack strong families… Even if they don’t live together, Blacks and Latinos/as are as likely as Whites – and in some ways more likely – to be supportive family members. (Gerstel and Sarkisian p. 2 and 3)” Although commentators believe that a family should consist of both parents, should only be strongly involved with their nuclear family and need to be more than financially able, I believe family to be more than just that.

African Americans have come a long way in the last few decades. We have more rights, more opportunities to grow and prosper and more independence than ever before. But the same cannot be said for African American families as a whole. The African American family and community is in trouble (Tilove, 2005). These families are facing many issues today that are contributing to their break down. These factors include poverty, diminishing health, welfare, incarceration, the struggle to find housing and the challenges involved with providing children with higher education. The disintegration of families have gone on for too long and it’s time we do something about it (“Current Challenges”, n.d.).

n the upcoming page’s I will answer the following questions. Why is family the most important agent of socialization? What caused the dramatic changes to the American family? What are the changes? I will discuss the differences in marriage and family, I will discuss how they are linked to class, race, gender, and personal choices. The purpose of this study is to explore the many different family functions and the paths that people are now choosing. I will give my opinion on whether these changes have had a positive or negative affect. I will finally discuss the trend of the modern family, back to pre-World War II family structure, how would that effect the strides that have been made in the progression of women rights.

Race and class can play powerful roles in people’s family experiences. Race is defined as a socially constructed category of individuals who share common inborn biological traits (Newman 2009). Class is defined as groups of people who share a similar position in society based on their wealth and income (Newman 2009). Social class and race shape family lives in many ways, which in return reproduces class and race inequalities. In Annette Lareau’s study of families, she uses real stories of real families to show important social patterns.

Another defining factor for social class is education especially since education is seen as an achievement toward the American Dream. (Lareau, 235). Younger generations seem to place more emphasis on achieving higher education and the occupational opportunities provided for those who are well-educated (Cherlin, 113). The socioeconomic stratification corresponds to those with differing levels of education such as upper/middle class individuals have a college education while working/lower class have some college and/or minimal high school education (Cherlin, 118-119). These individuals and their given circumstances based on education and income have different values and trends about marriage, family and socialization/rearing of children. (Cherlin, 114-117). Family inequality is then based on direct obtainment for individuals who are head of these households such as employment of fathers and mothers (Cherlin, 111), which in turn affects the childhood/family experience of child within the socioeconomic status of their parents. (Lareau,

"We are shaped by society 's structures," is the primary concept of the idea developed by C. Wright Mills (Henslin). In this paper, I will demonstrate how my social class affected my family life and education.

Society is composed of many elements based on values, traditions, cultures, government’s policies etc.; and family is one of the main basic ingredients, forming the society. Therefore, as the society changes its element, family is also forced to change the flow of life. Yet, during the past 50 years, our society has undergone big social transformations which are seen as “dramatic and unparallel changes” or a “veritable revolution”. Thus, the two basic forms of family, the extended family and the