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Generational patterns in families
Generational patterns in families
The impact of family structure on children pdf
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In chapter twelve, Annette Lareau explains how family behavior is a characteristic of social class and explores how social class affects social mobility. Lareau says that childrearing is a mentality that is natural product of social classes, and that it is passed down a social class, which makes it a characteristic of the social class of the family. This is interesting because other ideologies state that family behavior may be impacted by social classes, but Lareau takes it further by saying that that family behavior is a definitive aspect of social class also. She also concedes that it is harder for children raised through natural growth to socioeconomically mobilize because concerted cultivation is the model by which institutions in society …show more content…
It is interesting because it suggests that those who are poor are likely to remain poor, and that the cycle can be continuous even if they try because they are raised through a mentality that keeps them poor. Collectively both these points are interesting because they suggest that family behavior and childrearing can alter society and the class system since they are so highly connected. For instance, a new mentality of childrearing my better allow working class children to mobilize in society and thus diminish the working class and change present-day social class demographics.This all relates to my life because, according to Lareau, since I was raised through concerted cultivation, I have a higher chance to socioeconomically mobilize and succeed in social organizations as an independent adult, compared to my poorer peers who were raised through natural growth. Being in college and growing through an academic institution gives me a supposed advantage as I find myself learning to function and succeed in an institutional society. I follow campus rules, follow the instructions of professors, and play a part in my club activities as
In Chapter 5 of the Gilbert text, when Lareau mentions the sense of entitlement that upper-middle class children feel and the sense of restraint that working class and poor children feel she is referring to the growth and development that the children have experienced growing up. According to Lareau, there are two types of child-rearing that occur in many cultures, which are cultivated growth and natural growth. Cultivated growth is often experienced by upper-middle class children, whereas natural growth is experienced by working class and poor children. Upper-middle class children feel a sense of entitlement and working class and poor children feel a sense of restraint through daily activities, language, and various institutions.
The theories of Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis, Pierre Bourdieu, Basil Bernstein and Shirley Brice Heath represent the deterministic end of the social reproduction perspective. These theories mainly involve school, the ideas of cultural capital, habitus, and linguistic cultural capital and can help explain more in depth how the reproduction of classes continue through generations, and how this reproduction is accepted.
Annette Lareau opens her book with two chapters to give the reader an idea of what the examples she gives will detail. One of the chapters introduces the different parenting styles she researches, while the other breaks down the social structure and daily life. She then separates the book into three parts: the organization of daily life, language use, and families and institutions. For such families, “sustaining children’s natural growth is viewed as an accomplishment” (Lareau 34).
In his essay “Land of Opportunity” James W. Loewen details the ignorance that most American students have towards class structure. He bemoans the fact that most textbooks completely ignore the issue of class, and when it does it is usually only mentions middle class in order to make the point that America is a “middle class country. This is particularly grievous to Loewen because he believes, “Social class is probably the single most important variable in society. From womb to tomb, it correlates with almost all other social characteristics of people that we can measure.” Loewen simply believes that social class usually determine the paths that a person will take in life. (Loewen 203)
Although it may not occur often Lareau fails to gives examples of different social classes using the opposite parenting style that is expected. Not every family is the same. In this book, every middle and upper middle class family focused on concerted cultivation and every working and lower class families focused on accomplishment of natural growth as their parenting styles. The book shows absolutely no example of a working or lower class families that raise their children under the concerted cultivation parenting styles and vice versa. From a personal standpoint, I was raised in the middle class and according to these two parenting styles it is likely that I will be raised in a concerted cultivation environment but in reality I was raised with a mix of concerted cultivation and accomplishment of natural growth with more of an emphasis on accomplishment of natural growth. There are most likely many other families that may mix these two parenting styles together or use the one that is not commonly associated with their social class and Lareau failed to also represent those families in her
Throughout, Bettie research describing how young women experience class differences within their peers and culture depending on living conditions and identity. I think Bettie explained fully how cultural capital can be a privilege but it can also be a reason why their is a huge gap between classes. Not only this but Julie illustrates how women are treated by earning lower wages then men. My favorite part is in the end how women shouldn’t be without class instead to look over how some too are apart of class. Not only that but class shouldn’t be divided upon race, sexuality, and gender but look at the formation evenly among each. Throughout my writing assignment I argued how Bettie’s theories of inequality connect with Pierre Bourdieu, Kimberle Crenshaw, Marx and Engels and the students perspectives towards class difference, race, gender, cultural, and
The purpose of this study, as well as the central argument, is very well addressed by Lareau in the text and leads to many well supported conclusions. Lareau’s main argument in the text is that when children grow up in certain environments, parents are more likely to use specific methods of child rearing that may be different from other families in different social classes. In the text, Lareau describes how she went into the home of the McAllisters and the Williams, two black families leading completely different lives. Ms. McAllister lives in a low-income apartment complex where she takes care of her two children as well as other nieces and nephews. Ms. McAllister never married the father of her two children and she relies on public assistance for income.
...oming to an understanding of the daily struggles of every person, who attempts to raise a child in the American society. Inferring from the book, the extent to which the scholar discusses race as a key influence of childhood inequality is not as extended as that of social class. This is clear evidence that the Lareau dwells much on social class as the principal and prevalent theme in the American society towards parenting and child bearing (4). Indeed, at some point, Lareau reports that while race produces childhood inequality, most outcomes for children, from interactions to education, largely depends with social stratification (4). Therefore, she discusses that social class is more influential in relation to race.
was trying to accomplish in this essay was not just the fact that the working class is not noticed
I can help make creative outlets to benefit the yearbook. I focus on work that contributes to my academic life. I am good at ignoring distractions. I can handle tough class work/ homework assignments. I can work well with other student even when I don't have the strongest positive relationship with them.
Having a family of low socioeconomic status inevitably leaves me to reside in a low-income neighborhood which makes it more likely for me to witness the tragedies, adversities and hardships that people go through [not excluding myself]. Being conscious of this kind of environment, and these kinds of events, creates a pressure on me for having the aim to achieve social mobility in order to escape the aforementioned environment so that my own children could witness one less abominable aspect of life. Moreover, my family’s low socioeconomic status does not authorize me the privilege of being raised with the concerted cultivation method that kids of high socioeconomic status are more prone to being raised in. My family did not have the financial resources that granted us access to extra classes or lessons of instrumental classes, swimming practices, karate practices, or any other extracurricular activities that people of high socioeconomic status would be able to afford. This invisible fence that prevents me from these extracurricular activities enables me to having more appreciation towards the hobbies and talents that other people have. Plus, the fact that my family’s low socioeconomic status acts as a barrier from enjoying expensive luxuries in life creates a yearning [in me] to enjoy them later on in my life, in addition to acting as the fuel to my wish of achieving social mobility in anticipation of providing my own children with the luxurious vacations, gadgets, beachhouse, new cars that I could not
Education has been historically considered as an equalizer of society in America, allowing the opportunity for even the disadvantaged to reach success. Race was once the strongest factor in determining future achievement, but today Stanford Sociologist, Sean F. Reardon, says income level has become more consequential (Tavernise). President Barack Obama was one of the lucky few able to overcome the obstacles he faced growing up being both African American and underprivileged, but most children are not as lucky (Rampton , Nawaguna). In The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot, the Lacks family lived in poverty and struggled to perform well in school, resulting in many of them dropping out even before high school (Skloot). The success gap between high and low income students in the U.S. has increased significantly in recent years (McGlynn). The educational achievement of students is significantly affected by their home life, and those living in poverty are much more likely to fall behind academically than children coming from affluent families.
Family heavily impacts society as a whole. In that case the author of “Maus 1 and 2” displays
Class is something that is often defined by ones income, job, and family background, the area in which they live or indeed the schools or universities they have chosen to attended. This criteria is used to label people as a certain class and is something that can be seen in education through the likes of theories such as cultural capital. In this essay I am going to compare and contrast differences between middle and working class experiences of education focusing on two main theories; Cultural capital and social reproduction. I am going to concentrate upon the primary sector in oppose to secondary or higher education due to the fact I believe that primary school is where most children develop their personalities which they carry with them in further life and it is their first academic experience; therefore it is where social class first becomes clearly noticeable. In relation to these theories I am going to research into the argument that parents have a strong influence on their child’s education from this young age.
The first term, ascribed status plays a large role in the analysis. For example, it is the social status a person is assigned at birth or assumed involuntarily later in life. It is a position that is neither earned nor chosen, but assigned. This term depicts the two families immensely. The mother and father in both families came from poor backgrounds and lived through struggle their entire lives. This plays a large role in life because it already puts you behind people who come from successful backgrounds. It is not easy to work your way back out of poverty if you were born into it. Nobody asks to live that way, but some are just assigned to live that way, and cannot do anything about it to fix it.