Socioeconomic Status at the Extremes: Associations with Parenting H607: Ethnicity, Context, and Family Dynamics

The plan… Theories of SES and parenting Theories of SES and parenting Parenting typologies & child outcomes Parenting typologies & child outcomes SES and parenting SES and parenting –General trends –Nonlinear relations at higher and lower SES levels The Midterm… The Midterm…

Types of Assessments: Pros & Cons Education Level Education Level Income Level Income Level Other sources of income/in kind service Other sources of income/in kind service Assets/debt—wealth Assets/debt—wealth Occupational Prestige Occupational Prestige Poverty Line Poverty Line Composite Indices Composite Indices

Types of Assessments: Pros & Cons Education Level Education Level Income Level Income Level Other sources of income/in kind service Other sources of income/in kind service Assets/debt—wealth Assets/debt—wealth Occupational Prestige Occupational Prestige Poverty Line Poverty Line Composite Indices Composite Indices

SES and Parenting: Theories of Differences Family and Environmental Stress Perspective Family and Environmental Stress Perspective

Impact of Poverty: Making the strong vulnerable Poverty diminishes the capacity for supportive and consistent and involved parenting Poverty diminishes the capacity for supportive and consistent and involved parenting Exacerbates the negative impact of other life events Exacerbates the negative impact of other life events Co-occurs or produces other losses Co-occurs or produces other losses –Housing, professional identity What are some of the processes by which this happens?

Economic Hardship, Family and Child outcomes (McLoyd, 1990) Poverty Economic Loss Psychological Distress Marital/ Co-parenting Bond Parenting Behaviors Child Outcomes Parental Appraisal Personality Resources Child Temperament Personality Appearance Social Support Extended family Non family Community

SES and Parenting: Theories of Differences Family and Environmental Stress Perspective Family and Environmental Stress Perspective Resources & Investment Perspective Resources & Investment Perspective –Time use, consumption –Investment –Expectations—(e.g., work ethic, goals & processes) Cultural Perspective Cultural Perspective –Occupational conditions and adult roles (Kohn, 1969) –SES creates a “cultural” context or cohesive set of parenting ideologies (Lareau, 2003)

Parenting Typologies & Outcomes: Goals for Parenting Practices, Reprise For children to know they are loved For children to know they are loved –Develop a sense of emotional security and attachment among children Instill values held by the family, culture, society Instill values held by the family, culture, society –Communicate respective roles for individuals within society –Relative primacy of particular relationships, respect for elders, expected behavior Produce children who become productive citizens Produce children who become productive citizens Parenting feels “natural,” although culturally embedded Parenting feels “natural,” although culturally embedded

Two Key Aspects of Parenting Control, modify, or shape children’s behavior Control, modify, or shape children’s behavior To be responsive to the needs or desires of children To be responsive to the needs or desires of children …Variations on these 2 constructs result in the parenting typologies…

Baumrind’s Parenting Typologies Authoritarian Authoritarian Authoritative Authoritative Permissive Permissive –(Indulgent) –(Neglectful) Which type of parenting do you think works best for whom? And why? Which type of parenting do you think works best for whom? And why?

Benefits & precursors of Authoritarian Perceptions of threat to one’s child’s life chances (including economic recession stress)  more controlling more authoritarian Perceptions of threat to one’s child’s life chances (including economic recession stress)  more controlling more authoritarian For ethnic minorities & low income families, authoritarian  better mental, behavioral and academic outcomes For ethnic minorities & low income families, authoritarian  better mental, behavioral and academic outcomes Authoritarian parenting  warmth for ethnic minorities & low income families Authoritarian parenting  warmth for ethnic minorities & low income families

SES as a “cultural context” – Concerted cultivation —actively fostering and assessing children’s talents, opinions and skills Concerted cultivation —actively fostering and assessing children’s talents, opinions and skills Accomplishment of Natural Growth— development unfolds naturally, but requires ongoing effort, sustaining children’s natural growth despite formidable life challenges Accomplishment of Natural Growth— development unfolds naturally, but requires ongoing effort, sustaining children’s natural growth despite formidable life challenges

Lareau’s Parenting Typologies Concerted CultivationAccomplishment of Natural Growth Key Elements Actively fosters child’s talents, opinions and skills Parent cares for child and allows child to grow Organization of Daily Life Multiple leisure activities organized by adults “hanging out” mostly with kin-family Language Use Reasoning, extended negotiation, child contestation Directives, child rarely questions or challenges parent Interventions with institutions Criticizes or intervenes with institutions on behalf of child Dependence and sense of powerlessness and frustration with institutions Consequences Emerging sense of entitlement. Emerging sense of constraint

Parenting Across SES Lower SES parents tend to be rated as more authoritarian and utilize practices associated with “accomplishment of natural growth” Lower SES parents tend to be rated as more authoritarian and utilize practices associated with “accomplishment of natural growth” Higher SES parents tend to be rated as more authoritative and use “concerted cultivation” Higher SES parents tend to be rated as more authoritative and use “concerted cultivation”

Does Concerted Cultivation Work? What does Lareau’s evidence suggest? What does Lareau’s evidence suggest? All children felt loved, experienced family rituals, felt emotionally attached, laughed with their families and friends. All children felt loved, experienced family rituals, felt emotionally attached, laughed with their families and friends. We don’t know the predictive relation to long term outcomes… We don’t know the predictive relation to long term outcomes…

What we know about wealthy families (Luthar) Assumptions:Outcomes Wealthy are no different from Middle Class majority Wealthy are no different from Middle Class majority Given privileged status, there must only advantages, or at least be benign Given privileged status, there must only advantages, or at least be benign Depression Depression Anxiety Anxiety Substance Use Substance Use Eating Disorders Eating Disorders Lower General Happiness Lower General Happiness Why? Pressures to Achieve Isolation Lack of time for true leisure Lack of relationship-building time Feel Conditionally Loved

Conclusion Which types of parenting work best for whom? Which types of parenting work best for whom? –The types of parenting practices that help youth get ahead in mainstream US are not the practices that work in low SES contexts or for ethnic minorities There are unique costs and advantages across the economic spectrum. There are unique costs and advantages across the economic spectrum. Parenting practices that are Parenting practices that are –fitted to one’s cultural, economic and community context and –help youth feel emotionally secure and unconditionally loved –produce wellbeing among youth… across SES

Coming Next… The MIDTERM… The MIDTERM… SAVE the next set of readings SAVE the next set of readings