CHAPTER 2 Andia Christopher & Abbey Edmonston

The Role of Culture in Parent-Child Relations Culture - a virtual shorthand between persons sharing the same cultural context Socialization - the way that parents and other societal entities teach culture to children

Culture shapes the rules or social norms that outline appropriate behavior in a variety of contexts, such as the roles children learn the values, attitude, and beliefs by parental example Description: compares its effects to a global positioning device, which directs, and gently redirects the user back to its presents destination

Two cultural conceptions of value systems: Individualism –values the person and what can be accomplished on its own collectivism –a cultural trait emphasizes the independence of the individual with the larger community

Socialization The socialization of children to prepare them for their participation in society Process of socialization is bidirectional because children play a role in the process –Bidirectional – functioning in two directions Alters over time when society changes Socialization of children to prepare them for their participation in society Mental and personal abilities will change the lessons a parent chooses to teach the child socialization this is developmental parenting.

Socialization Socialization of children to prepare them for their participation in society Mental and personal abilities will change the lessons a parent chooses to teach the child socialization this is developmental parenting.

The Feature of Contemporary Families Characteristics –Marriage –Births –Divorce –Remarriage –Family and Working Mothers –Poverty and Homelessness Marriage –20 th century median of marriage: 25.9 years for men 21.9 years for women –Marriage is happening less due to education cohabitation –Two people who are not married live together in a romantic relationship and have sexual intercourse.

Delays of Marriage Adult roles dealing with: –Complex educational and career demands –Obstacles in establishing an occupational path –Greater gender equality –Greater economic hardship Problems with later marriage –Delayed childbearing –Smaller families –Greater marital stability

Births Number of children in the United States has been relatively stable since 1975 Asian and Hispanic women ted to have higher fertility rates than women in other ethnic groups Only 10 percent of all American families had four children or more in 2002

Divorce Fragile families at higher risk Divorce has lost its social stigma Couples with multiple stressors may be at higher risk for divorce Remarriage  Median interval between divorce and remarriage is about 3 years  54% of divorced women tend remarry within 5 years  Remarriage includes:  Blended families  Increasing the likelihood of co-parenting and step-parenting

Family Income and Working Mothers Both parents working results in child care Concerns when both parents are working –House care –Child care and child rearing –Extracurricular activities –Leisure time Poverty and Homelessness  Increase the number of working poor  Varies due relative to family structure, racial group, and ethnicity  Two trends among those affected by poverty:  The feminization of poverty, as noted by the increasing number of women and children who are poor  Increase in the number of working poor, or those who may work one or more jobs earning low wages with few or no benefits

Diversity in contemporary family forms and structures Two – Parent Families –Gender equality the state in which access to rights or opportunities is unaffected by gender. –Dual Parenting Both parents will contribute whatever the parenting situation demands –Ideal all tasks are shared –Most children in the U.S experience growing up with both parents Single – Parent and Binuclear Families –One of the most common –Binuclear – children having availability to both families –Older children are less likely to live with both parents –Created through Divorce/ separation Death of one adult Having a child while being unmarried

Diversity in Contemporary Family Forms and Structures Military Families –Co-parenting at a distance –More than 4 in 10 military families report having children under 5 years old –Positive outcomes are strength and stability in a relationship and household. Blended Families –Formed through remarrying –Have a higher risk of divorce than first marriages –Involve children from both families –Most remarried children have at least one –This family may be no better or worse than other families –Challenges Complicated networking Difficulty in establishing step-parenting roles The unique developmental tasks associated with forming a new and cohesive family identity