Post on 23-Dec-2015
Children and ParentsChildren and ParentsChildren and ParentsChildren and Parents
Why have children?Why have children?The parental roleThe parental roleTransition to parenthoodTransition to parenthoodWhat children needWhat children needSocializationSocialization
parenting stylesparenting stylesclass and race differencesclass and race differencesimpact of child careimpact of child care
Economics and children’s well beingEconomics and children’s well being
Why have children?
Economic Model• Decision to have children based on:
– Income– Resource constraints– "Taste" for children
• Parents may trade quantity for quality
Nine Values of Children(Hoffman and Hoffman)
1. Primary group ties2. Stimulation and fun3. Expansion of self4. Adult status, identity5. Achievement, creativity6. Morality, social duty7. Power and influence8. Status, prestige9. Financial security
The Parental Role
Stages in most adult roles• Anticipation• Honeymoon• Plateau• Disengagement
Rossi -The Parent Role is Different:
• Acquired overnight• No anticipatory stage• No formal preparation• No clear disengagement• Irrevocable: can't send them back
How Infants Changed Families
(LaRossa and LaRossa)
• Changed conceptions of time• Traditionalized division of labor• Mother embraced role; father
distanced himself• Mothers did more "hands-on“ care• Mothers perceived infants as more
competent.
What children need from parents:
• Material support• Emotional support• Structure/discipline• Values
Socialization• Primary socialization = teaching
the culture to young child• Involves
– Language/communication– Behaviors– Norms– Values
• Includes support and control
Parenting Styles(Baumrind)
• Authoritative: high support, consistent moderate discipline, parent as authority
• Permissive: high support, low discipline, parent as companion
• Authoritarian: low support, high discipline, parent in control
Traditional (Adult-Centered) Socialization
• Goal: Raise a competent adult.• Assumption: Children naturally "wild" and
must be controlled.• Values: obedience, neatness, respect of
peers, discipline oriented to behavior, unsponsored independence.
• Style: Authoritarian, "Parent Power“• Similar to: “working class,” “natural
growth”
Developmental (Child-Centered) Socialization
• Goal: Develop child's potential.• Assumption: child has unique capabilities • Values: Self-direction, creativity,
problem-solving, intellectual ability, sponsored independence, discipline oriented to motive.
• Style: authoritarian or permissive, participatory, democratic.
• Similar to: “middle class,” “concerted cultivation,” “intensive mothering”
Fathers and Socialization
• Fathers interact differently with kids• More play; “rough and tumble”• Influence is less direct or immediate• More direct involvement = benefit to child• Direct involvement more difficult for dads• Little research on other adults as “dads:”
(e.g. lesbian partner, grandmother, etc.)
“Good Dads – Bad Dads”2 modern father roles:
1. Involved Father:• Originated in colonial times• Lost after industrialization• Considered voluntary• Personal and economic sacrifice• Emotionally rewarding• Still less involved than mother
2 modern father roles:
2. Absent Father:• Results from voluntary fatherhood.• Supported by women's employment
and welfare.• Related to men's job opportunities.• Less attached to children.• More common among Blacks.• Harmful to children, women, and men.
How Can We Increase Fathers’ Involvement?
• Cultural change: parenting as men's work• Individual change: learning parental skills• Marital change: wives' support and
encouragement• Structural change: incentives and
opportunities for fathering – “responsive workplace”
Child Care and Children’s Development
Older toddlers, Preschoolers • Quality care has few or no
negative effects.• Learn social skills earlier.• Learn nontraditional roles.• May be more assertive and
aggressive.• May become peer-oriented earlier.
Child Care and Children’s Development
Infants, young toddlers
• Findings are less conclusive• Probably no negative effects if hours
are limited• Infants were less socially responsive,
attentive, verbally expressive• May have implications for attachment
The Well-Being of American Children
• Has well-being declined?– Compared with when?– Which children?
What is “well-being?”• Health care – probably better
overall, but not for working poor • Income – rising standard of
living, but mostly at the top• Intact families – proportion is
decreasing
Poor prospects for children with:
• An unmarried mother• A teen mother• A mother without a high school
degree• A family income below the poverty
line
Good prospects for children with:
• A married mother• A mother who was 26 or older when
1st child was born• A mother who completed college• family income > 4 times the poverty
rate
Children in the Middle
• Downward drift since 1960s• More divorce, single parent families• More mothers working outside the
home• Maybe less parental time• Moderate decline in economic status
Summary• People have children to enhance their lives• Transition to parenthood is very significant • Socialization increasingly child-centered,
developmental• Fathers’ role significant, indirect• Voluntary notion of fatherhood• Child care has some effects on development• Mixed prospects for child well-being