Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life
by Annette Lareau
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Book Summary Information
Author: Annette LareauEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-09-11
ISBN: 0520239504
Number of pages: 343
Publisher: University of California Press
Book Reviews of Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life
Book Review: A major achievement
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a stimulating comparison of child-rearing practices in different socioeconomic classes, and is directly applicable to hands-on parenting. Lareau lays out the conceptual issues succinctly, then moves to the fascinating case studies (various families) that constitute the bulk of the book.
An issue for some readers will undoubtedly "class." Many people adamantly deny that we (USA) have socioeconomic classes; they see individualistic concepts (personalities, skills, psychology, etc.) as more credible explanatory tools. Herein lies a longstanding intellectual controversy, one that might benefit from a clearer distinction between use of "class" for social, socioeconomic, or economic phenomena.
Some reviewers comment on nature (or genes)vs. nurture (environment). These comments remind me of similar intellectual disputes, where findings are shaped by (and shape) methodologies to suit the world view of the thinker. For example, community POWER: "Who governs?" was an issue in 1960s. Political scientists (sic)tended to find "power" only when they could measure or otherwise see it in operation using their preferred methodologies. Sociologists typically held a competing view and used different research tools to assess subjective perceptions, that they thought were important compenents of power. They also gave greater weight to unequal outcomes as evidence of persistent differences in access to the instruments of power. Crudely put, political science focused more on government, while sociology focused more on the broader society.
NATIONAL CHARACTER produced similar controversies. Some deny the validity of any such concept, claiming that individuals are not significantly different - thus "national character" does not exist. Yet narrowly focusing on individual personalities fails to account for behavior patterns that derive in large part from social roles, such as expectations and other pressures from peers and neighbors (even from professional associatons!).
In addressing CLASS Lareau moves through a similar intellectual minefield. Her approach is summarized on p. 236. "Rather than seeing society as a collection of individuals, I stressed the importance of individuals' social structural location in shaping their daily lives. ... how social class dynamics are woven into the texture and rhythm of ... daily lives. Class position influences critical aspects of family life: time use, language use, and kin ties." In sum, her book is well worth reading, and not permeated with academic jargon.
Summary of Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life
Class does make a difference in the lives and futures of American children. Drawing on in-depth observations of black and white middle-class, working-class, and poor families, Unequal Childhoods explores this fact, offering a picture of childhood today. Here are the frenetic families managing their children's hectic schedules of "leisure" activities; and here are families with plenty of time but little economic security. Lareau shows how middle-class parents, whether black or white, engage in a process of "concerted cultivation" designed to draw out children's talents and skills, while working-class and poor families rely on "the accomplishment of natural growth," in which a child's development unfolds spontaneously--as long as basic comfort, food, and shelter are provided. Each of these approaches to childrearing brings its own benefits and its own drawbacks. In identifying and analyzing differences between the two, Lareau demonstrates the power, and limits, of social class in shaping the lives of America's children.The first edition of Unequal Childhoods was an instant classic, portraying in riveting detail the unexpected ways in which social class influences parenting in white and African-American families. A decade later, Annette Lareau has revisited the same families and interviewed the original subjects to examine the impact of social class in the transition to adulthood.
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