Sociology 101 Free Response answers

A politician recently said: “The American Dream is real. In the U.S., every child is born with the same opportunities for economic success.” How would Annette Lareau (Invisible Inequality: Social Class and Childrearing in Black Families and White Families) critique this statement? In support of your answer: a) Describe the different childrearing strategies of the two social class groups. b) Discuss what effects these strategies have on interactions outside the home. Discuss the overall consequences for the two social class groups.




· Annette Lareu would disagree with the statement that every child is born with the same opportunities for economic success. She believes that childrearing approaches vary by class, and these differences have different effects on life outside the home. They can create advantages or disadvantages for children which goes against the idea that every child has equal opportunity.


· Childrearing approach is “cultural logic”, and these approaches arise from values and beliefs on how to raise children. The two different social classes that exist in culture is the middle class and the working class. The childrearing approach that the middle class parents implement is Concerted Cultivation, and the childrearing approach that the working class parents implement is Accomplishment of Natural Growth. These parenting styles are influenced by economic resources (ability to participate in organized activities), parent’s education, and life experiences.


· Concerted Cultivation focuses on fostering the child’s talent through leisure activities because these activities can develop life skills. Parents use reasoning to discipline the child. Also parents encourage their child to play with children the same age, and these children have weak extended family ties.


· The working class parents differ in that they do not focus as much on developing child’s talents and the child does not participate in a lot of leisure activities. Instead parents provide love, food, and safety to the child. Parents also use directives rather than reasoning. Children of these parents also play with a wide age range of children and they have strong extended family ties.


· Outside the home, middle class children gain an emerging sense of entitlement. Parent of Concerted Cultivation approach are and encourages children to be assertive in interactions with authorities and institutions to make other accommodate to their needs and preferences. For example, being assertive can make doctors take medical concerns seriously. Also the use of reasoning and negotiation of the middle class parents helps children develop persuasion skills and logical thinking which can be advantageous. They strive to be reciprocated by peers and people of higher positions. All of these qualities are cultural capital. Cultural capital are traits that can be used as advantageous resources in maintaining or improving the current social class that a person resides in.


· For the working class children, they feel sense of constraint. Parents of this class don’t question authorities and are not assertive. They feel bullied and powerfulness when faced with professionals. Thus children are passive and compliant with adults or people of higher positions, so they often do not try to get others to accommodate. In the school setting, passivity is looked down upon on, and school officials are dismissive towards these parents. Also these children have not reached their potential for talents and skills, so they are not able to use these cultural capital/ resources and apply them in professional/school settings.

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