Comprehensive Exam Study Guide
Unequal Childhoods: Class Race, and Family Life – Annette Lareau (2003)
Ch. 1: Concerted Cultivation and the Accomplishment of Natural Growth
Garrett Tallinger, white fourth-grader, and Alexander Williams, black fourth-grader live
middle/upper-middle class lives in large suburban homes, with luxury cars:
Concerted Cultivation:
 Parents cultivate the talents of their children with question/discussion; they stimulate
child’s development and foster social and cognitive skills and abilities
 Organized activities controlled by parents to provide wide range of experiences
 More talking at home; great verbal acuity developed
 Children gain a sense of entitlement and valuable personal skills for later work world:
more comfort with authority figures and abstract concepts (they learn to shake hands,
look adults in the eye, etc)
 Children shift interactions to suit their preferences; they are “trained in the rules of the
game” and can make them work in their favor. They are comfortable asking questions,
expressing opinions, making requests: they augment their cultural capital.
 Children are less experienced in organizing their own time
Billy Yanelli, white fourth-grader in working class family, lives 20 minutes away in a public
housing project with father who drinks beer and mother who works as housecleaner, and Harold
McAllister, black fourth-grader, searches unsuccessfully for a ball to play baseball with his
cousins and have a water balloon fight as family and neighbors sit out in lawn chairs:
Accomplishment of Natural Growth: economic constraints put the focus on housing and
providing food, negotiating unsafe neighborhoods.
 Parents facilitate the accomplishment of natural growth, interacting with central
institutions in society that have middle class values of concerted cultivation: children gain
a sense of distance, distrust, and constraint with these institutions, an emergent sense of
restraint in institutional settings
 Children have one or so organized activity per week (Billy plays baseball); long stretches
of leisure time, with child-initiated play, with more control over their leisure time and
more autonomy from adults
 Extended family is important; relatives typically live close by
 Kids are free to go out and play, unsupervised
 Crucial aspect of parenting is not eliciting opinions, ideas from children or organizing
their lives in a concerted way, but they draw a clear boundary between adult and child
and use directives rather than reasoning with their kids
 Families don’t generally look each other in the eyes; in their neighborhoods, this can be
dangerous
 Parents have less comfort in dealing with children’s school
*Transmission of Differential Advantages results from these two different approaches to childrearing
Cultural Repertoires: dominant set of middle class values on which society is founded and by
which its institutions are run which provide implicit guidelines for child-rearing
Ch. 2: Social Structure and Daily Life
Social Structure defined – the regular patterns and social organizations in which we function and
with which we interact, marked by rule systems that coalesce into the institutions (marriage,
family, the army, segregation) with which we interact and in which we have a status. Some of
these institutions (the zoo, public transportation) are social equalizers, while others (country
clubs, neighborhoods) are not.
Lower Richmond School (K-5): urban, working class school, half-white, half-black, mainly
white teaching staff and African-American maintenance staff in congested urban area.
Considered “cream puff” by a teacher who compares it favorably to other inner-city schools.
 Offers computer class in lab, music and art programs
 ½ of each class is one-year behind in reading; 1/3 of the 4th grade is 2 years behind
 Bureaucracy causes problems for teachers in getting things done
 One-parent families, family addictions and dysfunction, school fights, students lacking
basic supplies, and other issues cause academic disruption
 Teachers tend to treat their own children according to concerted cultivation
Swan School (K-5): suburban school on sprawling grounds in quiet, residential neighborhood,
 Abundance of supplies, elaborate music and art programs
 10 times the PTA members of LR school
 Most families have 2 parents, both employed (Teachers worry about lack of attention at
home)
 Some parents have exaggerated sense of their children’s accomplishments
 Parents monitor teaches and intervene often: “robust sense of entitlement”
 Parent involvement is higher than at Lower Richmond
 Teachers sometimes complain about children’s full schedules
Teachers at both schools notice that parents’ negative attitudes influence a child’s attitude.
The inequalities between the two schools reflect inequalities in society: parents’ education and
careers, incomes.
 The richest 10% of families own almost 80% of real estate, more than 90 % of securities,
60% of money in bank accounts.
 1/5 of U.S. children live below poverty level; twice that for Black children
 ¼ of U.S. obtain a bachelor’s degree; 2/3 to ¾ of college students do not graduate
 Kindergartners of educated parents are more school-ready; children of educated mothers
out-perform; parents’ social class position predicts child’s school success.
Views of Society:
 Society is “open”: individuals draw on work ethic and talent to carve out a life
 The gradational approach of Paul Kingston in The Classless Society: there are haphazard
patterns of class differences, but not recognizable, categorical differences by social class.
 Lareau’s claim is that economic position in society, defined in terms of social class
membership, is closely tied to differences in the cultural logic of child-rearing, and the
class differences (middle-, working-,and poor classes) cut across different and distinct
spheres. Concerted cultivation dominates in middle class, while accomplishment of
natural growth dominates in working-class and poor.
Part I: Organization of Daily Life
Ch. 3: The Hectic Pace of Concerted Cultivation: Garrett Tallinger
Social class differences manifest in organization of daily life: Middle-class parents spend
hundreds or thousands per year promoting children’s activities and they live hectic lives racing
from event to event; working-class and poor families expend a great deal of energy to get
through the day and maintain under economic limits resulting in a slower, more relaxed pace for
their children, particularly for girls, whose lives were more sedentary.
Garrett Tallinger is a white, middle-class fourth grader who lives in a four-bedroom,
three-bathroom home with a pool and basketball hoop in the drive; his family has a number of
pets, and his home is regularly cleaned by housecleaners. He has two brothers, one of whom
participates like him in a number of extra-curricular activities in which their parents are very
involved; yet Garrett is a better athlete than his middle brother Spencer who is considered
average in sports. Spencer, in fact, seems to suffer a sense of inferiority from watching Garrett
perform in both athletic and music competitions and events, despite the fact that he scored into a
gifted program, an accomplishment that Garrett could not match. The schedule of Garrett's
youngest brother Sam, aged four, is dependent on that of his older siblings. Garrett's parents,
both professionals who travel on their jobs and who graduated from Ivy League schools, are
members of a country club and are themselves active and athletic. They also read, as part of the
example they set for their children--newspapers, and novels. They engage him in the process of
concerted cultivation by guiding him into activities that develop his abilities and by talking to
him about his and their experiences, eliciting opinions and sharing ideas as relative equals. They
typically answer questions with questions, in order to help their children to reason things out for
themselves. They also know the value of language and foment a love of riddles and puns in their
boys. This cultivation creates a sense of entitlement important for institutional settings in which
Garrett will play a role later in life -- it nurtures a sense that he can question and address others
as equals, as he has already begun to do when in the company of adults. Yet due in part to the
hectic pace of his life, Garrett does not have extensive interaction with extended family and even
his face-to-face interaction with immediate family comes mainly through shared meals every few
days; he is not in joint activities with his brothers. He does demonstrate a caring and affectionate
attitude toward his parents, yet the relationship with his brothers is at times "viciously"
competitive; they often refer to "hating" one another. The children's numerous activities take
precedence over visiting extended family members. Garrett enjoys his fast-paced life and feels
that he would be bored without the numerous activities but is sometimes moody and irritated.
Garrett's parents typically spend a large amount of money on these and other endeavor; but
recent problems in their firms result in delayed paychecks, a circumstance which greatly
increases their stress. Until this occurred, their "ever-present" money was rarely mentioned or up
for discussion. Because of limits on his parents financially and because some of his friends live
wealthier lifestyles, Garrett feels a sense of economic deprivation.
Garrett attends Swan School, which is located in a quiet residential area and which
suffers far fewer deficits than schools in less privileged areas. His school is almost 90% white.
There is no shortage of teachers or supplies and less bureaucracy to deal with. Parents are highly
involved and have as strong sense of empowerment to monitor and criticize teachers. Many
students are beyond level in reading. The school offers a wide variety of classes and activities.
Yet teachers notice a rise in children's not completing homework, and some parents have an
exaggerated sense of their child's abilities. Garrett is a good student. His teacher describes him as
"right where he should be." He is poised and sophisticated in social interactions and a facile
athlete, the best in his class. He has numerous trophies and is very popular. His parents have no
doubts that he will attend a competitive university, and they already visit Ivy League campuses
when in the area. Garrett has "broad horizons" and has been exposed to typically adult
experiences that give him a sense of power.
Ch. 4: A Child’s Pace: Tyrec Taylor
Tyrec Taylor is 9 year old from a Black, working class neighborhood; he spends time in
informal play with friends; for him organized activities are an interruption and include only
Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. His mother committed to fourth grade football, but
she found it taxing. In WC families, children offer each other more support, since their world is
more autonomous from that of adults than in MC families: they learn a set of competencies
including how to be members of informal peer groups and how to strategize, to negotiate open
conflict; boys are given more latitude than girls who play closer to home and are more
scrutinized. These kids tend not to feel entitled. Unlike poor children, WC kids their lives have
more stability and are less contingent.
Tyrec lives in a rented 4-bedroom house with his mother, sister, and step-brother. Houses
sell for about $50,000 in their largely African American neighborhood, but whites are more
visible than in the housing projects. Tyrec’s parents were together 15 years, but now live apart;
dad has substance abuse problems. Mom Celeste is a high-school graduate and works as a
secretary at $20,000 per year with health insurance and pays $650 in rent. Anish, 13 year-old
sister, mothers Tyrec.
Tyrec gets Bs and Cs in Lower Richmond. His mother has strict set of rules and values
respect, automatic for adults; she does not allow cursing, sets boundaries in the neighborhood
and on what he can do, but sometimes turns a blind eye. She will use corporal punishment when
necessary. Mom and Dad are dating, to work on marriage, but clash.
Planned events are unusual and the Taylor’s are busy if they have one event planned; the
calendar is not the heart of the household. TV and video games and informal, impromptu play
are a main pastime, and unlike MC kids, they play with different age-groups. Slower pace, less
adult monitoring, more contact with extended family, great reliance on and more cordial with
siblings. Tyrec’s involvement in football cut into his informal play and took weeknights and all
day Saturday; his mother committed and fund-raised, but he didn’t continue the next year; mom
thought it was a good experience but didn’t see it as crucial for development. She thought it
good, but not necessary to repeat.
Tyrec learned skills unavailable to Garrett: independence, creativity, but not in enactment
of organizational rules. He feels less entitled to adult attention than Garrett and can manage
leisure time to his own satisfaction. What Garrett learns pays off in institutional involvement in
later life.
Ch. 5: Children’s Play is for Children: Katie Brindle
MC parents consider it a duty to pay close attention to their children; WC and poor
consider the social lives of their children to be less their responsibility. Katie, fourth-grader,
lives with her mom, toddler brother and half-sister with a pit bull, in a 3-bedroom apt. in a rundown building in a white, working class neighborhood. She lives close to Lower Richmond, but
the closest supermarket is 20 minutes away. Their apartment has leaks and other problems like
roaches. Everything is placed neatly in its proper place. Mom has a history of drug abuse; each
child has a different father. Dad is peripheral. They live on public assistance and child support.
Katie can act very adult or very childlike. She was sexually molested in first grade and
has exhibited self-destructive behavior. She can take the bus alone to her mom’s family nearby,
stays with them on weekends. Family on food stamps often runs out of food. Mother helps with
homework and helps her get her hair ready for school; she expects Katie to be independent as
well. Great economic pressures make life hard for the Brindle’s. The toddler has no car seat and
is hidden in car from cops. Ms. Brindle attempted suicide when she found out her older daughter
was ill.
Mom plays from time to time with Katie, but there is a separation between the adult and
child worlds. Katie is dramatic and performs skits with her friends, sometime for her family.
Katie put herself in the after-school choir and mom supports this.
Katie is aware of the family’s economic difficulty and worries; she negotiates the lack of
food and other things. The adults seem preoccupied with the amount of work that came with
raising children with inadequate economic resources. Children are allowed a good deal of
latitude compared to MC kids. Children are allowed to thrive naturally with no special toys or
lessons, seen as not critical by their parents. WC and poor children learn more independence in
their play than MC kids.
Part II: Language Use
Shirley Bryce Heath argues that language patterns between parents and children (whether parents
engage children in conversation) have implications for schooling. In Lareau, MC families used
language as end in itself, while WC and poor used it as functional/directive with different
results: MC kids were verbally adroit, but whined and negotiated, while WC/poor were less
verbal but didn’t whine much.
Ch. 6: Developing a Child: Alexander Williams
Alex, African American, lives in 6-bedroom home in MC neighborhood, of two whitecollar parents with advanced degrees who earn over $200,000 per year, and he attends private
school. Parents never have to mention money. His parents support and accommodate Alex’s
extra-curricular activities and there is much speech for its own sakes at home. When taken to Dr.,
Alex is encouraged to prepare a list of questions. Alex has busy schedule and is very restricted
with television. Mother’s sibling all graduated from college; they live far from extended family
but keep in close touch, no cousins nearby though. Parents support but sometimes clash over the
busy schedule of son (e.g. Dad complains about son belonging to 2 choirs). They laugh much,
show affection, and TALK; the reason and negotiate and use advanced vocabulary, and they
explain their directives when they use them. They are careful to consider the impact of race on
Alex, not letting him be the only black kid in an activity. They are loath to read race into
situations, and incidents rarely occur. In interactions with authorities, the family are relaxed and
communicative; they teach Alex he has a right to speak up. Alex feels free to refute his parents
and sometimes has the last word. Alex’s parents listen to him read and give him grammar
lessons. They ask him to explain himself when necessary. Sometimes, concerted cultivation can
lead to less acceptable confrontations. This mode takes a good deal of time but leads to great
verbal acuity and to skills valuable in larger society.
Ch. 7: Language as a Conduit for Social Life: Harold McAllister
Harold McAllister, large, stocky 4th grader at LR, lives in a row of African American
public housing projects with his mom, sister, and two cousins, and common-law husband, and,
part-time, with older brother and sister who live with grandmother. Mom’s husband takes an
interest in Harold’s activities, but does not discipline him or manage day-to-day care. Aunt who
is a cocaine addict has key to apt. Family faces economic constraints, lives on assistance and
food stamps. The kids always ask permission before they eat something. The family forgoes
dental care, stylish clothes, and other things. Mom sees herself as very capable and tries to give
“extras” when possible. She does not work on enhancing Harold’s vocabulary; she typically
issues short directives and he does not try to negotiate. Strong boundaries between adults and
children. He has a social life apart from her. Harold does not have the questioning skills of a MC
kid and language is connected to his emerging sense of constraint.
Harold loves sports and always has someone to play basketball with. Extended family is
context in which he lives, celebrates birthdays, etc. (not with friends from school, as in MC
home). Organized activities are non-existent. Shortage of equipment interferes with sports. H. is
equipped at playing with different age groups, but not with negotiating with adults, with whom
he is respectful and subdued. He rarely interacts with whites; people in projects associate whites
with field workers or drugs.
Mom strongly believes in providing good care, which she sees in terms of natural growth.
She provides food, shelter, clothing, supervision, though she doesn’t intervene in children’s daily
social life. She does “special things” like picnics and zoo and strongly safeguards their physical
security. Harold sees his mom as clean and “not nasty.” Their language interaction consists of
short sentences; conversation is not unimportant and they talk of family and friends, and bolster
with body language. They also issue directives and children tend to do what they’re told without
whining or protest. Mom tends to be brusque or yell when necessary. They also laugh and joke.
With friends, Hs language is free-flowing. Corporal punishment is used commonly.
The family members show distrust and constraint toward institutional authority. With the
teacher and a doctor, the gregarious mom is subdued, sometimes almost inaudible. Compared to
MC kids, H. is more respectful at home with adults, very compliant, he has strong bonds with
extended family, and he has more autonomy when making daily decisions. But he is less able to
negotiate verbally and is subdued with authority figures and his mom feels more constrained
when dealing with authority and institutions.
Part III: Families and Institutions
MC families teach kids “not to take no for an answer,” and they pressure authorities to
accommodate them, (whether parents engage children in conversation) while WC and poor
families show more deference to authority figures.
Ch. 8: Concerted Cultivation in Organizational Spheres: Stacey Marshall
Stacey lives with her two parents and older sister in a middle class, African American
family; her parents have college/advanced degrees, work full-time, and are in good shape and
look younger than their forty-something years. They live within 4 hours of extended family and
see them 3 or 4 times per year. She often has conflict with her sister Fern. Their home, worth
about 200,000 (in 1995), is in a quiet, integrated neighborhood. The girls participate in numerous
activities, attend a good, somewhat integrated school district, but an all-Black church. The
parents reason with the kids and strive to help them develop their talents. They hesitate to
discipline at time for fear of “squelching” their daughter’s thought and opinions.
The mother is very involved in the girls’ lives. She made all arrangements to enroll them
in different summer camps. She involves herself in all their activities; their issues become hers.
She aggressively presses institutions to meet her daughters’ needs, as she did when her daughter
had problems with a gymnastics instructor. She grew up in the South and is sensitive to any
instances where racial discrimination may be an issue. For MC black parents, race plays an issue
not in whether they intervene in their children’s issues, but in what they keep an eye on as
potential problems.
Stacey’s mother represents the MC parent who aggressively intervenes on the child’s
behalf. She got her into a gifted program she did not initially qualify for, into a more advanced
level of gymnastics, and into the area’s best horseback riding camp. This represents one form of
concerted cultivation.
Ch. 9: Concerted Cultivation Gone Awry: Melanie Handlon
Melanie Handlon lives with both educated parents and two brothers in a middle-class
home. Melanie misses school frequently for minor illnesses (but confesses faking it at times) and
is “tentative, not assertive.” She can be outgoing and uninhibited at times. Mrs. Handlon has
responsibility of arranging all activities for the entire family. The family lives in a 4-bedroom
suburban home worth $245,000, in a homogenous neighborhood. Unusually, they have many
relatives who live nearby and they interact frequently.
Melanie has fewer activities than typical for MC kids, but she does have choir, piano
lessons, Girl Scouts, Sunday school and choir, and holiday performance. The family doesn’t
consider her schedule over-taxing, but homework is a major trial for them. Melanie, like other
MC kids, complains of being “bored.” Ironically, WC and poor children did not complain in this
way.
Melanie’s mother interacts with her teachers regularly. She works closely with Melanie
during her illnesses to help her keep up. She feels entitled to stand up to Melanie’s teachers when
she feels the need. She represents a MC dynamic of feeling entitled to critique everything about a
child’s teachers and schooling. She feels Melanie has far too much homework; and there is a
great deal of tension between them as she tries to help. She feels the teachers don’t explain well
and are setting the kids up for failure. Melanie’s teachers see how Mrs. Handlon fails to get
Melanie to school on time or to fill out paperwork for learning disability testing and doesn’t meet
the school reading specialist that Melanie sees 3 times per week. Teachers feel that some of
Melanie’s issues might be traced to Mrs. Handlon’s over-protective style.
Ch. 10: Letting Educators Lead the Way: Wendy Driver
The issue in this chapter is with working class/poor parents who lack the requisite
vocabulary to feel comfortable engaging their children’s teachers and school. They are afraid of
doing the “wrong” thing and are respectful of educators’ expertise. Yet, they may be deferential
to a teacher but at home say negative things within earshot of the child. Fears abound, such as the
fear that school personnel might take children away suspected of being abused. The strategies of
accomplishment of natural growth are at odds with the school’s strategy of concerted cultivation.
Wendy is a cheerful, affectionate 4th grader at LR. She lives in a rented two-story house
with her older brother, step-sister, Mother, and mom’s boyfriend. At school, she is sometimes an
assertive leader, and she freely expresses her opinions. During the summer, when her mom and
boyfriend work, Wendy and her brother watch TV all day on and off. She gets along well with
her brother. Her mom is a HS graduate and works as a secretary, a job she hates and at which she
earns $15-20,000. Her boyfriend makes $20,000 and money is a constant concern—too much to
qualify for assistance, too little to meet all needs. The house has 3-bedrooms and is kept
immaculate.
While Wendy’s school is integrated, half-black and white, she socializes with white
students almost exclusively. Her two best friends are cousins. Family events are of utmost
importance to the family, such as baptisms and weddings. Wendy’s mom can’t drive, so relies on
boyfriend. Wendy is more restricted than brother and must be within earshot of house. She goes
to religious instruction and dance lessons, and school choir. Mom and Step Dad are very
directive and authoritative in their use of language. When Wendy is tested for LD, her mom
seems to have only a vague idea of what the disability entails. Teachers like her mom, but feel
she should be more interventionist and involved. She is content to “leave the details to them.”
One teacher, outraged that Wendy got to grade 4 without reading ability tells the mom, “If roles
were reversed, I’d be beating on the teacher’s head.” Mrs. Driver feels Wendy should be held
back in grade 4, but she’ll accept what the school decides, even though she is not normally a
timid personality. Wendy can manage her school life somewhat autonomously since her mom is
not so involved. The mom misunderstand terminology associated with school, with the dentist,
and isn’t always clear about what is happening with her children precisely.
When a boy pulls Wendy’s hair in class, both parents advise her to hit him when the
teacher is not looking. The school represents the State and their deference can mask hostility who
can fear and resent the power the school wields over them. While the parents are responsible and
very capable in some areas of their lives, their dealings with authoritative institutions are based
to a degree on distrust and lack of understanding.
Ch. 11: Beating with a Belt, Fearing “the School”: Little Billy Yanelli
Billy Yanelli, also a white fourth-grader, lives 20 minutes away from Garrett, in a public
housing project located in a blue-collar neighborhood. Both of his parents work; neither finished
high school. His mother gets home later than his father from her cleaning job. When she arrives
home at 5:30, the family sits down for a meal together. Billy's after-school activities include
watching TV, riding his bike in the street, and playing cards outside with his dad. Billy's mother
stays in touch during the day by phone; and his uncle often stops by in the evening, bringing
Billy's youngest cousin. Billy plays baseball in the spring on a local team, his only organized
extra-curricular activity during the year. His daily life revolves around school and then playing
with neighborhood children. Because of economic constraints, Billy's parents do not consider his
concerted development through organized activities to be essential for his development; neither
do they engage Billy in conversations, eliciting his responses and ideas as a relative peer, but
instead believe in a strong boundary between children and adults. Instead of persuading Billy
with reasoning in order to form his behavior and attitudes, they tend to give directives and "tell"
him what to do, and on occasion they use corporal punishment; Billy's mother even fears being
turned in for child abuse. Billy's parents follow as a parenting model an accomplishment of
natural growth--Billy is free to go outside and play, to visit nearby relatives, less directed by the
organization of his leisure activities by parents.
Billy attends Lower Richmond School, a racially mixed district that has problems typical
of schools in working class areas, such as teacher shortage and bureaucracy, but it is still well
regarded and has been called by a teacher "a cream puff" (when compared to other similarly
situated schools). Billy does his homework and keeps his grades up. His teacher and counselor
perceive him as bright, with potential, but they feel there are problems at home. He sees his
counselor weekly and the parents have been urged to come to counseling, which they actively
resist; on occasion they have encouraged Billy to break school rules and were pleased when he
was suspended for fighting a bully. Billy usually achieves Bs, but is also exhibits behavior issues
and does not always get along with others. He acts out in various ways, including throwing
rocks, verbally antagonizing peers, and getting into fights. Billy's father remains uninvolved in
his school life. Both parents are distrustful of the school administrators and feel intimidated and
powerless before them. They see the school as unfair to their son. At his graduation, his father
made audible derogatory comments about teachers and administrators. Yet, they have the hope
that he will go to a state college someday.
The child-rearing models experienced by Garrett and Billy lead to the transmission of
differential advantages to children. Because there is more extensive use of language in middle
class homes than in working-class and poor homes, Garrett is developing greater verbal agility,
larger vocabulary, more comfort with authority figures, and more familiarity with abstract
concepts. He is learning to interact with authority figures in institutions and at home more
comfortably, learning to shake the hands of adults and look them in the eye, for example. It is not
surprising, then, that he is achieving at or beyond grade level in school. He is comfortable in an
institution that adheres to the "controlled cultivation" concept of forming children. The
parenting model of his parents is synchronized with the model used by his school. It is no
wonder, then, that he is at or beyond grade level and is a strong student.
The parenting model of Billy's parents, however, is not synchronized with the model of
the dominant culture. Instead of nurturing in Billy a sense of entitlement, these competing
models foster in him a sense of distance, distrust, and constraint in regard to the institutions in
which he participates outside of the home. In Billy's home, family members probably do not look
each other in the eye when conversing, an action which is generally not fostered in a lower or
working class neighborhood because of the potential danger of being considered
"confrontational". The values of social interaction that Billy learns are less prone to enable him
upward mobility in school and work environments in the world beyond his neighborhood--in
those institutions whose values are more in line with those of the middle class. Billy's learned
resourcefulness skills, valuable for survival in his neighborhood, will not necessarily enable him
to be admitted into a competitive university or to succeed on a future job interview. The proud
response of Billy's parents after he beat up a classmate is not bolstering his future success in
institutions outside of his own working class sphere. In the larger world, he will most likely
respond with constraint, less flexibility, and greater distrust. Billy's experiences are not
augmenting his reservoir of cultural capital and he will have less to draw on later in life when
interacting outside of the environment in which he was raised. The disparity between his
parent's style of child-rearing and the model of child-formation used by his school may be
partially responsible for his acting out behaviors. Although he is maintaining Bs, he is already
manifesting attitudes and behaviors consistent with future failure to make steady progress
upward in certain academic settings or career environments; as a result, there is a danger that he
will not move far beyond the economic level of his parents
Ch. 12: The Power and Limits of Social Class
Many Americans see the country as “open,” as a collection of individuals in a meritocracy where
hard work, talent, and effort create upward mobility (the American Dream). According to this
view, parents’ social location does not have as much influence in shaping a child’s life outcomes.
Another school holds that systematic forms of inequality—parents’ educational levels, childrearing practice, etc.—exist which do have an influence but are a matter of gradation, not a
matter of identifiable, categorical differences in groups.
Lareau challenges BOTH views: she stresses the importance of an individual’s social structural
location as shaping the person’s daily life. Hers is a categorical analysis which sees families as
part of a social class (MC, WC, poor) and that these categories are helpful in understanding the
behavior of families and individuals across spheres—that “family practices cohere by social
class” and that social location by birth shapes the routines of daily life even when the family
members are not conscious of the existence of class.
All the families in this book had rituals, systematic ways of doing things, organization patterns,
parameters to their lives. These aspects differed from one class to another, but were present in
each. In relation to aspects of their lives, such as child-rearing practices, parent were unconscious
of the fact that they did things according to the dynamic of their class—their child-rearing
practice seemed to be natural, rather than “according to” a model of natural growth or concerted
cultivation.
While race played a role in the lives of these families, it was a less powerful force than Lareau
expected.
Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages, but concerted cultivation is the model by
which institutions in society organize themselves; so the middle class kids have an advantage in
terms of mobility in the broader world. Lareau acknowledges that this view is, however,
speculative. She notes that even the middle class parents in the study were raised in the 50s and
60s according to accomplishment of natural growth—the model of concerted cultivation is rather
new, a “first” or second generation model at this point. Parents’ economic resources help to
create the class differences in child-rearing; their occupation make a difference as well. The
concerns that shape the lives of the MC and of the WC/poor differ sharply and have little in
common. But if the social situations of these groups were to suddenly reverse, their child-rearing
models would, it seems, remain the same.
In the last pages, Lareau proposes that state intervention in programs like Medicare and Social
Security, can help reduce the gap between the rich and poor. She recognizes as well the
movement on the part of MC parents to slow down and resist the over-scheduling of their
children. She goes on to note the hopeful sign of programs in WC and poor schools to offer a
more concerted cultivation experience to these children. She also advocates for education of
families, professionals, and kids about the “system” at work in the larger society and how to
develop the capacity to learn the values and “code-switch” so that one has the resources to
succeed when one leaves the neighborhood. She ends the book by iterating that the uniqueness of
the individual should not blind us to the larger societal forces at work on the lives of children of
different classes.