Transcript Chapter 11 Parents and Children Over the Life Course

Chapter 11
Parents and Children Over the Life
Course
Chapter Outline
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Parents in Modern America
Mothers and Fathers: Images and Reality
Authoritative Parenting
Social Class and Parenting
Chapter Outline
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Racial/Ethnic Diversity and Parenting
Newly Visible Parenting Environments
Parents and Adult Children
Toward Better Parent-Child Relationships
Factors That Make Parenting
Difficult
1.
2.
3.
Employers place work demands before
parenting demands.
Parenting requires learning new
attitudes and techniques.
Society is characterized by diverse and
conflicting values.
Factors That Make Parenting
Difficult
4.
5.
6.
Emphasis on the malleability of children
makes parents feel anxious and guilty.
Child-rearing experts sometimes
disagree among themselves.
Parents are given full responsibility for
raising successful or good children, but
their authority is often put to question.
Factors That Make Parenting
Difficult
7.
8.
Many parents are responsible for
working, raising children and caring for
aging parents.
Differing family forms can cause parents
special difficulties because they are
different form the idealized norm of the
intact, nuclear family.
Transition to Parenthood
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In a classic analysis, social scientist Alice
Rossi analyzed the transition to parenthood.
Rossi compared circumstances in assuming
the parent role with those of other adult roles,
such as worker or spouse.
The transition to parenthood, Rossi asserts, is
more difficult than the transition to these other
roles for several reasons.
Reasons the Transition to
Parenthood is Difficult
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2.
Cultural pressure encourages adults to become
parents even though they may not really want to.
Most first parents approach parenting with little or no
previous experience in child care.
Reasons the Transition to
Parenthood is Difficult
3.
4.
The transition to parenting is abrupt. New parents
suddenly are on twenty-four-hour duty, caring for a
fragile and mysterious and utterly dependent infant.
Adjusting to parenthood necessitates changes in the
couple’s emotional and sexual relationship.
Fathers as Primary Parents
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5% of all U.S. children under age 15, (3.3
million) live with single fathers.
1.1 million children under age 15 live with a
single father who is cohabiting.
5% of black and Hispanic children live with
single fathers, compared with 4% of nonHispanic white children and 2% of Asian and
Pacific Islander children.
1.5 million children under age 15 live in twoparent families with a stay-at-home father.
Parenting Styles
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Authoritarian - low on emotional
nurturing but high on parental direction
and control
Laissez-faire - permissive, allows
children to set their own limits
Authoritative -combines emotional
nurturing and parental direction
Spanking
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More than 90% of U.S. parents spank
their children.
Boys under the age of two are spanked
most often.
Spanking is linked to depression, suicide,
alcohol or drug abuse, and physical
aggression against parents and intimate
partners.
Stages of Parenting
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Transition to parenthood
Parents with babies
Parents with preschoolers
Parents with school-age children
Parents with adolescents
Parents with young adult children
U.S. Poverty Rates by age,
1959 to 2002
New Parenting Environments
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Gay and Lesbian Parents
Grandparent parents
Foster Parents
Gay and Lesbian Parents
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Number of children of gay and lesbian
parents ranges from 6 to 14 million.
Polls show that 36% of American and
90% of gays and lesbians believe that gay
couples should be able to adopt.
Factors in Good Parenting
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Adequate economic resources.
Being involved in a child’s life and school.
Using supportive, rather than negative
communication between partners in the
family.
Support from family and/or friends.
Quick Quiz
1.
Fathers typically engage in more handson parenting and take primary
responsibility for children.
a) True
b) False
Answer: False
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Fathers do not typically engage in more
hands-on parenting and do not take
primary responsibility for children.
2.
Research shows that spanking is usually
more effective than timeouts.
a) True
b) False
Answer: False
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Research shows that spanking is not
usually more effective than timeouts.
3. According to Alice Rossi, the transition to
parenthood is more difficult than the transition
to worker or spouse. Which of the following is
NOT one of the reasons for this?
a) Parenting is more challenging than work
roles or spousal roles.
b) Cultural pressure encourages adults to
become parents even though they may
not really want to.
c) Most parents approach parenting with
little or no experience in child care.
d) Adjusting to parenthood necessitates
changes in the couple’s relationship.
Answer: a
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According to Alice Rossi, the transition
to parenthood is more difficult than the
transition to worker or spouse. That
parenting is more challenging than
work roles or spousal roles is NOT
one of the reasons for this.
4. __________ parents would agree with the
statements “I communicate rules clearly and
directly,” “I consider my child’s wishes and
opinions along with my own when making
decisions,” and “I expect my child to act
independently at an age-appropriate level.”
a) Authoritarian
b) Laissez-faire
c) Punitive
d) Authoritative
Answer: d
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Authoritative parents would agree with
the statements “I communicate rules
clearly and directly,” “I consider my child’s
wishes and opinions along with my own
when making decisions,” and “I expect my
child to act independently at an ageappropriate level.”