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The American children have a drastic difference in the quality of their lives and futures due to class differences. Annette Lareau has explored this fact in Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life by utilizing her comprehensive observations. She has presented a clear picture of the American children belonging to poor, working-class, and middle class families. She has highlighted the contrast between various families. She points towards the frantic families that manage the chaotic schedules of their children's leisure activities. She also draws attention to families that have lots of time but minute financial security.
In this book, Lareau has demonstrated how both black and white, middle-class families take on "concerted cultivation” process that aims toward drawing out the skills and talents of their children. On the other hand, she describes the reliance of poor and working-class families on a process called "the natural growth’s accomplishment" whereby the development of children unfolds in a spontaneous manner. This development is possible provided that their basic necessities (shelter, comfort, and food) are met. According to Lareau, both the mentioned childbearing approaches have their unique benefits and drawbacks. She has also identified and analyzed the approaches’ differences and shows how the social class encourages and restricts the lives of children in the United States of America.
Lareau and her assistants observed families and noticed their attitudes and practices during neighborhood play, soccer games, trips of towns by bus and cars, homework sessions, appointments, morning routines, and parent-teacher conferences. These observations helped the writer to find out and reveal unusual and remarkable class-based differences in the children’s daily lives and their organization.
The book also highlights the impact of such differences based on class on the language development and interaction abilities of children. The author has also shown how such class-based distinctive characteristics have transformed into a sense of power and privilege among the children belonging to middle-class. On the other hand, the same distinctions have developed a sense of moderation among kids who grow up in poor households. The author has also provided an enlightening analysis about the interaction of and family and school contexts that benefit a certain group of children as compared to other children. She has proposed that parents of different backgrounds and diverse social class demonstrate different parenting styles. For the same reason, the educational system rewards the children and parent in different manners (Lareau).
It is important to mention that this book takes readers to a deep level so that they can understand what children have to face in their daily lives. It is unlike other books that do not delve into class differences particularly as far as school contexts are concerned. The author’s research and efforts for the compilation of this book makes richly informative. It gives a better understanding of how children attain education on the basis of their class differences. Lareau has used his brilliant writing style to make readers feel the class inequality children have to experience at an early age.
What I really like about Lareau’s writing style is that she has given an impressive contrast between the two mentioned approaches. In doing so, she has provided in-depth descriptions about how poor children and their families are expected to remain silent and obedient when adults communicate. She has also beautifully mirrored the uncomfortable and moderation reflected in the parents of such children when they have to interact with people in the school and medical administration. It is the reason middle-class children have demanding personalities. On the other hand, poor children develop an accepting personality and never dare to demand anything. I also liked how Lareau has suggested that the children must be exposed by both the parents and society to the advantageous features of the discussed approaches.However, there are certain unsatisfying features in Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life. Lareau has not been successful in discussing the role of the race and how it shapes childhood and frames their futures. She has given more attention to the impact of social class on the organization of childhood.
In simple words, Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life is, without a doubt, a book that provokes the readers to consider and think about the prevailing issues of racism, discrimination, bigotry, and chauvinism in the United States of America. The author has directly challenged the widespread perception of American land as one where everyone gets equal opportunity to survive and thrive. She has openly made the assertion that the parents bear their children through different practices according to the class they belong to. However, such class-based perceptions and practices directly impact children’s thoughts and behaviors.
One of the best features of this book is that Lareau has made use of richly descriptive case studies of both black and white American families. This book is a remarkable and incredible contribution for Sociology as it is sensitively well-balanced. Another excellent feature of this book is that it supports traditional social science findings and research. However, Lareau has not used numbers. Instead, she has used the accounts of real American families for highlighting significant social patterns in American society (Lareau). This book is also unique in the sense that it gives out a meticulous and thorough insight into personal details of families and their daily life practices concerning their young children. If truth is told, Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life is a sensitive attempt by the author to give the readers a chance to take a step back and think about how they spend their time as parents. It would not be incorrect to state that this book makes readers reflect on their practices in raising their children.
In short, the book is a mirror that makes the reader to look at the American society in a direct way. This ground-breaking work by Lareau shows the reader the major composition of social stratification in the United States of America and how it has perpetuated itself in the contemporary times. Even though the book’s content is mostly research-based, it does not make it a bore read. In particular, there are incredible details given about all the children. This feature helps the reader to have a complete picture of every child’s life. Such details have backed up the author’s arguments regarding the differences in social class in America in an extremely convincing manner.
As far as my opinion is concerned, every individual who has an interest in ethnographies, sociological subjects, and American society patterns must read this book. It is also highly recommended to teachers, librarians, and students who are interested to gain information concerning societal prejudice and differences in the United States of America. The book is simply understandable as it does not contain intricate details but facts based on the lives of real American families.
Works Cited
Lareau, Annette. Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2003. Print.
