In his article, Furstenberg has raised the issue of challenges faced by young people as the consequence of their social class belonging in the American society. The author demonstrates with various examples of children’s restricted social mobility shaped by their parents, both intentionally and unintentionally, and other caregivers. Statistics is used in the article to illustrate the difficulty of moving up the social ladder. Even though the notion of social class is denied in American society, differences in values and skills can either constrain or accelerate economic success depending on a child’s family background. According to Furstenberg (278-279), classism can be described as “the structure of economic and social opportunities affecting individuals' behaviors and beliefs, networks and associations, and, ultimately, knowledge about and access to social institutions”. Although the term of a lower class is a taboo in the US, we, for instance, would realize that someone with poor education and a low-paid job would be socially isolated and more disadvantageous than others and that this would restrict their children from getting many opportunities other children would be able to get.
• The importance of place: Being raised in a good neighborhood offers better schools, peers and recreational facilities.
• Social redundancy in multiple contexts: It is easier to succeed for those with more resources.
• The social class distribution of negative events: Higher-income families have more resources to prevent such problems as poor health or credit loss.
• Class differences in problem prevention and remediation: Affluent families can prevent troubles, for example, by moving to a toxins-free environment or practicing preventive health care.
• Social class, social capital, and sponsorship: Affluent parents actively look for sponsors and institutions that can provide their children with extracurricular activities.
Works Cited
Furstenberg, Jr., F. "Diverging Development: The Not-So-Invisible Hand Of Social Class In The United States". Families As They Really Are. B.J. Risman. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 2010. 276-294. Print.
