Lareau's "Unequal Childhood" Paper Analysis

Before critically discussing Lareau’s Unequal childhood’s paper, it is important to briefly mention a few conceptual terms in order to get the gist of what Lareau was trying to convey to her readers. First, according to Macionis (2004) the term family is defined as a social institution found in all societies that unite people in cooperative groups to oversee the bearing and raising of children. Same author also discusses several theoretical approaches have been identified that identifies the family as a form of social institution and how the family unit interconnect with other social institutions within any given society. According to the Structural-Functional Analysis for example, the family serves as a unit that perform many vital tasks which include socialization, regulation of sexual activity (reproduction), social placement and emotional support. According to the Social-Conflict Analysis, the family unit contributes to the perpetuation in inequality solely based on race, class, gender, gender and ethnicity. Finally, Symbolic-Interaction Analysis focuses on the changing dynamics of any family structure and how it evolves over the life course of an individual. In reading Lareau’s paper, I clearly can see where the sociologist’s Social-Conflict and Structural Functional Analysis plays into the author’s term of Concerted Cultivation. According to Lareau for example, she found that middle class families fostered their children’s talents through organized leisure activities which was supposed to teach children respect for authority figures and how to properly interact within a structured environment. Parents became role models in helping their children to learn various skills such as reasoning, use of proper language, bargaining as well as how to think critically. This form of structured/organized child bearing practices was seen as opportunities thus creating and instilling a sense of entitlement especially within various social institutions such as education

References: 1. Macionis, J.J. (2004) Family and Religion. In J.J. Macionis (Ed.) Society the Basics (pp 334-367) Inc. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey Webcrafters Inc. 2. Lareau, A. (2003) Unequal Childhoods. In M.L. Andersen & P.H. Collins (Eds.) Race, Class, & Gender (pp. 348-357)Belmont CA Thomson Wadsworth 3. Lareau, Annette (2002) "Invisible Inequality: Social Class and Childrearing in Black Families and White Families." in American Sociological Review. 67: 747-776. 4. Bodovski, K. (Aug 2007) “Are their Black-White Differences in “Concerted Cultivation” and its Effect?” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association, TBA, New York, New York City Online <PDF> Retrieved 2008-05-20 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p178125_index.html