Unequal Childhoods? The Complex Logics of Childrearing

in Latino Families

David E. Rangel and Megan N. Shoji

Educational Inequality

• Educational attainment disparities persists for Latino families

• Parenting practices identified as a key mechanism of class-based inequality– Institutions privilege specific interactional

styles cultivated by middle-class parents

The Latino Case

• Findings based on Black and White families• Are class patterns most salient feature shaping

Latino parenting?– Racialization– Intergenerational mobility

Research Question

• What shapes Latino parent’s interactions with schools and childrearing logics and practices

• How do parenting practices differ across social class groups for Latino parents

DATA & METHODS

Data Sources & Analytic Approach

• Individual Interviews– Sub-sample

• 15 parents, 9 families, – Mexican American and English proficient

• 5 Middle class, 4 working-class/poor

• 3 stages to analysis– Descriptive coding– Pattern coding– Matrix Display

Data Sources & Analytic Approach

• Individual Interviews– Sub-sample

• 15 parents, 9 families– Mexican American and English proficient

• 5 Middle class, 4 working-class/poor

• 3 stages to analysis– Descriptive coding– Pattern coding– Matrix Display

FINDINGS

Findings

• We see class differences in two aspects of childrearing– Children's leisure activities is structured by adults in

middle-class families– Working-class/poor parents emphasize meeting

children’s basic needs• Similarities in parenting across social class

Findings

• We see class differences in two aspects of childrearing– Children's leisure activities is structured by adults in

middle-class families– Working-class/poor parents emphasize meeting

children’s basic needs• Similarities in parenting across social class

• Why are families in our sample more similar than different?– Social mobility and the complexity of class– Race/ethnicity– Material and non-material resources

Explaining Class Patterns

• Why are families in our sample more similar than different?– Social mobility and the complexity of class– Race/ethnicity– Material and non-material resources

Exploring Class Patterns

Class Mobility within Parent’s Lifetimes

…[the children are] not safe anywhere; anything can happen, but you trust, you know, that you’re going to get to know those teachers and hopefully they’re going to take care of your children while you’re not there, because the state says that they have to go to school so, can’t keep them at home either…

• Why are families in our sample more similar than different?– Social mobility and the complexity of class– Race/ethnicity– Material and non-material resources

Exploring Class Patterns

The Role of Race/Ethnicity

That they accept, that they be accepting, not to be like, “Oh my God, here comes the(...) whatever. Oh my gosh, here comes whatever,” or just assume, "Oh, well, you're(…) African-American, or you're Anglo, well that means that you're like this.” I didn't want them to be like that. I want them to be like, “You're human just like me.” That's what I want. And of course, I want them to be proud of who they are, and(..) what they are.

• Why are families in our sample more similar than different?– Social mobility and the complexity of class– Race/ethnicity– Material and non-material resources

Exploring Class Patterns

The Role of Resource Constraints

• Leisure time

• Communication style

• Involvement in schooling

POLICY

Policy Implications

• Interventions should address expectations of parents AND teachers

• Consideration must be given to resource constraints to address educational inequality

Policy Implications

• Interventions should address expectations of parents AND teachers

• Consideration must be given to resource constraints to address educational inequality

Thank you