Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life

In her study, Lareau finds that children in different classes of families are spoken to and about in very different ways. She explains that this is the result of disciplinary methods and the previously mentioned two overarching parenting styles that dictate how parents view their children and thus interact with them. In middle-class families, it is observed that children are spoken with, rather than at, and that they are considered involved in conversation essentially from birth or even prior. As a result, when these children develop, they have acquired high vocabularies, a sense of confidence in the use of language, and skills in negotiations. Working-class and poor children, on the other hand, are often spoken about rather than with, and when they are spoken to, it is often in a disciplinary form. This puts these children at a disadvantage in their education and future careers, as they do not have the same opportunities to use and develop language or assertiveness.

Alexander Williams and his parents live in a predominantly Black middle-class neighborhood. Christina, his mother, has a master’s degree and works an important executive position. Alexander’s father is a lawyer, who is similarly very busy with work. Together they earn around 200k per year, and money is almost never discussed with Alexander because it is not an issue.