Privileged dependence, precarious autonomy: Parent/young adult relationships through the lens of COVID‐19

Abstract

Objective This article identifies how social class differences in undergraduates' relationships with their parents shaped their responses to educational disruptions caused by the COVID‐19 pandemic. Background The mechanisms through which parents transmit class advantages to children are often hidden from view and therefore remain imperfectly understood. This study uses the case of the COVID‐19 pandemic to examine how young adults from different social class backgrounds expect, negotiate, and attach meaning to parental support. Methods This study draws from in‐depth interviews with 48 Black and White upper‐middle and working‐class undergraduates from a single elite university, along with 10 of their mothers. Results Facing pandemic‐related disruptions, upper‐middle‐class students typically sought substantial direction and material assistance from parents. In contrast, working‐class students typically assumed more responsibility for their own—and sometimes other family members'—well‐being. These classed patterns of “privileged dependence” and “precarious autonomy” were shaped by students' understandings of family members' authority, needs, and responsibilities. Conclusion Upper‐middle‐class students' greater dependence on parents functioned as a protective force, enabling them to benefit from parents' material and academic support during the transition to remote instruction. These short‐term protections may yield long‐term payoffs denied their working‐class peers. Beyond the immediate context of the COVID‐19 pandemic, the concepts of “privileged dependence” and “precarious autonomy” offer scholars a set of theoretical tools for understanding class inequality in other young adult contexts.

“Figuring out your place at a school like this:” Intersectionality and sense of belonging among STEM and non-STEM college students

“…Though we utilized some critical quantitative methodological approaches, additional data could assist with elucidating how satisfaction and sense of belonging differences reflect students’ complex intersectional experiences, particularly in STEM [ 19 , 68 , 69 ]. Moreover, while the age of the data utilized may be of concern, the recent global pandemic exacerbated previous findings that intersectional inequalities persist on college campuses and impact the degree pathways of students [ 90 , 91 ]. Future research using more recent data from MSU can identify the extent to which students’ sense of belonging has changed, for whom it changed intersectionally, and how college campuses have adjusted their support for students from different social locations as we continue to understand the impact of the global pandemic on student degree pursuits and academic success.…”

The COVID-19 Emergency Remote Transition on College Campus: Inequitable College Student Experiences and Policy Responses

“…This assumption does not match the reality of most students in higher education today-either in times of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic, or in better economic conditions. While many upper-middle-class parents view college students as extended adolescents, this perspective is not consistent with the financial or cultural realities of students from less affluent backgrounds, Latino students, or Black students (Goldrick-Rab, 2016;van Stee, 2022b). The consequences of this assumption have always been felt by marginalized students for whom it does not hold true, and they were exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis.…”

“…Working-class college students tend to work to provide for themselves and sometimes to provide money for their parents (Armstrong & Hamilton, 2013). Additionally, Black and Latino families are more likely to expect "reciprocal support" between young adult children and their parents than white families (van Stee, 2022b).…”

Lucky Me: Acknowledging Class Privilege on an Elite College Campus

“…I completed my final interview in July 2021. Despite the trauma and uncertainty of the pandemic, students seemed happy to participate in interviews, given the difficult social isolation of “COVID times.” The pandemic seemed to increase the salience of class for some students, specifically because it highlighted the disadvantages faced by FGLI students, many of whom could not return home after campus abruptly closed (van Stee 2023). Interviews ranged from 25 minutes to 2 hours 50 minutes, with an average length of 80 minutes.…”