The Transmission of Values to School-Age and Young Adult Offspring

Abstract

SUMMARYThe current study explores parental socialization practices and the values transmitted to schoolaged and young adult off-spring, focusing on race and gender issues involved in parental teachings. A community sample of 187 black and white mothers and fathers were interviewed with regards to their parenting practices using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Higher levels of social concern and other-oriented themes in teachings were found among black parents, in contrast to a higher prevalence of individualistic themes among white parents. Interactions with child gender and age revealed that parents were more likely to mention individualistic skills and less likely to mention concern for others to older rather than younger daughters, with a reverse pattern found for sons. Parents remain active teachers in the lives of their children beyond the first and second decades of life, instilling skills and values shaped by ethnicity and gender. Comparison of socialization practices between racial groups reveals a notable capacity of black parents to promote personal development as well as societal well-being. KeywordsAfrican Americans; parents; values; intergenerational support; adulthood; parent-child relationship Socialization is the process whereby an individual's standards, skills, motives, attitudes, and behaviors are shaped to conform to those regarded as desirable and appropriate for his or her role in society (Parke & Buriel, 1998). Parents play a key part in the socialization process as they transmit values molded by their own traditions and beliefs and embedded in family, social, economic, and historical contexts (Zarit & Eggebeen, 1995). Public policy debates often refer to the importance of parents' transmission of values to prepare children for the worlds they face, particularly as children enter adulthood and take their place in society. Historically, black and white families have faced very different worlds and these differences are likely to be reflected in the values that parents instill in their children for success. Similarly, men and women have traditionally experienced distinct social contexts that may SOCIALIZATION PRACTICES OF BLACK AND WHITE PARENTSMost research on parent-child relationships has investigated white middle-class families in suburban areas, neglecting the influence of non-majority culture and ethnicity in shaping child rearing beliefs and behaviors. Considerable differences exist between white Americans' and African Americans' social experiences. Black adults are poorer than their white counterparts with increased disability, higher premature death rates, lower formal educational attainment, and a lower proportion of marriage for both males and females (George, 1988;Jackson, 1988;Stanford, Peddecord, & Lockerly, 1990; U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1992). There are also important cultural differences. Although majority American families may emphasize individuality over collectivism (Harrison, Wilson, Pine, Chan, & Buriel, 1990), African American cultural heritage has hel...

The Influence of Children on Their Parents’ Values

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