The Socioeconomics of Parenting: Why Rich Parents Don't Matter

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703954004576090020541379588.html

by cwan • 16 years ago

33 42 16 years ago

online.wsj.com

jdp23• 16 years ago

"These results capture the stunning developmental inequalities that set in almost immediately, so that even the mental ability of 2-year-olds can be profoundly affected by the socio-economic status of their parents. As a result, their genetic potential is held back."

rick888• 16 years ago

"By the age of 3, children from wealthier households hear, on average, about 500,000 encouragements and 80,000 discouragements. The ratio is reversed in households on welfare."

I often wonder how much of it is environmental. Why are the parents poor in the first place? Is this directly related to education? If so, it doesn't surprise me that children of parents that aren't educated (and don't stress education) are affected by this.

yummyfajitas9• 16 years ago

Why are the parents poor in the first place?

Because they prefer leisure to work, even if it means they have less money. The poor have a labor force participation rate about 1/3 that of the non-poor (20% vs 65%) and a full time labor force participation rate of about 1/5 that of the non-poor (10% vs 55%).

http://www.bls.gov/cps/cpswp2007.pdf

A significant amount of the extra leisure time is spent watching TV.

http://www.bls.gov/news.release/atus.nr0.htm

[edit: Hi downmodders, sorry for providing inconvenient facts.]

hristov2• 16 years ago

I suspect a lot of it is environmental. If you get treated like shit during the day, you are likely to be irritable and angry with your family in the evening.

Sniffnoy• 16 years ago

This is a misleading headline, in that the obvious interpretation is not the intended one. Something more like "Why variation among rich parents doesn't matter" would be better.

redwood• 16 years ago

More specifically "Why variation among rich parents' behavior doesn't matter"... because rich parents' genetics are shown to be extremely important: it's just that essentially all rich parents seem to do enough for their kids to see diminishing returns on doing more/different things.

raleec5• 16 years ago

...or "Poverty Destroys Intelligence"

bhoung• 16 years ago

Hate it when they don't tell you who the authors are or the title of the paper. http://www.psy.utexas.edu/

shasta• 16 years ago

"How much do the decisions of parents matter? [...] the home environment pales in comparison to the power of genes and peer groups."

Parents often get to decide who's in the peer group, though. Especially in the early years and especially for parents with money.

danilocampos• 16 years ago

I'm not qualified to comment on the fuzzier elements of psychology here, but rich parents do matter in some pretty practical ways.

Most dramatically:

Rich parents know interesting people. In many cases, wealth is a function of trust combined with ability. You don't (usually) get wealthy by hiding in your basement and never talking to anyone. So along the way, you meet good people and build relationships.

Conversely, the less wealthy a parent is, the less likely they are to form relationships with people who can benefit their children. At the extreme end: if your mom is a fry cook at McDonald's, what benefits are her colleagues able to offer you? How many of those connections can benefit your future?

On the other end, if your mom is Marissa Mayer, you're in much better shape. 14 and want a summer job? I bet she knows someone who could give you some interesting, mind-expanding paid work. 19 and looking for a college gig that can help you get a great job after your graduate? etc.

It's anecdotal, but growing up in a household that wasn't at all wealthy, I can point to this as the greatest disadvantage I faced. I wanted to learn programming, but we didn't know anyone who knew anything about that. I wanted to know anything at all about computers, and I was on my own. Not an insurmountable problem – I taught myself. But I know access to mentorship at an early age could have made a huge impact.

ebaysucks• 16 years ago

Sure, but these rich kids also face pressure to do whatever the family tradition is.

I know a girl who had big trouble with their family because she wanted to study medicine and become a surgeon (!) instead of studying business and managing the family investments.

Rich entrepreneurs are often not very intellectual, except for maybe tech and financial entrepreneurs. The grass is always greener on the other side.

Edit: That girl did become a surgeon after all, though.

hnhg• 16 years ago

Not just that but you also create a valuable resource of relationships of your own from your good schools, sports clubs, etc.

gersh• 16 years ago

How much does diet matter?

rjrodger• 16 years ago

The thinking in this article is entirely wrong headed. All that is being observed is a hygiene factor. As soon as home life reaches a good enough childcare baseline, other factors such as genetics predominate.

The Socioeconomics of Parenting: Why Rich Parents Don't Matter

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