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Unequal Childhoods: Class, Race, and Family Life. Annette Lareau. Berkeley: University of California Press. 2003. 331 pp. Paperback ISBN 0-520-21826-4, $21.95.
In this insightful ethnographic study, Annette Lareau explores how class shapes childhood. She presents in-depth portrayals of six families (half of those she studied) to show how the cultural logic of childrearing differs between middleclass, and working-class and poor families. Centrally, she argues that middle-class families have a logic of concerted cultivation in which parents undertake strategies to cultivate their children's talents and abilities. These strategies range from involving children in multiple organized after-school activities (e.g., soccer, swimming, school plays, piano lessons, dance classes, baseball) to engaging them in extensive verbal interactions (e.g., negotiations about parental directives). As a result of these activities, Lareau argues, middle-class children develop a strong sense of entitlement. They do not have to worry about their everyday needs and are used to adults, including their parents and other important institutional actors, paying close attention to them and taking them seriously. They learn how to ask questions, learn to expect to be engaged with, and learn how to engage with others. They develop skills with prioritizing activities and budgeting...