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Child Rearing in Families and Communities. Chapter 4. What Can We Deduce About Child Rearing Practices. Government Social Policies Elderly Retirement Mortality/Survival Outcomes Nutrition behaviors Siblings & Extended Family Number of Children Family Organization Early Life Experiences
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What Can We Deduce About Child Rearing Practices • Government Social Policies • Elderly Retirement • Mortality/Survival Outcomes • Nutrition behaviors • Siblings & Extended Family • Number of Children • Family Organization • Early Life Experiences • Community Support Systems • Cultural Investigation of Variable Operationalization
Government Social Policies • China • Before 1949, high death rate and high birth rate—yielding slow growth rate • In 1949, Gov’t efforts to eliminate disease and encourage conception by restricting birth control and abortion • In 1953, disease under control. Population increased to 50 million • In 1956, Chinese economists proposed implementation of birth control and population planning to avoid strains on standard of living, education system, and national reconstruction goals • In 1957, policy reversal toward increasing the population until 1964 when gov’t noted concerns with extreme population growth • In late 1970’s, single-child policy leading to 90% of 9 year old children being only children • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0u7_afmT-8
Government Social Policies • Mexico • Prior policies encouraged rapid growth because it was believed that sparse populations allowed U.S. to occupy Mexican territories (land from California to Texas) • Within one generation, the average number of births has dropped from 7 to 2.5 children (slightly above world-wide rates). • Due in part to policy changes in 1974 when Mexican demographers purported serious concerns related to over population
What happens to the family in the midst of such policy changes? • Families calibrate and reorganize • Priorities of the families begin to change • Values begin to shift • In many cultures, elderly retirement is a function of number of children to care for them (mostly agrarian)
Siblings & Extended Family • Number of Children • In some cultures, families have many children due to high mortality rates • Agrarian areas where there is an abundance of resources and population is sparse • Family Organization • While most cultures denote the responsibility of child rearing as primarily to women, men play a greater role toward care during infancy in many cultures
Early Life Experiences Rooted in Culture • “There are no children here” • The sentiments of a single mother of several small children who face the task of surviving in inner city America. • Perceptions of safety and locus of control • Perceptions of life-span and risk-taking outcomes
Robert LeVine’s there-level hierarchy of parental child-rearing goals • In communities with high infant/child mortality, parents must first consider the child’s physical survival and health • Parental priorities involving preparing children to maintain themselves economically in maturity • Parents can devote more energy to considering each child’s potential to maximize other cultural values (i.e., prestige, religious piety, intellectual achievement, personal satisfaction, and self-realization) • Once first and second conditions are met
Infant-Caregiver Attachment • In some cultures, it is appropriate to abandon children if they are struggling to survive and it is perceived hopeless or are unhealthy
Infants’ Security of Attachment • Attachment as a function of “ the Strange Situation” • Secure • Anxious/resistent • High distress while the caregiver is absent, and when the caregiver attempts to comfort the infant after separation, the infant is not easily soothed • Anxious/avoidant • Low distress while the caregiver is away but avoidance of the caregiver upon reunion, turning or looking away
Infants’ Security of Attachment • Attachment as a function of “ the Strange Situation” • Secure • Anxious/resistent • Israel, Japan • Children typically are not left alone with strangers during these cultures, contrary to African American cultures where this is customary • Anxious/avoidant • Western European countries (north Germany) • Promote early independence