Sociology of Families - Annotated Bibliography Example

?Published Article Osborne, C., Manning, W. D., & Smock, P. J. (2007). Married and Cohabiting Parents’ Relationship Stability: A Focus on Race and Ethnicity . Journal of Marriage and Family , 69 (5), 1345-1366. Purpose of Research: The basic question that authors ask is why union status differentials exist in family stability. The authors study and compare the family stability between married and cohabiting parents for a recent birth cohort of children by examining the factors that help explain the differential rates of separation, paying close attention to whether these processes differ by race and ethnicity. Research Methodology: The authors engage in an extensive literature review on prior studies conducted on assessing family stabilities between married and cohabiting couples. They further their research in the form of a longitudinal birth cohort survey (Fragile families study) with 2,249 mothers who were either married or cohabiting with their child’s biological father at the time of birth. The author’s use event history models based on dependent and independent variables to understand influences of race and ethnicity. Conclusion: The authors found that children born to cohabiting versus married parents have over five times the risk of experiencing their parents’ separation. The difference in union stability is highest for White children, as compared with Black or Mexican American children. For White children, other factors such as differences in parents’ education levels, paternal substance abuse, and prior marriage or children report higher instability than by those born to cohabiting parents, while differences in union stability are not fully rationalized among Black and Mexican American children. The results of study are important for public policies intended to promote family stability and reducing inequality. Published Article #2: Charlesa, C. Z., Roscignob, V. J., & Torresa, K. C. (2007). Racial inequality and college attendance: The mediating role of parental investments. Social Science Research , 36 (1), 329-352. Purpose of Research: The authors study the racial differences in educational outcomes such as college attendance as a result of the differences found in family structures and socioeconomic status across an array of racial and ethnic groups. The authors ponder upon the question of how racial background matters in an educational context. Research Methodology: Upon literature review of prior research on family stratification, parental investments, racial disparities in wealth concentration, the authors set a hypothesis that group differences in college attendance emanate largely from economic stratification at family level. After setting the hypothesis, the authors draw analysis from four waves data of National Educational Longitudinal Survey (NELS) to understand how parents make economic, social and cultural investments during early and later high school experience. The longitudinal data of 13,699 adolescents is analyzed, by first examining the racial differences in family background and the extent to which they pattern gaps in potentially influential parental investments and then by creating investment models. Conclusion: The results of their analysis proves author’s hypothesis that racial inequalities in class background shape disparities in cultural, monetary, and parental interactional investments. Background inequalities, and their implications for early and later family investments and achievement/attainment, explain why minority-group parents are less likely to discuss college plans or be more involved in planning their child’s future. Also, most investment differences are driven by family’s socioeconomic status and structure. Published Article #3: Fomby, P., & Cherlin, A. J. (2007). Family Instability and Child Well-Being . American Sociological Review , 72 (2), 181-204. Purpose of Research: The authors aim to study children’s behavioral and cognitive development in the context of family history such as multiple transitions in family structure and parents’ antecedent behaviors and attitudes. Their objective was also to determine whether the addition of mothers’ prior characteristics has any effects on children’s family instability and how it varies across different races. Research Methodology: Using a nationally representative, two-generation longitudinal survey (NLSY79-2000) that includes detailed information on children s behavioral and cognitive development, family history, and mothers' attributes prior to children’s births, the authors test results from selection vs. instability hypothesis. Selection hypothesis is negative child outcomes due to parents’ antecedent behaviors while instability hypothesis pertains to negative child outcomes due to multiple transitions in family structure. Model analysis is conducted in two steps as first child outcomes (baseline) are measured with respect to instability hypothesis and then in full model characteristics of the mother and her environment, before her children were born, are added. Conclusion: Authors’ research finds that, for white children, the causal association between the number of family structure transitions and cognitive outcomes can defended by mothers 'prior characteristics. However, there is no robust association in case of black children. Authors suggest that this is due to the unique impact of family conflict in black children, who in comparison, more often have extended kin available for emotional support and who may experience conflict in the context of more stressful events. Discussion Common Themes and Personal Opinions on Selected Published Articles The above researched articles touch upon a number of diverse topics in sociology of families such as child development under untypical conditions such as cohabiting, complex family structures, effects of parenting on child’s future performance and causes of family (in) stabilities. However, there are a number of common themes that are present in the selected published articles and were intentionally chosen during article search. These themes are racial differences between child upbringing in families and family relationships, effects of race and ethnicity on child’s development and fragile family conditions. All selected articles have a perspective on how race has mattered in developing a family environment. There are a number of insights presented in these publications that make sense to me. I completely agree with Charlesa et al that considerable racial ethnic disparities existing in family and have a deep impact on college attendance of respective adolescents. E.g. Asians, generally, are advantaged relative to whites when it comes to parental expectations, cultural capital, and saving money for college while African-Americans are the most disadvantaged. I was particularly intrigued by the hypothesis of Osborne et al that the children born to cohabiting parents face higher levels of parental instability than their counterparts born to married parents. Even though the assertion makes sense in a general way, I tend to believe that there are many other complex factors that come into play such as family violence, parental relationships and socioeconomic status of the family (marriage or otherwise). Finally, I agree with a number of points stated by authors Fomby and Cherlin in their publication on Family Instability. Each breakup, divorce, remarriage, or new cohabitation carries with itself an adjustment phase for both parents, partners and children to determine ways to relate and to define their self identity in the new setting. The effects of new age family structure changes have as much considerable impact of child development and well-being as the effect of multiple changes on individual and family well-being in the context of the geographic, class, and occupational mobility. Scope of Future Research Upon studying and understanding the above three publications, I find a number of interesting questions that can be reflected in future research. Some of the research questions are: 1. What are the characteristics and differences in “Fragile Families” between White, African-American and other ethnicities? 2. To what extent a transition to marriage from cohabitation enhances relationship stability? 3. How families make decisions about whether and where students will attend and if there are any racial gaps in such decision-making? 4. What are the racial differences in how parents save (and pay) for college (e.g., savings accounts, investments in stocks or money market funds, home equity, trust funds)? 5. Are there any ethnic dissimilarities in the association of family structure change with sex initiation and nonmarital births? Read More