American families are far more diverse and complex today than they were 50 years ago. As ideas about marriage, divorce, and remarriage have changed, so too have our understandings about cohabitation, childbearing, parenting, and the transition to adulthood. Americans of all socioeconomic backgrounds have witnessed changes in the nature of family life, but as this book reveals, these changes play out in very different ways for the wealthy or well off than they do for the poor.
Social Class and Changing Families in an Unequal America offers an up-to-the-moment assessment of the condition of the family in an era of growing inequality. Highlighting unique aspects of family behavior, it reveals the degree to which families' varying experiences are shaped by social class. This book offers a much needed assessment of contemporary family life amid the turbulent economic changes in the United States.
Price: $110.00
Pages: 248
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Imprint: Stanford University Press
Series: Studies in Social Inequality
Publication Date:
21 June 2011
Trim Size: 9.25 X 6.12 in
ISBN: 9780804770880
Format: Hardcover
"Marcia J. Carlson and Paula England have compiled and edited a number of important chapters that explore changing family patterns and how they adapt to a more unequal America in their book Social Class and Changing Families in an Unequal America . . . In sum, Marcia J. Carlson and Paula England have assembled an interesting and insightful book that looks at the issues at the heart of the American family. The chapters in this book weave a story about the American family that has changed drastically in the past century, acknowledging that not all the changes are good, but that the future is bright for families if something can be done about the educational and financial gap between poor families and those families that inhabit the upper strata of our society . . . Carlson and England's book indicates that the future of the American family is uncertain, but with effective policies and open-minded discussion on how to cure the inequalities that exist in education and financial resources, American families can recover, regaining their position as the bedrock of American society."—Stephen Briles, Journal of Youth and Adolescence
Marcia J. Carlson is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Paula England is Professor of Sociology at Stanford University.
