Blog entry #8

Using Kin for Child Care
Since the 1960s, childcare by non-parent relatives has steadily decreased overall (Uttal). This study examines the differences in non-parent childcare between races. Although many report that they would like to have childcare by relatives, not many do. Overall, most studies previously done report that African Americans and Hispanics use extended kin for childcare more than White families (Uttal). Historically, Whites have emphasized a nuclear family more than other races, which treat the family as more of the extended unit.
Three main theories have been proposed to explain the racial differences between extended family caregiving, including cultural explanation, structural explanation, and integrative explanation (Uttal). Typically, economic status has little effect. Culturally, nonwhite families have closer kin ties, and geographically it is easier for them to care for family. However, there are many other factors previous research has also found.
For the study, the researcher did interviews with employed mothers with one or more non-school aged children over 2 years. Included were African Americans, Anglo Americans, and Mexicans. Only three of these mothers expressed a desire to use extended kin to care for their children. The six mothers that did use extended kin care had tried but failed to search for other alternatives first. One important difference was that Anglo Americans resisted offers from family to be caregivers, while the other two groups did not. Anglo Americans cited kin care as an imposition on their family, that they did not want to owe their family anything, and that they wanted to instill their own values in their children, not their parents’ (Utaal). Mexican Americans viewed extended kin care as giving family members employment and that, as their relatives, the caregivers wanted to spend time with the children regardless. Mexican and African Americans are more likely to view extended kin caregivers as acceptable, although Anglo Americans also use extended kin caregivers, but just do not reference it as desirable.

The Color of Family Ties
Blacks and Latinos are more likely to live with, near, or visit relatives than Whites (Gerstel et. al). With monetary and emotional needs, White families are more giving, however, with practical needs, including childcare, Black and Latino relatives are found more helpful. In all racial groups, it is women that are more likely to provide their families with emotional support than men. This study, in contrast to the previous, names socioeconomic status as a more important indicator of using extended kin caregivers than historical and cultural differences. Although cultural values do exist, the socioeconomic status is more important. Blacks and Latinos tend to have less income than Whites and live closer to the poverty line, giving them less time and money to perform or outsource childcare. While Whites can give monetary help to family, minorities instead exchange domestic and childcare favors.
Another factor influencing minorities’ reliance on extended kin care is lower marriage rates. Instead of husbands, mothers turn to other family members for help with children. The low marriage rates could be due to the low socioeconomic statuses of many minority men (Gerstel et. al). pro-marriage government and workplace policies make it difficult for minority single parents.

Explaining the Gender Gap in Help to Parents
As seen in previously read literature, teenage girls and boys begin falling into their sex roles within their household chores while still living with their parents. The reason as to the early genderizing of household tasks, however, is debated. Employment is an equalizing factor for women’s hours spent on domestic tasks, but employed and unemployed men are often found to do similar amounts of housework. This supports that it is not about time worked or money earned, however it is simply based on gender. However, these findings were not similar for all studies preformed. This study focused on further examining this gender gap.
This study examines help given to parents and parents-in-law, given in hours per week. Age, race, education, health, and martial status are also measured and used as controls. Geographic distance from parents, parents’ health, and financial status were also controlled.
Women are found to give significantly more help to parents than men, however when employment status was considered it was not found to be significant. However, when both partners are employed the gender gap does not lessen, women still giving more help than men. Women were also usually found to work less and be paid less than men. Not surprisingly, higher wages are associated with giving less help. However, self-employment is found to be associated with giving less help as well (Sarkisian et. al).
This study’s findings support the traditional gender gap. While employed men and women are somewhat equal in providing help, this is not true when women are not employed. Women also cited caring for parents more important than men did, which suggests more emotional ties with parents for women. However, there is not one clear answer why women are more likely to help parents than men.

The Female World of Cards and Holidays
The author outlines two theoretical trends responsible for the changing view of women’s work. First, the recognition of women’s unpaid home and family work as important, and secondly, the importance of women within the family (di Leonardo). However, it is not just women’s importance within the household that should be recognized. They are largely responsible for keeping and nurturing extended kin ties for their entire family. Women are often the one sending cards and giving relatives phone calls, not men or children. While kin ties are just as important to men, they do not take responsibility for them. Young women today, while much more active in paid work, still work to maintain kin ties. Women are responsible, and always have been, for family gatherings. They also are often responsible to settle disputes among family members (di Leonardo).
Even when women do not want to be responsible for kin ties, they are often pressured into it because society views it as women’s work. Also, it is important for the happiness of a family for someone to keep in charge of the extended kin’s social schedule and provide opportunities for meetings. Di Leonardo believes this form of kinship, scheduling holidays and events together, is mainly American. The cultural and religious background of families also influences how much women are expected to do with extended kin. Families also share some sort of resources, depending on their economic status, with one another. The women are responsible for these offerings. Extended kin responsibilities are also unique because they exist in all economic classes, there is no way to outsource them completely like housework or childcare. Also, women are supposed to want to keep these ties for their families and are guilted into the roles. So, women accept these roles as they do many of their other unpaid work roles, as a part of their nurturing and emotional nature that men do not possess.