Sociology Now, Census Update

Parenting

In the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still(1951), a mysterious stranger rents a room
at a boardinghouse. When one of his fellow boarders finds that she has no one to
look after her son for the afternoon, the stranger volunteers. Mom hesitates; she
doesn’t want to inconvenience him. He insists that it would be a pleasure—he loves
little boys. Mom happily agrees.
Imagine a remake of that movie today. Mom would insist on fingerprints, an FBI
profile, a letter from the local police chief, and a state child care license. During the past
50 years, the answer to the question, “Who should watch the children?” has become
more and more narrow, from any handy teenager or adult to licensed childcare profes-
sionals to Mom and Dad, or maybe just Mom. Today, 40 percent of all children 5 and
under are cared for by a relative and 11 percent by a combination of relatives and non-
relatives. Almost 25 percent of all preschoolers are in organized child care facilities—13
percent at day care centers and 6 percent in preschools (Who’s Minding the Kids?,2005).
Just as children have never been so important in our cultural values, parents have
never been considered so important in the lives of their children. Many people believe
that biological reproduction gives you a sudden proficiency in child care, and anyone
other than the biological parent will do a shoddy job at best. More people have wanted
to become parents than ever before, including some who would rarely have consid-
ered parenting just 20 or 30 years ago: teenagers, 50-year-olds, gay and lesbian cou-
ples, infertile heterosexual couples. Ironically, even though parents are thought to be
so utterly decisive in the outcomes of their children’s lives, we also seem to believe that
it’s all hereditary, and socialization plays a very minor role in how our children turn
out. Of course, to a sociologist, both sides are true: Parental socialization of children

PARENTING 401

Montana

Wash.

Oregon

Calif.

Nevada

Arizona

Utah

Idaho

Wyoming

Colorado

New Mexico

Texas

Oklahoma

Missouri Va.

N.C.

S.C.

Miss. Ala.Georgia

Arkansas

La.

Fla.

Nebraska

Kansas

S. Dakota

N. Dakota

Minn.

Iowa

IllinoisInd.

Ohio

Kent.

Tenn.

Va.W.

Pa.

Wis. N.Y.

Mich.

Vt. Maine

Alaska

Hawaii

N.H.

Mass.

R.I.

Conn.

N.J.

Delaware

Maryland

D.C.

State has a state constitution amendment

restricting marriage to one man and one woman

State has a law restricting marriage to

one man and one woman

No restrictions

FIGURE 12.4 State Prohibitions on Marriage for Same-Sex Couples

Source:“State Prohibitions on Marriage for Same-Sex Couple” from Human Rights Campaign,November, 2006.
©Human Rights Campaign. Reprinted with permission.