New Study: Differences in Family Income Affect How Parents Raise Their Children

According to a recent report in The New York Times covering a new Pew Research Center survey, family income levels make an impact on how parents raise their children, which can affect their entire lives through adulthood. A variety of parental behaviors were observed and the differences in how parents brought up their children were greatly determined by how much money they make.

For example, families with a household income of $75,000 or more were more likely to enroll their kids in after-school programs such as art, dance, and sports from an early age, whereas lower-income families, earning $30,000 or less had their children spend time at home or at the home of a family member. Of the families with an income of over $75,000, 84% said their kids participate in an organized sport, while just 59% of kids from families making $30,000 or less do.

Middle-and higher-income families see their children as a “project” which needs to be developed in order to succeed – think “helicopter” parenting, and the working- and lower-income parents feel their kids will do just fine on their own. The kids of higher-income families are more likely to end up in college, thus helping them attain a better paying job in the future.