Abstract
Low-income parents have long been demonised in both political discourses and mainstream media, portrayed as lacking in parenting skills not just financial resources. Using the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) this article examines to what extent there are differences in the parenting of low-income mothers by examining parenting behaviours of low-, middle- and high-income mothers. The findings show that where there are negative differences in the parenting of low-income mothers these are often part of a broader income gradient that extends all the way up the distribution, rather than unique to low-income mothers. Furthermore, there are some positive differences in parenting among low-income mothers compared to middle-income mothers. These findings have important implications: low-income parents are not an unusual or deviant group parenting differently to everyone else. The findings suggest more attention ought to be given to parenting differences higher up the income distribution. In focusing on low-income parents only, existing evidence exaggerates differences and wrongly identifies low-income parents as problematic.
Highlights
Over the last few decades, attention and concern has focused on a particular sort of mother
Results are only included in the bar charts where there is a significant difference between mothers in the low- and middle-income group
In examining parenting behaviours across the income distribution it reveals an income gradient in many parenting behaviours as well as positive differences between lowand middle-income parenting. These findings are not evident in most previous studies, because often the focus is on parents in poverty only, thereby exaggerating differences between low-income parents and other parents and reinforcing the notion that lowincome parents are uniquely deviant
Summary
Over the last few decades, attention and concern has focused on a particular sort of mother. She is portrayed as irresponsible, immature, immoral, and a potential threat to the security and stability of society as a whole. While this type of mother is accused of bad parenting, it is her status as poor and marginalised that sees her located at the centre of society’s ills. More recently the English riots in 2011 predictably led to accusations of bad parenting, with Prime Minister David Cameron highlighting ‘The question people asked over and over again [. More recently the English riots in 2011 predictably led to accusations of bad parenting, with Prime Minister David Cameron highlighting ‘The question people asked over and over again [. . .] was “where are the parents?”’ and concluding that ‘Either there was no one at home, they didn’t much care, or they’d lost control’ (Cameron, 2011)
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