The Effects of Social Class and Ethnicity on Children.

Hello everybody, This week I am going to be talking about how ethnicity and social class can affect children. First, we will talk about the effects social classes can have on children. Classes exist all over the world. Many people like to believe that it doesn't impact children, whether you are rich, poor, or middle class. However, that is not the case. In an article called Social Class and Child Development. It says, "There is a significant development gap between children from economically stable backgrounds and those from the lower class. According to research, children from upper-class families have better intellectual development and fewer behavioral problems than those from financially disadvantaged families." This is the case for many families in the world today when it comes to not only education but also physical health and psychological health. For example, families with less money aren't able to afford to take their children to good hospitals or facilities. Psychological problems such as low self-esteem and depression can also occur. On the other hand, children raised in wealthier families can also be negatively affected. In another article called, Children of the Affluent, it says; "Studies have shown that upper-class children can manifest elevated disturbance in several areas—such as substance use, anxiety, and depression—and excessive pressures to achieve and isolation from parents (both literal and emotional). " The cause for this could be that children in wealthier families have parents that are putting more pressure on them to succeed, parents may always be gone, and/or the children feel lonely. Furthermore, "Whereas stereotypically, affluent youth and poor youth are respectively thought of as being at “low risk” and “high risk,” comparative studies have revealed more similarities than differences in their adjustment patterns and socialization processes.” In other words, children from both wealthy and poor families all have their own issues that can be associated with being raised in a certain social class.

Everyone comes from their own ethnical background. Whether it be Middle Eastern, Hispanic, Irish, Native American, Jewish, or Pacific Islander, we all have a special culture that we are raised in. Each specific culture/ethnicity has its own unique types of traditions and family structures. Therefore, it can greatly affect the way a child is raised and the kind of person they will become. In an article called Children and Ethnicity, it says, "Ethnicity plays a major role in many people’s lives. It can often have a positive influence, providing us with a sense of belonging and identity and helping us to understand who we are and where we come from. However, it can also play a much more negative role in creating and/or sustaining divisions between groups of people that can result in prejudice and discrimination and, at times, conflicts and wars." Furthermore, ethnicity truly impacts us and the type of people we grow up to be, whether it is negative or positive. For example, one of my ethnicities is Hispanic, and because of that, I have a family that is very close and spends a lot of time together. My family especially loves to have any excuse for us to get together, such as throwing parties, eating dinner, or watching sports. We will always be together. On the other hand, we can also be very stubborn. A lot of the time when my sisters and I get into arguments, we have a hard time finding something to agree on because neither of us wants to budge. However, in the end, we always end up forgiving each other. All families have their own special ethnicity that helps to shape the lives of the children involved.