JUVENILE DELINQUENCY THE CORE 5E Chapter 7: The Family and Delinquency The Changing American Family • Traditional family is a thing of the past • Changing sex roles have created a family where women play a greater role in the economic process • Egalitarian family structure • Fathers are now spending more time with children than they did 20 years ago and mothers are spending less time with children than they did 20 years ago Family Makeup After a decades-long decline, 2/3 of underage minors now live in two parent families Significant racial differences in family makeup still exist: 75% of White, non-Hispanic children live with two parents 61% of Hispanic children live with two parents (decreased from 75% in 1980) 35% of Black children live with two parents Teen Moms/Single Moms Today, more than 90% of teens who give birth are unmarried Living a single parent home, especially one headed by an unmarried teenage mother, has been long associated with difficulties for both mother and child Kids born into single-parent homes are more likely to live in poverty and to experience long-term physical and social difficulties There are fewer teenage moms in the population today, due to birth control and the legalization of abortion Figure 7.1 Percentage of Children Ages 0-17 Living in various Family Arrangements Child Care • 48% of children ages 0-4 with employed moms are cared for by a relative • 24% are cared for in a formal daycare or center • 14% are cared for by a nonrelative in a home-based environment • Day care workers are often paid minimum wage • Family day care homes: • Single provider takes care of three to nine children • Although some states mandate registration and inspection of day care providers, 90% are “underground” • Children from working poor families are likely to suffer from inadequate child care • According to Polakow, lack of access to affordable high-quality child care is related to family poverty, joblessness, and homelessness Economic Stress • About 6 million American youth live in poverty • Majority of the families live in substandard housing without adequate health care, nutrition, or child care • Recent political trends suggest that the social “safety net” is under attack • Poor families can expect less government aid in the coming years • Will this economic pressure be reduced in the future? • The recent economic upheaval and high unemployment rate has caused families to remain under stress… Family’s Influence of Delinquency The family is the primary unit in which children learn the values and attitudes that guide their actions Family disruption or changes can have a long lasting effect Four categories of family dysfunction promote delinquency: ① Families disrupted by spousal conflict or breakup Family breakup ② Families involved in interpersonal ...