Changes in Income-Based Gaps in Parent Activities With Young Children From 1988 to 2012

Numerous studies show large differences between economically advantaged and disadvantaged parents in the quality and quantity of their engagement in young children’s development. This “parenting gap” may account for a substantial portion of the gap in children’s early cognitive skills. However, researchers know little about whether the socioeconomic gap in parenting has increased over time. The present study investigates this question, focusing on income- and education-based gaps in parents’ engagement in cognitively stimulating activities with preschool-aged children. We draw on data from four national studies conducted over 25 years. We found a decrease in income-based gaps in children’s book ownership and library attendance but increasing income-based gaps for several other parent behaviors, including reading and telling stories to children and teaching children letters, words, and numbers. Income-based gaps in children’s participation in out-of-home cultural activities also increased. Results for education-based gaps were similar. These gaps largely arose from top-income families pulling away from their middle- and low-income counterparts.

诸多研究表明，经济条件优渥与拮据的父母在参与幼儿发展相关活动的质量与数量上存在显著差异。这一育儿差距（parenting gap）或可解释儿童早期认知技能差距中的相当一部分。然而，目前学界对育儿领域的社会经济差距是否随时间推移而扩大仍知之甚少。本研究针对这一问题展开探究，重点关注父母与学龄前儿童开展认知刺激类活动时，基于收入与受教育程度形成的育儿差距。本研究依托25年间开展的四项全国性研究数据。研究发现，儿童图书拥有量与图书馆参与度的收入差距有所缩小，但在其他多项父母育儿行为上的收入差距却呈扩大趋势，包括为儿童阅读、讲故事，以及教授儿童字母、词汇与数字等活动。儿童参与校外文化活动的收入差距同样有所扩大。基于受教育程度的育儿差距结果与此类似，此类差距主要源于高收入家庭与中低收入家庭的行为差距不断拉大。