Social Class & Family Culture

 I found this week’s lessons to be very interesting and yet heart wrenching. The topics that we reviewed and studied were about social class and cultural diversity. My goal with this post is so that those reading this may have their eyes opened to understand that these stories are a real thing that many face currently in our days. 

We were asked to watch some YouTube videos relating to social class. One of the videos that stood out the most was Tammy and her family. 

As a quick recap, the video focused on Tammy and her living conditions with her three boys who lived at home with her. Tammy grew up very poor with a father that had 21 children. As a result, her lifestyle reflected that of her father. Living in a trailer, she was a simple person not wanting more. Although her sons were embarrassed to be living with their mother, Tammy felt great pride in what she herself has achieved. Expressing that her father would be proud of what she was able to accomplish. 

While I was watching the videos, I could not help but feel sadness for both Tammy and her sons. Tammy grew up the way she did and she followed that example because that was what she knew. Her sons expressed their discomfort with how they lived and where they lived. They had dreams and goals. 

About 13 years later, this same family was interviewed to see if their circumstances had changed. Sadly enough, her children had followed the same path that Tammy had. Their goals and dreams were put on the back burner and they had to face their reality of living life.

This made me wonder, how many families are in the same circumstances as Tammy’s family? Due to how the parent(s) grew up, how this might have affected the success of their children? 

The other topic discussed was cultural diversity. We focused on the culture of Mexican immigrants and how it changes when they emigrate from their country to the US.

The qualitative study “The Costs of Getting Ahead: Mexican Family System Changes and Immigration” is a simple and short study focusing on problems that immigrants face in their family system. 

In Mexican culture, it is very common to have a strong sense of familial unity and love. I come from a Hispanic background and this could not be truer.

We rely on each other when needed. We love each other greatly. Family stays together and does things together. Usually, the father is the one who brings the income while the mother is the one who takes care of the children at home.

The study explained that families before they emigrated showed a strong sense of love and unity. In preparation to make the move from Mexico to the United States, the father would make the trip first to the US to lay the foundation. Normally, the family expected to wait 6 months to 1 year for them to be reunited. Now that the father, the provider, left it was up to the mother to provide for her children while nurturing them. This change in the family system would create a major disturbance. 

The study found that the father would be gone for more than a year, perhaps up to 3 years before the rest of the family could be reunited. They found that due to the separation the closeness of the family was disrupted. The children would experience negative emotions towards the father, showing a lack of respect. While at the same time their relationship with their mother was strong. It could be said that the father no longer had a role within the family, and was isolated even after sacrificing so much.

As a result, this shift led to a change of culture within the family. There was no longer unity, if not separation. There was no love, only resentment and disrespect. The children would take one of two paths: take on a job to help stabilize the family income or wander off and associate with gangs. 

In this study I learned how important culture is within a family. I also learned how fragile a family system is and how it can lead to heartbreak and difficulties later on. 

My invitation to you today is to reflect about your life. I myself feel grateful that even though I did not grow up the richest, I was blessed to have parents who sacrificed all they could so that I could move forward. I’m grateful for the culture of my family, where we help one another in our times of need.