For my honors project for this class, I decided to expand upon the “Media in the Family” assignment we posted on the discussion board earlier in the semester. I chose HBO’s The Sopranos.
The Sopranos is an HBO drama that aired from 1999 to 2007. It is about protagonist Tony Soprano and how he balances his life as the patriarch of his family as well as being the boss of the Dimeo crime family. While watching the show, I realized that it had so much to do with our Sociology of Family class. Many of the things we discussed in class were depicted on the show, things such as the myth of the idealized family, and the intersection between ethnicity, class, and gender.
The Idealized Family: We discussed the myth of the idealized family in class this semester. Although The Sopranos is a television show, its characters are far more multidimensional than many characters depicted on TV. There are no heroes or villains here: just normal people who happen to be mobsters. The characters on the show still believe in the stereotypical 1950’s family: during one heated discussion at the dinner table, Tony proclaims that “in [this house], it’s 1954!” Unfortunately for Tony, it is nowhere near 1954 (not that things were perfect in 1954, either). The characters get most of their ideas about Italian-American identity from the mass media. They frequently quote The Godfather and Goodfellas, and opine about the “good old days.” There were never the “good old days” as portrayed in these films, however: Tony saw his mafia-affiliated father go through much of the same troubles that he is going through as a grown man.
Ethnicity/Class/Gender: These three themes intersect throughout the series: they affect how each character acts and responds to others. Although Tony’s wife Carmela and her high school friend Charmaine are both Italian-American females, Carmela treats Charmaine differently because she is of a lower socioeconomic status. Examples such as this are seen multiple times in every episode.
Gender stereotypes are strictly stratified on The Sopranos. In theory, women are expected to be faithful and submissive. However, the women in Tony’s life have full emotional control over him. His dysfunctional mother has an inexplicably strong hold on him, Carmela runs the household, and his daughter Meadow has him wrapped around her finger. Tony’s female therapist, Dr. Melfi, acts as a blank slate onto which Tony can project his feelings. The virgin/whore dichotomy is displayed on this show: Meadow and Carmela would be the good “virgins,” while the women who work at the strip club Tony manages would be the “whores.” Of course, no one can fit into such ridiculously rigid categories, and the show does an excellent job of showing the complexities of all the characters, despite the rigid gender roles prescribed by the culture. Men on The Sopranos must be very masculine and try not to lose face. The biggest insult would be to be called a woman or a fanook, slang for homosexual. Their masculinity is tied to their cultural identity, and if they lose their masculinity, they bring shame to themselves and their families. The men prove their masculinity by being violent, sexist, and homophobic. Crying or showing emotion is unheard of. However, there is a strong brotherly love between the men in the mafia crew, who see one another as an extended family.
Class is also important on this show. The highest level of education that Tony and his crew have achieved is usually merely a high-school diploma. However, they are all middle to upper-middle class. Tony lives in a large McMansion and the Sopranos all have expensive material goods. This money was not gained through legitimate means, however: it was gained by murder and extortion. Tony and Carmela do not seem to care: if they can have a nice life, it does not matter where the money came from.
Ethnicity is extremely important on this show. Being Italian-American is part of the character’s identities and a cornerstone of their livelihoods. However, by being in the mafia, they perpetuate negative stereotypes about Italian-Americans who have no ties to organized crime.
Perhaps the most prominent theme in The Sopranos is family. Family, both biological and mafia-related, means respect, honor, and loyalty. I think that this is something we can all relate to even though none of us (I hope) are members of the mafia.
This video, from season one, is when Tony's uncle Junior becomes acting boss of the Dimeo crime family. Even though Uncle Junior tried to kill Tony, Tony still respects him and remains loyal to his uncle and his crime family through thick and thin. As you can see in the clip, the undercover FBI agent posing as the waiter is taking pictures of all the mafia members to identify who is who now that the hierarchy has changed.
This video, from season six, portrays several themes in the show. Johnny Sacrimoni is in jail, held without bail, awaiting trial for numerous mafia-related crimes. His daughter Allegra is getting married, and he requests to be allowed to attend the wedding. The wedding itself is a typical American tradition, and portrays that the vicious mafia men on the show are also husbands and fathers. While Tony enters the church, he has a panic attack. (Incidentally, he has just gotten out of the hospital after being shot by his Alzheimers-afflicted Uncle Junior, who is no longer the boss because of his mental state). In the last part of the video, Allegra and her new husband are leaving the catering hall while the wedding guests and her family happily look on. The Federal Marshals who escorted John to the wedding handcuff him in front of the crowd and drag him out. He begins to cry. One of his men, Phil Leotardo, speaks about how he no longer view John as a man, because he cried like a woman. This shows how strict the gender roles are: the man cannot even cry at his own daughter's wedding.
This video shows the entire evolution of the series in nine minutes. (In case you don't want to watch all 86 episodes like I did!)
Questions:
1. Have you ever watched The Sopranos? If so, do you think that my observations of the show are correct? Why or why not?
2. If you watched the first two videos, what are your thoughts on the themes portrayed?
Thanks for reading this, and I hope you enjoyed it! Please comment with your thoughts!
For those of you who would like to continue the discussion of last week on IPV please post your thoughts and comments. Also, for those of you in attendance at the session on relationship safety in the Women's Center last evening please tell us about it!
Single Parenting: Does it really have a negative effect on the child?
Throughout history single parenting has been said to have a negative impact on the child or children. It has been said that growing up with only one parent can affect a child’s education. Some studies show that children who grow up in a single parent household have a higher dropout rate than children that grow up with two parents. They believe that the children get worse grades and do not try as hard in school. However, there are other studies that show that the percentage of dropout rate for single parent children is very close to the percentage of children with two parents. There is a statistic that the overall dropout rate was 19 percent and that 13 percent of them were children from two parent households. There are also studies about the children being more likely to live in poverty causing them to live in poverty when they are adults. Living in a single parent household can have a lasting impact on how a child views parental roles and relationships. About 45 percent of children will go through their parent’s divorce which is said to cause their relationship issues. There is also the emotional factor. Some studies have been done showing that children who live with one parent have more emotional issues. On the other hand it is said that if a parent does a good job making a stable household with rules yet nurturing the child then there will not be a long term affects of the child. Considering about 30 percent of the households in America are single parent households it is very important to study this topic. In the article Growing Up With a Single Parent, there are many charts and questions asked about the parent and child that also have to do with single parents compared to married or step families. For example they talk about whether or not the child has TV rules, a bedtime or chores. The survey seems to show that single parents do in fact have similar percentages to the two parent households.
Discussion Question:
1.Single parenting has been seen as having a negative impact on children. Do you agree or disagree with this? Why or why not?
There is a common misconception that single mothers on welfare are feeding off the system and sitting back collecting checks without trying to find employment or bettering their situations. There is another thought that welfare recipients are mostly black, urban dwellers without any education. Knocked up as a teenager or purposely having multiple children to receive more money from the state; these are thoughts that cross many minds. However this is not the case at all.
While every system has flaws, the majority of the single mothers receiving welfare benefits are very determined to better their lives and their children, most importantly. Most notably known as “welfare queens” it is completely unfair to group these women together and place the same negative stereotype. Andrew Hacker, author of The 'Welfare Queen': Challenging Stereotypes of Single Mothers in the U.S, states that “the nation contains millions of women who were once on welfare and who are now self-supporting. They simply needed time and financial help to get themselves together. Follow-up studies have shown that half of all recipients leave voluntarily before their third year. Many use their time on welfare to prepare themselves for work” (Hacker). These are the facts that are undisputable. Most women on welfare in fact do have plans for social mobility for their families.
Statistics:
The main reasons for single mothers going on welfare are that:
More women are being widowed
More women are getting divorced
More women are having kids out of wedlock
The chart below shows that there has been a steady decrease in welfare recipients of single mothered families since 1994. In 1972 71% of welfare families were single-mother families. In 2002 only 22% were single-mother families. And only 34% of families making below the federal poverty line were single-mother headed families. This says a lot about the determination and ability of single mothers to succeed and provide for their families. Since the beginning of AFDC single mothers have been pushing harder than ever to overturn the nasty stereotypes associated with welfare.
The chart above breaks down the welfare recipients based on race. The chart on the left shows the percentage of AFDC recipients that are African American. Despite the increase over the years of African American mothers receiving welfare, there is little different between white and black women receiving welfare over the years. And now currently they are at about equal as mentioned above.
Breaking down the stereotypes:
So exactly who is on welfare today? While there are a larger percentage of black and Hispanic mothers on welfare, there is an equal number of white women and black on welfare in this country. (Hacker) This is quite the contrast to the misconception of the single black mother. Hacker also states that, “almost 75% of AFDC households have only one or two children. Only 10% of such households have four or more children” (Hacker). The majority of welfare mothers are not pumping out babies in an effort to receive more benefits from the state and local agencies. Actually the opposite, single mothers on welfare understand the costs, especially after having one or two children. This prompts them to not have eight or ten children. When one begins to look at the actual numbers it becomes more difficult to point fingers and blame these women for their circumstances.
For the numbers of women who have been collecting their monthly welfare checks, 18.2% of welfare recipients have been on AFDC for less than seven months. Only “25% of welfare recipients have been receiving aid for 5 or more years, and fewer than 10% have been on AFDC for over a decade” (Hacker). These numbers are a far cry from the proclamations of the critics of welfare and TANF programs. They may say that welfare recipients are unmotivated and unwilling to do any real work. The numbers speak for themselves. What people also need to realize is that many of these women have been put into these circumstances against their will. Not all single mothers on welfare did this to themselves and many lead fairly successful lives before one wrong move or a father abandoning the family. It is difficult to pick out any one cause; however it is easy to not pass judgment. Educating oneself creates a less ignorant society that can hopefully become more tolerant and understanding of the struggling lives many of our dedicated mothers lead.
Discussion Question:
2.What are your personal views on single-mother families on the welfare system? Have you run into a woman in this situation and if so what was your reaction to it?
Sources:
Hacker, A. (1992). Two nations: Black and white, separate, hostile, unequal. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons.
Hacker, A. The 'Welfare Queen': Challenging Stereotypes of Single Mothers in the U.S. http://www.poverty.smartlibrary.org/newinterface/segment.cfm?segment=1823.
Snyder, T. Welfare; History, Results and Reform, September 2004. http://www.neoperspectives.com/welfare.htm.
James Nutter:
Single Fatherhood
The challenges faced by all single parents is obvious, they have twice the work with seemingly half the time to accomplish it.In the case of single fathers, many specific issues arise.Biological differences between men and women can cause innate difficulties.Differences in gender norms cause difficulties for single fathers.And sexism causes a view that single fathers are less capable at parenting than other systems.
Biological Issues:
Fathers with children in infancy are incapable of breastfeeding; other options must be found for feeding children up until they begin eating solid food.Later in life, fathers of daughters going through puberty often face difficulties.This is due to the simple fact that most men have no second hand experience with that turning point in a girl’s life.Children sometimes are unable to identify with an opposite sex parent; the embarrassment that often comes from the changes that occur during puberty can cause an emotional separation between the child and the father if the father is unable to cope with this growing and changing experience.
Socialization Issues:
Sociologically the issues that arise are far more prominent; this is due to gender norms that everyone is socialized into from birth.The issues arise most prominently with fathers of younger daughters.Trey Ellis, a single father, describes his attempt to get his young daughter ready, “It was usually her mother or our weekday nanny who wrestled with Ava's hair, but I was slowly learning. In attempting a braid, I could only get through a turn or two before the hair rioted, so I'd just seal off the relatively controlled part with a barrette and let the rest poof out like fireworks” (http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2008/02/07/trey_ellis/).Though he finishes the account with his daughter being satisfied with his effort; simple differences such as this can add a lot of stress to a single father who is trying to be the best he can for his children.Similar issues can arise throughout the development of the child; everything from academics, to a child’s social life can be difficult for an opposite sex parent to support.
Sociological Issues:
Generally, men are viewed as less capable parents in our society.The ideas of the homemaker and breadwinner have yet to be completely abolished, leaving difficulty for single fathers because of a disbelief of ability to raise one’s children alone.This is even prevalent in custody battles between separating parents.As Tara Emmers-Sommer, David Rhea, Laura Triplett and Bell O'Neill explain in their article, “men who seek single-fatherhood must deal with the challenges aroused by judges’ or the court-systems’ view of single-fatherhood. Thus, men find themselves in a position of having to make a case for their adequacy and ability as the custodial parent” (http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/1/2/3/0/pages112306/p112306-4.php).Further than that, in everyday life, people have the same attitude toward single fathers; being constantly showered with doubt about one’s ability as well can lead to difficulty and stress.
Many men have just as much of a drive to be the supportive parents their children require.As one father stated, “‘It was always something I knew, from the time I was a child’, Jeff says, ‘I knew I wanted to be a daddy’” (http://deanesmay.com/2009/01/05/and-now-single-fatherhood-by-choice/).Though because of the favorability of women in the court system, “Following divorce, only 15% of fathers receive the custody arrangements they had desired compared to over 2/3 of women obtaining the custody arrangement they had desired” (http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/1/1/2/3/0/pages112306/p112306-3.php).When it comes down to it, the sex of the parent is unimportant.The love, knowledge of child rearing and dedication are what make a parent good or bad.Many single fathers are far more capable of raising a child than some couples who remain together and mothers who win custody simply out of being the mother; it is unfair that individuals who are dedicated and potentially better suited to parenting have to face so many challenges.
Discussion Question:
3.In your experience, do you feel that single fathers are less capable of raising children?Why do you think that it is the cultural norm to think in this way?
(Sources cited relevantly)
Devin Smith
Welfare “Reform” Under TANF: Problems for Single-Parent Families
In 1996, as part of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), the main cash welfare program that assisted single-parent families, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) was replaced with the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program (Ozawa, Yoon, p. 239). TANF is a drastic departure from AFDC that preceded it, and its success in helping elevate poverty in those most as risk is unclear. Under the AFDC program, states were allowed, but not required, to offer job development and placement. There was no time limit on how long a family could receive benefits, and there was no obligation for recipients to find work or face penalties or loss of benefits. Recipients were allowed to pursue education and vocational training as a means to make themselves more employable. (Ozawa, Yoon, p. 239). In contrast, TANF is a “work first” program that sets a two-year limit on the amount of cash assistance a family can receive at one time without working and a limit of five years on the total amount of assistance a family can receive in a lifetime. (Ozawa, Yoon, p. 239). The purpose of TANF was to end dependency on government welfare programs and make people more self-sufficient. Although there are now fewer people in the welfare system, it is unclear if those that have stopped using welfare benefits are able to support themselves and their families and if current recipients will be able to in the future (Lens, p. 286).
Supporters of this program point to the dramatic decreases in welfare case loads, from 13.5 million in 1995, to 8.9 million in 1998, as proof of its success (Lens, p. 280). The implementation of the TANF program coincided with a period of economic prosperity and growth, were there were more jobs available and more opportunity for poor people to work. It is estimated that between 31-45 percent of the decline in welfare usage between 1994 and 1996 was due to economic expansion and increased job opportunities, and cannot be contributed to the success of TANF itself (Lens, p. 280). Additionally, many state and local welfare programs decreased case loads during this time by limiting the number of families that were given access to TANF programs. Over 30 states have adopted “diversion” programs, such as one-time cash assistance, or requirements to look for employment for a specific period of time before they are eligible for benefits. In some states, as many as 40-84 percent of potential recipients were turned away because of these diversionary programs (Lens, p. 281). The decline in welfare case loads immediately after the implementation of TANF cannot be contributed solely to the success of this program.
The best indicator of success for this program is whether former recipients are now self-sufficient. Government data suggests that between 50-65% percent of those that leave TANF have jobs when they leave the program, or get jobs shortly afterwards (Ozawa, Yoon, p. 240). However, the average wage rate for these jobs is meager, between $5.50 and $7.00 an hour, and most former recipients remained below the poverty line, even when working more than 30 hours a week (Lens, p. 281). Most former recipients were financially better off when on welfare because many of the jobs they could get were temporary or seasonal, paid wages too low to support their families on, and either offered no health insurance benefits, or required employee premiums and co-payments that made them unaffordable (Anderson, Halter, Gryslak, p. 188-9). The result of this is that as many as 19-30% of former recipients return to the welfare system for assistance because they cannot reasonably make ends meet (Lens, p. 282).
It is the “work-first” strategy at the core of the TANF program that leads to individuals and families cycling on and off welfare instead of achieving self-sufficiency because of the claim that working, not education and training, is the best route to independence. As of 2002, states were required to have 50% of all single-parent families working at least 30 hours a week or risk loosing their TANF benefits, and going to school or vocational training did not count towards work-related activities (Lens, p. 283). Education and skill training is necessary to obtain higher paying, more stable jobs. Single-parents on welfare that had a high school diploma had a 39% lower chance of returning to welfare than those that did not (Anderson, Halter, Gryzlak, p. 189). With nearly 50% of all welfare recipients lacking a high school diploma, it is clear that education and vocational job training is needed to help families out of poverty. However, under the TANF program, welfare offices only offer assistance with “job readiness training” such as writing resumes and practicing interview techniques, and do not provide the training in skills for higher paying jobs (Lens, p. 283). The results of this approach are that poor single parents on welfare will remain poor because the jobs available to them are low paying, offer few benefits and opportunities for advancement (Canican, Meyer, Wu, p. 201).
Most recipients of welfare are single parents (and of those, most are single mothers), who must juggle being both the primary nurturers and providers for their families. TANF “work first” programs pressure recipients to leave TANF as soon as possible, even when they cannot find child care or transportation to their jobs, making it extremely difficult to balance their home and work lives (Ozawa, Yoon, p. 247). Lack of affordable child care is one of the most difficult barriers to self-sufficiency because the high cost forces many people to start using welfare again or to use unsafe, unregulated childcare (Anderson, Anthony, Gryzlak, p. 189).
The purpose of TANF was to foster independence and self-sufficiency by limiting the amount of government assistance to poor families and encouraging them to work. This program has gained support from the public at large, many who believe that permanent income support for single-parent families has encouraged dependence on “the system”, the creation of families out of wedlock and family break-ups (Ozawa, Yoon, p. 239). However, those that leave TANF programs are likely to return because lack of education and skills makes it difficult to find jobs that pay enough to support their families. Those that do not return to TANF programs are at a high risk for poverty, hunger and homelessness, especially those that are no longer eligible for benefits (Lens, p. 286-7). The dramatic reforms to welfare that were supposed to improve the lives of poor single-parent families have actually made it more difficult for them to find good jobs that would sustain their independence.
Question: Should TANF programs do more to help single-parents obtain higher education or vocational training? If so, why? If not, than who, if anyone, should be responsible for helping them?
Sources:
Anderson, S, Halter, A. Gryzlak, B. (2004) Difficulties after Leaving TANF: Inner-City Women Talk About Reason for Returning to Welfare. Social Work. 49(2), p. 184-194.
Cancian, M., Meyer, D., Wu, C. (2005) After the Revolution: Welffare Patterns since TANF Implementation. Social Work Research. 29(4), p. 199-214.
Lens, V. (2002). TANF: What Went Wrong and What to Do Next. Social Work. 47(3), p. 279-290.
Ozawa, M, Yoon, H. (2005) “Leavers” from TANF and AFDC: How do they Fare Economically? Social Work. 50(3), p. 239-249.
In speaking to the elderly and family needs for who is responsible to care for them, I feel like our society has changed its views dramatically over the past few generations. It used to be a given that once your parents were old enough to need help of some sort, whether it be because of sickness or old age, that the children would take on the care giving role, usually the daughter if there was one. This usually required the child to give up their plans and focus on the parent or elderly family member, or to play and impossible game of juggling a personal life and family of their own, while still caring for the other family member. However, with the growing popularity of elderly homes and places where these members of our families can go and be cared for and kept healthy while still being able to be visited, it seems to be the best of both worlds. In our fast paced and individualistic society it seems that we must do whats best for us, and changing plans according to our parents is not in the script.
We decided to focus on the care of the elderly (our cut off point is 60 years old). We chose four countries: United States, India, England and France. Each country has very different policies and expectations but one thing that is important to recognize is that a lot more work needs to be put into the care of people during this part of life.
India:
India has a very large population, second only to China. With health care improving and birthrates rising, the percentage of elderly individuals in the country is only going to get bigger. The numbers went form 20 million in 1951 to 70 million in 2009 and a projected 326 million in 2050 (United Nations, 1995). Although India is still very family based when it comes to the care of the elderly, new policies are being put in place to help support these rising numbers of aging individuals.
Two things that India's government has done in the last decade to address this situation are: In 2000, the government declared a National Older Person's Day to raise awareness and in May of 1999, the National Council of Older Persons was constituted. The NCOP has members from various political groups, such as the National Human Rights Commission, who gather together to advocate for the elderly and try to work out the problems. Health care has become more widely available and group homes are being provided due to more and more older people no longer being able to stay with their families like they once did. The government also feels very strongly about utilizing assets and funds training for those elderly individuals who want to have something to do in their retirement.
Non-Governmental Organizations also play their part in caring for the elderly. The NGO provides services for both the individual and their family. However, due to families being unable to afford the help, the NGO really only assists a very small percentage of the population.
Family is an aging person's support system. The family provides emotional, financial and social support. Culturally, the aging members of an Indian family are treated with respect and honored for their wisdom. As opposed to America, where only 15% of older people live with their children, India has close to 75%. There is a lot of pressure on the children to take in their parents, especially the male who have greater responsibility. The elderly also have very specific roles in a household: They take care of the children, resolve conflicts and help with matchmaking. -Grace Maskell
England:
Health care for the elderly in England seems to be very similar to care for the elderly in the states. One of the main differences is that health care is free, due to the national health system in England. Everyone in England is taxed for health care, so there is no health insurance that needs to be payed, rather, health care is free for most people, particularly for the elderly and disabled. This enables elderly people to stay in their homes for longer, allowing home health workers and doctors to come to an elderly person's home, rather than that person or their family having to spend a lot of money on trips to the hospital.
There are still residential care facilities and nursing homes in England, but they are very expensive, (500 pounds a week, or $1000) This high cost has pressured the health service to continue to subsidize health care so the elderly can live in their homes for longer.
Another reason why people in England view keeping elderly home longer as a better option, is the poor treatment they receive in hospitals. A BBC report has confirmed that the elderly are being neglected on hospital wards, not consulted about their care, and treated like "second class citizens." One story in the article detailed the experience of a woman with Alzheimers who was in the hospital. She was on a ward that was not equipped to deal with people with dementia. The man writing this article said that he always had to make sure that a family member was with his mother, otherwise very important things got neglected. She had trouble eating, so if a family member wasn't with her, her meal tray would remain untouched. She would wake up in the middle of the night and wander around, so someone needed to be there to make sure she wasn't hurt. The two nights she was left alone she hit her head one night, and fractured her shoulder the other. The staff dismissed these concerns. When she was finally admitted to a nursing home, she had open sores on her back, was dehydrated and with a heavy cold. This story shows the type of horrible treatment an elderly person can face while in a hospital ward not equipped to deal with their concerns.
In conclusion, health care for the elderly in England is very similar to that in the U.S., the one difference being universal health care provided by the NHS which puts an emphasis on favoring elderly people staying in their homes longer. There also seems to be more of a danger for neglect if an elderly person stays in the hospital, than if they were at home or in a nursing home.
-Sam Nelson
Questions:
1. In the past it was up to the family to take care of their aging parents but that seems to be changing. In your opinion do you think it should be the children's responsibility to care for the elderly?
2. Out of all the countries discussed, which one has the best plan for caring for the elderly. What should they work harder on and/or do differently?
America:
America, a country so rich in history, holds much power and authority all over the world. As one of the leading nations, we have redefined luxury and set forth high expectations for ourselves. We strive to remain one of the largest and most powerful countries in the world. Our government could be thought of as the “people” business, yet we lack one of the most critical components of the “people” business. To run a country, a successful country, it must begin within its citizens. Recent evidence provides we will be facing a major healthcare massacre, especially for elderly. Healthcare is a moral, civil rights, economic and human rights issue. Health is not a mere decision of what name brand of material goods to purchase at the local mall. Healthcare is a fundamental right to all people, and especially of all ages. Lifespan is prolonging considerably past the age of sixty, and retirement age will also be increasing as life expectancy increases. Since the elderly hold a higher rate of health issues, they often face age discrimination and their healthcare costs are often some of the highest. The united states department of human health and services. Medicare, the most primary form of heath care services established for the elderly of age 65 and older, yet it does not provide full coverage, and often the costs are not nearly close to what elderly receive in Social Security income. The Center for Disease control and prevention reports findings of the U.S. department of Health and Human Services, found the number of visits to physician offices by persons age 65 and over is 229.8 million. They also report that the access to health care percent of noninstitutionalized persons without a usual place of care age 65-74 is 3.8% and age 75 and over of 2.9%. Additional findings can be found on: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/older_americans.htm Out of the uninsured citizens in America, 7% were found uninsured out of the total population of 7% in a study conducted in 2005 by Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation: http://aspe.hhs.gov/health/reports/05/uninsured-cps/index.htm
This is suggesting the increased need to provide health care to all, as many European countries have already established. Often, in many European and foreign cultures, the elderly are viewd as extended family members, often living with their children and grandchildren during old age, where as in America, elderly are often placed in very expensive nursing homes, and family members may visit only a handful of times during the month. This may also explain the high numbers of doctor patient visits.
Question:
President Barack Obama has proposed a new plan to transform and modernize Americas healthcare system, provide an example of one of his goals in this transformation, and discuss how this progressive change will effect the elderly. You may refer to: http://www.healthreform.gov/ to support any ideas and provide findings.
There are many different kinds of adoptions and many different views on adoptions. With the rate of adoptions rising in the United States we chose to focus this week’s blog on the topic. We are focusing on a few different issues facing adoptions today, including disrupted and dissolution adoptions, and international and interracial adoptions. We end with an adoptees personal story and view on adoption.
DISRUPTION AND DISSOLUTION OF ADOPTIONS
“When an Adoption Disrupts: A Study of Public Attitudes”
Hollingsworth, Leslie D. (2003). When an Adoption Disrupts: A Study of Public Attitudes. Family Relations, 52, 161-166. Retrieved May 28, 2009 from JSTOR database.
The above article discusses the findings of a survey study that was conducted to determine public opinion regarding the dissolution or disruption of adoption if the adopted child is found to have severe behavioral issues. 916 people were interviewed over the phone; participants were randomly selected and variables such as geographic location, race, age, sex, marital status, and education level were taken into statistical consideration in the final analysis of survey data. Although relatively infrequent, the disruption (removal of the child from an adoptive situation prior to finalization of the adoption) or dissolution (termination of an adoption after finalization) of an adoption impacts the child and the adoptive parents alike. The purpose of this study was to gather information about the general public’s attitude towards disruption and dissolution; primarily, the researchers were interested in knowing whether or not people view the cancellation of an adoption due to an adopted child’s behavioral problems as acceptable and permissible. The survey asked the following question: “Once people have adopted a particular child, do you think they should be permitted to change their minds, if the child has severe behavioral problems, or should they be required to keep the child they adopted?” Results showed that 58% of those participants who directly answered this question believed that parents should be required to keep their adopted child in the case of behavioral problems post-adoption, while only 23% believed that parents should be able to change their minds. 12% answered with “it depends” and 6.6% didn’t know or gave no answer. Responses showing support for the right to disrupt or dissolve an adoption were significantly correlated to older age and higher education level of the survey participants; however, sex, race, geographical location, employment, and marital status were not found to have any correlation with survey responses.
INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION United States started adopting children for other countries just after World War II consisting of mostly European and Japanese orphans. International adoption continued after the war in Greece, as well as the Korean and Vietnam Wars. But there have been other reasons as well as for adopting children from other countries. Sudden poverty and drastic society changes have been the main causes for adoption from Latin America, the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe over the past twenty years. China has one of the highest adoption rates from the United States caused by the abandonment of infant girls. Even though we adopt from 106 different countries (as of 2001), almost three-quarters of all children come from only five of these countries. Because of all of the international adoption, children in the United States are not being adopted leaving our country with many more orphans than we should.
Interracial adoption is becoming more popular, but can effect on the child and the family. Research has shown that approximately 75% of interracially adopted preadolescent and younger children adjust well in their adoptive homes, and in a 1995 study, interracial adoption was not found to be detrimental for the adoptee in terms of adjustment, self-esteem, academic achievement, peer relationships, parental and adult relationships. Although there may not be any huge psychological effects on a child of an interracial adoption, they may still have a lack of self identity. It is important for the family to show the child that their heritage and culture is respected and is just as important as their own. Parents should teach their child about their culture, so the lack of self identity lessoned and they can build a stronger cultural identity. There has been a controversy about interracial adoption. Some think that a child should be put into a home that has at least one parent who is of the same race, so they are able to form a connection with their own racial or cultural identity. Others think that the race of the family shouldn’t matter, as long as the child given a loving and supportive family they will be okay.
THE PERSPECTIVE OF AN ADOPTED CHILD
When I was in sixth grade a boy in my class was genuinely surprised when I told him I was adopted. “Aren’t adopted kids supposed to be messed up or something? You’re too normal to be adopted.” This was the first time I really thought about my adoption and realized that being adopted isn’t something that happens to everybody. The woman that I call “Mom” is my second cousin. When her cousin, my biological mother, gave birth to me she was suffering from bipolar disorder, multiple medical problems, and addictions. She was also homeless. Custody was immediately given to my biological grandmother, and a year and a half later my “Mom” became my legal guardian. I have always known I was adopted. I have never had to think about it. My adoption was an open adoption. This means that I have always had regular contact with my birth mother and her mother. People always wonder if I would have preferred it to have been the traditional closed kind of adoption. I always say no, and usually I believe that. There are times when it does get a bit confusing. For example, when I was younger and I would visit my birth mother she would always remind me, “Don’t forget I am your mom too”. As a child this confused me, because there was only one person I called Mom, and it wasn’t her. It was also hard when my birth mother passed away six years ago. I felt like I was supposed to be more upset than I was. After all, she was my mother. Another thing people wonder about me is if I ever had any type of identity dilemmas that people often associate with adopted children. At the end of middle school and the first half of high school I did have a little trouble with it. At the end of middle school people started talking about nationalities and heritage and ethnic backgrounds. Since my legal guardian is related to me by blood I knew a bit about one side of my family, however I have never met my birth father and know absolutely nothing about his background. In high school I also had to make the decision to change my name from the last name of my birth father to that of my legal guardian (in adoptions the names would have been changed at time of adoption, but I was never completely adopted. My birth father never signed the papers to give me up). During this time I had to think a lot about who I was in relation to “Mom” and what my last name meant for me. The state also required that I look for my birth father so that he have the chance to oppose the name change. He never came forward. I still do not know what I would have done if he had. I would like to adopt. I think this decision has a lot to do with the fact that I am adopted. If I had not been adopted I would be leading a very different life than I am now. I am very lucky, and so happy that my Mom took me in when she did. When I adopt I also plan on participating in an open adoption. Although the openness of my own adoption created a few emotional blips in my life, I believe it was overall a good thing for me to have a relationship with my biological family. It allows the child to have a sense of where they came from. They do not have to wonder where they got certain features, or what kind of hereditary diseases or mutated genes they may have acquired from one side or the other (which is something I think about daily. Not kidding). Whether or not the adoption is open, I do believe that it is very important the adopted child grows up knowing that they are adopted, and what that means. Being adopted is very much a part of who somebody is, even if it doesn’t have a profound effect on their immediate life. If I had found out that I was adopted when I was 11, I may have had the same thoughts as my classmate, and turned on myself when I learned that I was “messed up”. Children form identities around their families. When a child finds out that they are adopted their idea of their family is suddenly skewed and they are not always able to differentiate adoptive family from biological family which may cause a chasm in the identity of the self.
There are a lot of issues and many discussion topics surrounding adoption. We leave you with these parting gifts, please chose one or two questions to respond to.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. How would you answer the survey question quoted above? Do you think that the question was aptly worded, or can you think of a different way to phrase it, or perhaps other questions that may have been interesting or relevant to include in the survey?
2. Why do you think the majority of the population is in favor of adoptive parents being required to keep an adopted child? If you hold this same opinion, can you think of any situations in which you might view disruption/dissolution as an acceptable course of action? If you do not hold this opinion, what methods do you think are appropriate for determining whether or not a given situation requires disruption/dissolution?
3. What are the social implications of the survey results? Assuming that public opinion affects myriad aspects of society – anything from public policy to social interaction and individual decisions – what connections do you see between the survey results and the broader social topic of adoption?
4. How do you think we can raise the adoption rates in the United States while continuing to adopt children from other countries when we need to?
5. Interracial adoption has been a big controversy between adoption agencies, racial organizations, and prospective adopting parents. Do you think it should matter weather the child is being adopted into a family of their own or of a different race?
6. Would you ever think about adopting children? If so would it be open or closed? Do you think it is important to tell adopted children their stories early on, or should it wait until they are old enough to really understand? Why?
7. If you were to put a child up for adoption would you perfer to have an open adoption or a closed adoption. What do you beleive are the pros and cons of each kind for both parents and child?
