Social Class and Parents' Range of Aspirations for Their Children

Abstract

This is a study of parents' educational and occupational aspirations for their young children. A basic assumption underlying the research is that individuals have a range of aspirations rather than a single level of aspiration. Interview data from 436 black parents in Detroit, Michigan, are used to test the hypothesis that a lower social class status is related to a wider range of aspirations. The hypothesis is supported for several measures of the range of educational aspirations and occupational aspirations. This research has implications for social policy since the wider range of aspirations in the lower class suggests a potential for social mobility that is not contingent upon programs to change people's values.