美国儿童早期照料经历的不平等

中文摘要

利用关于6岁及以下儿童接受的亲代与非亲代照料的每一主要全国代表性数据集，我们量化了美国儿童照料经历在社会经济地位（SES）上的差异，SES主要以母亲受教育程度作为代理变量。日益呈现这样的趋势：较高SES的儿童与父母共度的总时间更少，而在他人照料下度过的时间更多。较高SES儿童的非亲代照料更可能在平均质量较高的儿童照料中心，而不太可能由平均质量较低的亲属提供。即使在同一类型的儿童照料内，较高SES儿童也倾向于接受测量质量更高且成本更高的照料。不平等在家庭中同样明显：根据自我报告和外部观察者的结果，衡量家庭中亲代促进性投入的指标，平均而言对较高SES儿童更高。我们还发现，亲代与非亲代照料质量是互补强化的：接受较高质量非亲代照料的儿童，也倾向于接受较高质量的亲代照料。

Abstract

Using every major nationally representative dataset on parental and non-parental care provided to children up to age 6, we quantify differences in American children's care experiences by socioeconomic status (SES), proxied primarily with maternal education. Increasingly, higher-SES children spend less total time with their parents and more time in the care of others. Non-parental care for high-SES children is more likely to be in childcare centers, where average quality is higher, and less likely to be provided by relatives where average quality is lower. Even within types of childcare, higher-SES children tend to receive care of higher measured quality and higher cost. Inequality is evident at home as well: measures of parental enrichment at home, from both self-reports and outside observers, are on average higher for higher-SES children. We also find that parental and non-parental quality is reinforcing: children who receive higher quality non-parental care also tend to receive higher quality parental care.