When sociology deals with differences within groups of similar socioeconomic status, research and theorizing tend to focus on the heterogeneity among the socioeconomically advantaged thus representing the socioeconomically disadvantaged as homogeneous. This study is a case of the opposite. For at set of high-stake cultural practices, parental strategies for social reproduction, I find most heterogeneity among socioeconomically disadvantaged mothers. Using data from the NLSY-CYA, I provide novel descriptive statistics of the variance in parenting by maternal education and analyze the determinants of these differences employing a variance function regression. I find an educational gradient in the heterogeneity of cognitively stimulating parenting: the variance is highest among mothers with no high school diploma and shrinks among mothers with more education. That is, mothers with the least amount of education show the most diversity in parenting. This educational gradient is associated with inequality in mothers’ family of origin, cognitive skills, and current economic situation. This result suggests that the systematic differences in heterogeneity stem from (1) selection into education based on family-of-origin characteristics and cognitive skills, where the non-deterministic sorting makes the least educated the most heterogeneous, and (2) the effect of education on mothers’ economic situation, where education decreases uncertainty and thereby makes the most educated the most homogeneous group. Moreover, the study calls for bringing attention to the potential larger heterogeneity in cultural practices among the socioeconomically disadvantaged and provides a theoretical framework for understanding this heterogeneity. This approach challenges stereotypes and deepens sociological understanding of inequality.

中文翻译：

---

不平等的隐藏模式：教育群体内养育方式的异质性


当社会学处理具有相似社会经济地位的群体内的差异时，研究和理论往往侧重于社会经济优势群体之间的异质性，从而将社会经济弱势群体视为同质的。这项研究是一个相反的例子。对于一系列高风险的文化实践、社会再生产的父母策略，我发现社会经济地位处于不利地位的母亲之间存在最大的异质性。使用来自 NLSY-CYA 的数据，我提供了关于母亲教育养育差异的新颖描述性统计数据，并采用方差函数回归分析了这些差异的决定因素。我发现认知刺激养育方式的异质性存在教育梯度：没有高中文凭的母亲的差异最大，受教育程度较高的母亲的差异则缩小。也就是说，受教育程度最低的母亲在养育子女方面表现出最大的多样性。这种教育梯度与母亲的原生家庭、认知技能和当前经济状况的不平等有关。这一结果表明，异质性的系统性差异源于（1）基于原生家庭特征和认知技能的教育选择，其中非确定性排序使受教育程度最低的人异质性最强，以及（2）教育影响母亲的经济状况，教育减少不确定性，从而使受教育程度最高的群体成为最同质的群体。此外，该研究呼吁关注社会经济弱势群体文化实践中潜在的更大异质性，并为理解这种异质性提供了理论框架。 这种方法挑战了陈规定型观念，加深了对不平等的社会学理解。