Families with children are the reason for neighborhood inequality. Similarly, school segregation is also caused by families with kids and their school preferences.
The study looked at data from 100 major metropolitan areas in the U.S. Research showed that families without children prefer to live in diverse areas, regardless of their income. However, neighborhoods are increasingly becoming segregated by income due to families with children, according to a new study from the University of Southern California.
Families with children have sequestered themselves to neighborhoods with the best local schools. Unfortunately, low-income families with kids are at a disadvantage since they are typically left with some of the worst schools in the area.
Income inequality has especially affected families with children. Income segregation rose to about 20 percent, according to Ann Owens, assistant professor of sociology.
The story of rising residential segregation is all about families with children and the schools that they choose since the 1990s. In 2010, income segregation among families with children was twice as high compared to segregation among childless households.
Owens explains that aside from rising rates of income inequality in the country, the intensification of parenting may also be another reason. Parents try to give their kids the best advantage possible, which is why they are spending more money than they used to.
The spending can be anything from tutoring, extracurricular activities or buying a house in a wealthy or in-demand neighborhood. Consequently, the spending gap is so high that affluent families outspend low-income families.
The problem with neighborhood segregation may also have an effect on school segregation and children. A second major finding of the study said that more income segregation is noticed among areas that encompass more school districts.
Schools with more students of color tend to have fewer experienced teachers and material sources, according to Huffington Post. Owen said that if poor kids keep growing up in environments with concentrated poverty, this could have a negative impact on future incomes.
For example, while parents could live in the boundaries of the large Los Angeles Unified School District, affluent families have chosen to live in Beverly Hills with their own school districts and resources. When wealthy families are concentrated in a single area, the resources they contribute to schools and children are also concentrated, according to LA Times.
