selective universities would be more likely to graduate if they attended institutions for which their test scores and grades were a better fit. Sigal Alon and Marta Tienda (Sociology of Education, October 2005), using two nationally representative datasets and data from a sample of 30,000 students at selective institutions, test this “mismatch hypothesis.” It does not hold up. To the contrary: given the same scores and grades, minority students are more likely to graduate from more selective colleges. Affirmative action, the authors conclude, brings clear benefits to minority students. Students rise to the challenge.
the not-so-evil stepmom?
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Cinderella and Snow White had stepmothers who epitomize popular conceptions about stepparents—that they are evil, conniving, and self-interested. Stepparents are also depicted as taking attention and money away from the biological parent and redirecting it to themselves at the expense of the children. Yet many researchers argue that because single parents gain a second income when they remarry, having a stepparent actually benefits children
despite any emotional or psychological issues. Instead of using numeric indicators to evaluate whether stepparents are good or bad for children of divorce, Norwegian scholar Gry Meete D. Haugen (Childhood, December 2005) asked 25 Norwegian kids of divorce, aged 10–18, what they thought about stepparents. Haugen
found their responses surprising. Even at their ages, they were aware of their parents’ finances and noted that a stepparent would bring more money to the family. One young boy said that his mom should get a boyfriend “because of the money,” and a girl appreciated her stepfather for his material value, only later adding that he is a “nice guy.” The children usually highlighted the economic contributions of a man, but a few mentioned the benefits of a stepmother. Regardless of sex, such sentiments show that money plays a significant role in how children understand stepparents. Haugen’s findings may have to do with the ages of the children she spoke with: younger children may not think about money as much and just resent a new stepparent because they think mom or dad is trying to “replace” the other parent. Nevertheless, her research indicates that the money stepparents bring to a post-divorce family may provide an entrée with children because it symbolizes care. Sometimes money can buy love—and turn evil stepmothers into benevolent ones.
from institutionalization to incarceration Beginning in the 1960s, the mentally ill were released from public hospitals in a movement of “deinstitutionalization.” This was a result of developments in psychiatric drugs, suspicions about involuntary institutionalization, and federal funding cuts. Both liberals and conservatives approved of deinstitutionalization on the grounds of more humane treatment and fiscal considerations, respectively. Liberals and conservatives agreed on downsizing mental hospitals, but since then they have hotly debated what to do about the mentally ill. The halfway houses and community-based care the liberals advocated could not become effective without funding that the conservatives opposed. Thus the burden of caring for the mentally ill largely shifted to individual families. When families become unable or unwilling to provide this care, the mentally ill fall into poverty and frequently become homeless in major cities. A national study by Fred Markowitz proposes that another public institution has stepped in to deal with the mentally ill, namely law enforcement (Criminology, February 2006). Markowitz used data from 60 percent of American cities on the number of psychiatric hospital beds, homelessness, and crime and arrest rates. He found that cities with fewer public psychiatric facilities had higher rates of homelessness and an over-representation of the mentally ill in violent and property crimes, both as perpetrators and victims. Since the police are entrusted with public order and safety, they are the primary officials who deal with the mentally ill. Even when they have committed no crime, the men-
summer 2006 contexts
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