Emily Buyse The Family Dr.

Reynolds 2/11/13 Statistics of Anoka, Minnesota I was born and raised in Minnesota with a population o !" 3#3" $2! people. I %rew up in a northwest suburb o Minneapolis/&t. 'aul (alled )no*a" with a population o 1+" 1,2 people. The town has a lot o history with my amily- my dad was born and raised there alon% with my %randmother and her parents. Two ri.ers" the Mississippi and the Rum Ri.er" whi(h the settlers used or lo%%in% trips" impa(ted the history o )no*a. Downtown )no*a was de.astated by ire on multiple o((asions and on(e a tornado" but ea(h time they rebuilt it bi%%er and better. Durin% the 1$2#/s )no*a was the irst town to host a 0alloween (elebration in order to 1dis(oura%e pran*s2 and thus it earned the title" 10alloween 3apitol o the 4orld.2 In my paper I will be loo*in% at the ra(e" edu(ation" and (lass/e(onomi( status o Minnesota/s members more spe(i i(ally in (omparison to )no*a demo%raphi(s. I will then use these trends to see how they ha.e impa(ted the (ommunity and (ulture within )no*a/s own amily stru(ture. The ra(ial ma*e up o )no*a is primarily white" a((ountin% or 556 o the population as a whole. Minnesota primarily is and has always been a 4hite dominated state. I thin* that this brin%s a disad.anta%e to how well rounded )no*a and e.en Minnesota as a whole is. )((ordin% to ra(e we are e7tremely nai.e to it and be(ause o this ea(h nei%hborhood and (hur(h is e7tremely se%re%ated. 8rowin% up there were spe(i i( towns and s(hools in my (on eren(e

where ) ri(an )meri(ans were the ma9ority and others that had no ) ri(an )meri(ans attendin% their s(hool. The s(hools where ) ri(an )meri(an was the ma9ority o students o ten had a hi%her (rime rate and the towns surroundin% the s(hool were dan%erous and hi%h in po.erty rates. 3ontributin% to the 4hite ma9ority o Minnesota (ould ha.e stemmed ba(* to our roots be(ause we aren/t near a (oast and su(h as Florida" 3ali ornia" or Te7as where the ra(ial le.els are more balan(ed. 4hen we loo* at the minority ra(es represented in Minnesota the ne7t lar%est ethni( %roup a ter 4hites are ) ri(an )meri(ans with !.26. 4hen loo*in% at the data o Minnesota in its entirety a ter the lar%est minority %roup o ) ri(an )meri(ans the ne7t two minority %roups are 0ispani(s and )sians with ,.+ 6 and ,6 respe(ti.ely. )no*a is similar in (omparison to the state o Minnesota- the per(enta%e o ) ri(an )meri(ans is at ,.+6" or 0ispani(s its ,.26 and or )sians its 1.56. In )no*a 36 o its members are 2 or more ra(es" whi(h is more than the state a.era%e o 2.,6. In Minnesota as a whole only +.16 o the total population is orei%n born and !:6 o that population are not ;.&. (iti<ens while in Minnesota :2.16 o the !.56 orei%n born are not ;.&. (iti<ens. )ll these statisti(s based on ra(ial ba(*%round and birthpla(e mean nothin% or the demo%raphi(s o the amily unless (ompared with other .ariables su(h as (lass" in(ome" edu(ation" and pro ession. It didn/t surprise me at all when I heard these ra(ial demo%raphi(s be(ause I thin* that lar%ely they de ine Minnesota" and more spe(i i(ally )no*a/s (ulture. The o.erwhelmin%ly lar%e amount o 4hite ma9ority was somethin% that I %rew up in and it was unnoti(ed. )((ordin% to Families as They Really are" 13hildhood is a so(ial and (ultural (onstru(t that .aries by re%ion" (lass" and histori(al era2 =,5>. There ore my 1(hildhood2 alon% with my e7perien(es %rowin% up shapin% my .iews o 1(hildhood2 were impa(ted by this e%o(entri(" homo%eneous wealthy/middle (lass I %rew up in. I was in or a rude awa*enin% when I made the transition

rom home s(hool to )no*a hi%h s(hool in $th %rade. That was the irst time I really started bein% e7posed to people o di erent ra(es" e(onomi( ba(*%round" and belie s. In my hi%h s(hool" whi(h is one o the oldest hi%h s(hools in all o Minnesota in 2##5" there were 2":3+ students. 4hites made o 55.,6 while ) ri(an )meri(ans ma*e up ,.,6" 0ispani(s made up 3.26" and )sians made up 2.+6 the remainin% 1.,6 o my s(hools population was made up by Indian )meri(ans. In the town o )no*a 5$.1 6 o people ha.e %raduated hi%h s(hool" and 2#.16 ha.e a ba(helors de%ree or hi%her. In (omparison" when loo*in% at all o Minnesota $1.:6 ha.e %raduated hi%h s(hool and 31.56 ha.e a ba(helors de%ree or hi%her. I thin* a bi% part o the reason why the edu(ation rates or )no*a are sli%htly poorer is be(ause o the in(ome le.els and number o sin%le parent households. The per(enta%e i sin%le parents households in )no*a are 1+.+6" whi(h is hi%h" (ompared to the statewide number o 13.36. I thin* that statisti( alone plays a role in all the other number that will be loo*ed at. Ra(e" in(ome" (lass" and edu(ation all (ome rom home li e in my opinion. I you ha.e too many responsibilities at home you will do poorly in s(hool. I you ha.e to tal* (are o your siblin%s li*e the women in the boo*, Promises I Can Keep" you are more li*ely to loo* at ha.in% a (hild o your own as realisti( and sometimes e.en an es(ape. Those added responsibilities and stress o a tou%h home li e mi%ht (ause you to either be distra(ted or e.en drop out o s(hool. )no*a is sli%htly below the per(enta%es or the state as a whole or edu(ation but surprisin%ly the unemployment le.els are .$6 lower in )no*a than (ompared with the entire state. E.en thou%h edu(ation or )no*a is sli%htly lower than the state per(enta%e most people ha.e ound 9obs" whether there are hi%h payin% or blue (ollar they are still employed. The most (ommon pro essions in )no*a are edu(ational and health (are ser.i(es ollowed by manu a(turin%" whi(h ma*es sense be(ause )no*a has a hu%e heatin%/(oolin% manu a(turin%

plant that employs a lar%e amount o people. )bout 2+.,6 o the population o amily households in )no*a are ma*in% between ?!#"###@?+,"$$$ whi(h is sli%htly more than the 2#.56 o Minnesotans as whole who ma*e that. This is middle/upper (lass in (omparison with the ;.&. as a whole. Minnesota is in %eneral a middle (lass state" only 1#.26 o people and :6 o amilies in the last month ha.e (laimed that their in(ome was below the po.erty le.el. That number rises si%ni i(antly up to 25.!6 when you loo* at emale house owners with no husband present and (hildren under 15 years o a%e. The a(t that 25.!6 o emale house owners are below the po.erty rate means ne%ati.e thin%s or the uture o the amily stru(ture in my town. I you were as*in% a hi%h s(hool student their opinion o the uture o the amily I thin* you would %et a si%ni i(antly di erent answer than i you were to as* an a.era%e" (hur(h@%oin% so((er mom. Bein% e7posed to a publi( hi%h s(hool is li*e ta*in% a samplin% o the .arious reli%ions" ra(es" and (ulture and or(in% them to intera(t within one lar%e buildin% e.eryday. )lmost e.ery sin%le *id in publi( s(hool would say they *now multiple *ids whose parents aren/t to%ether throu%h di.or(e or separation. Aust as the boo*" Families as They Really Are, tal*s about the di erent sta%es the amily has been throu%h I belie.e the amily in )meri(a durin% the 21st (entury is in a new sta%e. I belie.e the sta%e that the amily is in now is a e%o(entri( sta%e. E.erythin% in li e within the amily is o(used on the indi.idual/s needs" s(hedule" happiness" or (on.enien(e. I was the only person I *new in hi%h s(hool who ate dinner as a amily e.ery ni%ht. I a(tually didn/t *now anyone who ate with his or her amily more than one per wee*. E.eryone I spent time with was ne.er at home with they/re own amily and i they were it was to sit in ront o the TB and no to tal*. There are no more real relationships within the 21st stru(ture o the amily" I ha.e a deep ear that the stru(ture and morality that has been rooted deep within our amilies sin(e the be%innin% is adin% away.

8rowin% up in )no*a" espe(ially attendin% publi( hi%h s(hool" I *new a ton o students who were on the ree meal plan at s(hool and most o those people were *ids li.in% with sin%le parents" usually their mother in the absen(e o their ather. Di.or(e was a hu%e issue at my s(hool- with 11.16 o emales in )no*a di.or(ed (ompared to the 1#.!6 o emale Minnesotans it was a noti(eable a(tor. I thin* a lot o these (ensus statisti(s ha.e impa(ted the way that amilies in %eneral rom my town are ormed and stru(tured. In Minnesota !#.56 o households are married and only ,#.:6 o )no*a household are. 4hen (omparin% the number o sin%le mothers in )no*a bein% at a hi%h 13.+6 (ompared to the states total o $.!6 sin%le mothers we a%ain see the trend that )no*a is dealin% with. It is a statisti( that impa(ts how )no*a/s amilies are shaped. Coun% %irls are %ettin% pre%nant and ha.in% (hildren without a man present or e.en a 9ob to support their new little amily. I *now least 1# %irls who went to my hi%h s(hool and now ha.e (hildren but aren/t married. Dnly one o those %irls put hersel throu%h s(hool or nursin% be(ause she had help rom her mother while the other %irls were le t to do it on their own. Most o them said that they don/t ha.e the time" ener%y" or money to %o ba(* to s(hool. They thin* it doesn/t ma*e sense or them to %et an edu(ation be(ause their baby is their new li e. This brin%s me ba(* to the readin% in Promises I Can Keep where many o the same patterns happen. Coun% %irls %et pre%nant while still in s(hool and then ne.er end up returnin%. In )no*a 3:.26 o (hildren born in the last 12 months to 1!@!# year olds were to unmarried women. In 1Promises I Can Keep they tal* a lot about how the emale wants to %et pre%nant in the relationship be(ause she wants to ha.e this man in her li e ore.er" wants to es(ape/start her li e" or she is see*in% attention and lo.e rom the ather she thin*s she will a(hie.e throu%h ha.in% his baby. The men in the relationship o ten ha.e similar moti.ation to %et their %irl riend pre%nant but on(e she is it be(omes a harsh reality that (auses enou%h tension

to end the relationship Eui(*ly. Dn(e it hits the (ouple that they will be supportin% a (hild" whi(h is not (heap they be%in to 1(han%e their beha.ior o.er ni%ht or the sa*e o the baby2 ='romises" !3> This mi%ht mean droppin% out o s(hool to %et a 9ob or not 1rippin% and runnin% the streets2 a((ordin% to Mah*iya in re%ards to her boy riend Mi*e. &he be(ame pre%nant and immediately saw Mi*e in a di erent li%ht" a((ordin% to her he was the 1per e(t2 boy riend prior to pre%nan(y but a ter he now seemed li*e 1nothin%2 when the pre%nan(y ailed to prompt him to %et o his butt and land a real 9ob ='romises" !2>. The (hildren o ten raised in sin%le and youn% parent households almost always %row up in po.erty. They o ten will end up down the same path that their parents tra.eled down" a path with less opportunity" poor (onne(tions or 9obs" and less moti.ation to pass or e.en do well in s(hool. The *ey or youn% parents is to stay in s(hool" then %et a hi%her payin% 9ob than they would ha.e %otten and hope ully be able to send their (hild throu%h (olle%e to brea* the (y(le they ha.e started. In (on(lusion" throu%h history amilies ha.e been shaped by the (ultural" e(onomi(" and so(ial world they de.eloped in. In the early 1$## hundreds massi.e so(ietal (han%e su(h as the 8reat Depression" ollowed by 4orld 4ar II shaped e.ery aspe(t o what amilies loo*ed li*e then. The (hildren were e7pe(ted to wor* in a(tories or s(a.en%e or anythin% they (ould ind to help their amilies. Durin% 4orld 4ar II the mothers would wor* e7tremely lon% hours or low pay while the athers were o at war. 3hildren basi(ally raised themsel.es in that period be(ause o the mar*et and the so(ial world their parents were or(ed to be absent. Dependin% on the (ulture we %rew up in the amily is also shaped a((ordin% to it. Di erent (ultures ha.e di erent .alues o amily and to%etherness. In 0ispani( and ) ri(an )meri(an amilies primarily amilies are e.erythin%. I eel li*e %rowin% up personally to most 4hites I *new amilies weren/t a hu%e impa(t or in luen(e on their li.es. Many o my riends ne.er see their e7tended amilies or

%randparents and e.en more o an issue they ne.er spend time at home. The amily is either deterioratin% or lourishin% dependin% on where you li.e" what o((upation you ha.e" your in(ome and (lass and many other so(ietal a(tors impa(tin% amilies de.elopment as a unit today. 'ressures rom so(iety" the e(onomy" (ulture" and ra(e are hu%e indi(ators o an indi.idual/s amily and how it/s shaped also it shows what they .alue about the amily as a system.