“I Don't Talk To Anyone About Homeschooling”: Familial Supports Among White and Black Mothers

• In Event: 2266 - Family Section Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 20. Social Support, Extended Kin, and Social Capital

Abstract

Many studies examine the role of race in the use of supports among families. However, few studies compare the use of supports among the increasing number of white and black families who homeschool, despite consensus that homeschoolers rely heavily on the nuclear family, since most often mothers serve as primary home educators. Through interviews with 38 white and black middle-class homeschooling mothers, this paper examines the supports respondents’ use to increase rewards and diminish costs of homeschooling. Mothers consider similar rewards and challenges with homeschooling, yet their strategies for navigating these challenges vary by race. Access to homeschool support is unequal, with black mothers relating relative isolation from other homeschoolers and instead seeking support from extended kin. In contrast, white mothers’ reliance on other homeschoolers uncovers a lack of support from kin. The comparison across white and black families shows how the experience of “doing family” for homeschoolers varies by race. This study is one of the first to examine racial variation in the support networks of homeschooling families, an important contribution given the growing number of families choosing to homeschool. The findings contribute to central questions within family scholarship regarding the structure and function of contemporary families as shaped by schooling choices.

Author

• Mahala Dyer Stewart, Hamilton College