4.5 Culture and the educational system.

Same aged peers make important contributions to socialization in societies with regular educational systems. While not all cultures have formal educational systems, there is little doubt that schools are major socializing agents in the vast majority of countries. The educational system in a given country inculcates children with the dominant cultural values and implicitly conveys stereotypes or attitudes, and more explicitly salient culture through music and rituals. What is taught in the educational system is dependent on cultural values. In the United States conservative forces prohibited for a long time the teaching of evolutionary principles, so that history shows that cultural values can determine the very educational curriculum. In individualistic societies success is seen as a consequence of achievement that is individual and relative. Hence the emphasis in the educational system on grading and ranking of students in Western societies as such presumably prepares the student for a competitive society. Although American schools have explored non-grading alternatives and cooperative learning these efforts represent decidedly minority perspectives in education.

When the child enrolls in the school system the influence of peers increase and the majority of waking hours are spent with school mates. Together the educational system and peers play dominant roles in enforcing cultural values through both positive learning events but also by sanctioning behavior that is divergent and non-conformist. The educational system reflects what society thinks is important in order to function optimally. In some societies education is not formal as elders or other experts may teach the next generation cultural competencies and social structures. As the child grows older however peer acceptance is very important and only few children can escape the pressures of norms and customs.

4.6 Socio-economic climate.

The home climate and broader socio-economic environment have primary effects on child development. Some cultural environments require the development of motor skills at an earlier age since such learning contribute to coping with harsher environments. For example the motor skills of African infants develop several months earlier than in comparable groups of white children, and different techniques are used to encourage walking (Gardiner et al, 1998). We know that birth death rates vary by culture and country reflecting different socio-economic circumstances and different social values about medical treatment for the poor and disadvantaged. When many children die at birth or in infancy mothers and family will focus their attention on creating the optimal conditions for survival and there is little time for other developmental tasks beneficial to children. In many societies there is little possibility for parents to foster the cultural or spiritual development of children as the harshness of the socio-economic environment direct parental attention totally on day by day survival.

Although the U.S. is commonly defined as an affluent society there is relatively low social acceptance of medical treatment as a common human right, whereas the reverse is true in Cuba a relatively poor country with nevertheless equal access to quality medical science and treatment. Within the United States there are large differences in medical access by people driven by costs and socio-economic differences. These health-related differences in child care may well produce long term consequences not only for well-being, but also for the child’s sense of security and view of the world as dangerous or benign.