Children’s Home Environments in Great Britain and the United States

Abstract

This study analyzes the effects of human, social, and financial capital on children’s home environments in the United States and Great Britain by comparing a sample of 5- to 13-year-old children from the United States with a similar sample from Britain. In both countries, the authors find weaker home environments for boys, minority children, and those with more siblings. Parental education and maternal cognitive ability are linked to stronger home environments. The effects of family structure, maternal school track, grandparents’ education, and paternal work vary by society. The authors conclude that parents are important in both societies and that evidence for the notion that the more developed welfare state in Britain may substitute for capital at home in promoting children’s home environments is weak.