“He Was Able to Rely on Me”: Negotiating the Sibling Intragenerational Bargain among Latino First-generation College Student Families

Though some frameworks suggest that siblings deplete family resources, alternative conceptualizations suggest that siblings, particularly in working-class and minoritized families, are pivotal sources of educational support that may replenish familial capital. Drawing on 41 in-depth interviews with...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Sociological perspectives 2024-06, Vol.67 (1-3), p.127-149
Main Author: Marín, Estéfani
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Academic achievement
Alternative approaches
Attainment
Bargaining
Birth order
College students
Educational attainment
Families & family life
Family resources
Hispanic Americans
Latin American cultural groups
Mobility
Negotiation
Sacrifices
Siblings
Social mobility
Working class
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Summary:Though some frameworks suggest that siblings deplete family resources, alternative conceptualizations suggest that siblings, particularly in working-class and minoritized families, are pivotal sources of educational support that may replenish familial capital. Drawing on 41 in-depth interviews with Latino first-generation college students, this study addresses how siblings negotiate educational support. This study builds and extends prior literature on familial capital by proposing that college attendance generates additional resources that (re)shape family obligations and expectations, a process I refer to as the sibling intragenerational bargain. In negotiating the sibling intragenerational bargain, Latino students seek to (1) contribute to the family’s intragenerational mobility by providing educational support and/or (2) repay sibling sacrifices and help with their academic success. Furthermore, birth order and sibling educational attainment shape how students negotiate the sibling intragenerational bargain. This study shows how Latino first-generation siblings (older and younger) are agentic producers of familial capital.
ISSN:0731-1214
1533-8673
DOI:10.1177/07311214241242073