ABSTRAC THE RELATIONSHIP OF RESIDENCE AREA WITH TEEN-AGE GIRLS’ VIEWS CONCERNING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF MOTHERS' PARTICIPATION IN THE SELECTION OF CLOTHING FOR DAUGHTERS by lean Esther Schubel The major purpose of this exploratory study was to determine whether residence area influenced the involve— ment of mothers in clothing selection for teen—age daughters. The following research hypothesis was tested: urban, rural non-farm, and rural farm mothers participate differently in the selection of clothing for daughters. A questionnaire was used as the means of obtaining information from girls fourteen through seventeen years of age. The urban sample consisted of girls from the Lansing. Michigan urbanized area who were enrolled in the Singer Stylemaker Contest and members of a summer home economics clothing construction class at Everett High School. Membe;s of the 4-H Clothing Project in Sanilac County, Michigan made up the rural non-farm and rural farm samples. For this study residence area was determined by the definition used in the 1960 Census of the Population by the United States Census Bureau. Residence area was associated with the participation of mothers in the selection of clothing for daughters in relation to shopping practices and clothing selection. Of Jean Esther Schubel the 37 associations analyzed with relation to residence area and mothers' participation in the selection of clothing for daughters, seven were statistically significant. Participation of mothers in the selection of clothing for daughters was studied in the areas of (1} shopping prac— tices and (2) clothing selection. Cnly the girls’ views of their mothers' participation in clothing selection were ex- plored in the study. Three factors found statistically significant in the association of shopping practices with residence area of teen-age girls were: (1} the accompaniment by mothers of their daughters in shopping for clothing, (2) the amount of influence by mothers on daughters' clothing selection during shopping, and {3) the amount of independent selection of clothing by daughters without requesting mothers‘ opinions. The direction of significance of the above factors showed rural farm and rural non-farm girls had their mothers as shopping companions more frequently than did urban girls. Also rural farm and rural non-farm girls selected less of their clothing independently than did urban girls, as well as being inclined to feel less free to purchase clothing without asking their mothers' approval. Clothing selection in regard to garments purchased and garments made at home was significantly associated with residence area for certain factors. Almost all of the rural farm and rural non-farm girls indicated a desire for their Jean Esther Schubel mothers‘ approval of certain garments purchased. Less than one-half of the urban girls gave this reply. This finding was extremely significant in the statistical analysis. The selection of patterns and fabrics for garments sewed at home for teen-age girls was also a significant factor in relation to residence area. A formal was the only specific clothing item which was statistically significant in association with residence area. The distance that the large proportion of rural farm and rural non-farm girls reported they traveled to shop for clothing undoubtedly influenced the findings that proved to be significant in the association of residence area with mothers' participation in the selection of clothing for daughters. The amount of formal education of the main finan- cial supporter of the family is another factor which may have influenced the findings of the study. This study indicates that concerning certain things there are some differences but concerning others there are no differences among mothers in the three residence areas in the participation of clothing selected for daughters. There is inconclusive evidence to support significantly or refute the hypothesis that residence area is a factor related to the participation of mothers in the selection of clothing for teen-age daughters. The inconclusive findings of this study point to a need for further research on the relation- ship of residence area to the participation of mothers in clothing selection for their teen-aged daughters. THE RELATIONSHIP OF RESIDENCE AREA WITH TEEN—AGE GIRLS' VIEWS CONCERNING CERTAIN ASPECTS OF MOTHERS' PARTICIPATION IN THE SELECTION OF CLOTFING FOR DAUGHTElS By Jean Esther Schubel Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Textiles, Clothing and Related Arts ". 1932 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Gratefulrecognition is extended to those people who contributed to the progress of this study. The writer especially wishes to thank: Mrs. Frederica Neville for her inspirational enthusi- asm and guidance in the design of the study. Dr. Joanne Eicher for accepting the responsibility of directing the thesis and for her invaluable help in organizing and writing it. Dr. Mary Gephart for her constructive suggestions and criticism throughout the project. Mrs. Roslyn lihnn for her thorough and helpful editing of the manuscript. The personnel of the Singer Sewing Center of Lansing, and staff of Everett High School, and the Cooperative Exten— sion Service Staff of Sanilac County for their cooperation in the administration of the instrument. The teen-age girls who participated in the study. The writer's family, without whose confidence and encouragement this study would never have begun. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS LIST OF TABLES Chapter I. INTRODUC Tlol Statement of the Problem Review of the Literature Summary II. METHODOLQGX Purpose of Study Selection of Method Selection of Residence Areas Selection of Sample Development of Instrument Pretest Administration of instrument Method of Analysis III. DESCRIPTION OF SAMPLE. Characteristics of Teen-Age Girls and of Their Families Source of Money Types of Establishments Shopped Distance Traveled to Shop Summary IV. RESIDENCE AREA R ELATED T3 MJTfiERST PARTICIPATIOPJ . . . . Shopping Practices Clothing Selection Summary of Shopping Practices and Clothing Selection V. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECJMMENDATICNS Summary and Conclusions Recommendations ill I“\ ‘) \Q 71 Chapter APPENDIX A_-The Questionnaire (Pretest). APPENDIX B-~Letter Sent to Rural Rural Farm Samples APPENDIX C-—The Questionnaire Noanarm and APPENDIX D-—Tables Referred to But Not Included BIBLIOGRAPHY. in Test iv Page Table 10. LIST OF TABLES Distribution of Teen- Age Girl Participants by Residence Area . . . . Distribution of Teen—Age Girl Participants Age and Residence Area. . . . . Distribution of Teen-Age Girl Participants by School Grade and Residence Area. The Education of the Main Financial Supporter of Families of the Teen-Age Girl Partici- pants by Residence Area . . . . Classification of Fathers' Occupations According to the EdwardsY Index by Residence Area of the Teen-Age Girls Classification of Mothers' Occupations According to Edwards' Index by Residence Area of the Teen—Age Girls Comparison of Responses to the Question, "Does Your Family Set Aside a Certain Amount of Money for Clothing?,” and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls . . . . . Association of Responses to the Question, ”From What Source Does the Money Come to Buy Your Clothing?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls . . . . . Association of Responses to the Question, "What is the Source of Most of the Money for Your Clothing?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls Association of Responses to the Question, "How Much Allowance Do You Receive Per Month?,” and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls Page 21 3O 31 33 3A 36 37 38 39 Table 11. 12. 13. 14. IS. 16. 17. 18. 19. Association of Responses to the Question, "What Percentage of the Money You Receive as an Allowance Do You Spend for Clothing?, and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls . . . H Distribution of Responses to the Question, "If You Earn Any of Your Spending Money, How Do You Earn It," and Residence Area of TeenmAge Girls. . . . . . . . Association of Responses to the Question, "How Much Spending Money Do You Earn Per Month?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls Association of ReSponses to the Question, "What Percentage of the Money that You Earn Do You Spend for Clothing?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls . . . . . Association of Responses to the Question, "Where Do You Buy Your Clothes Most Frequently?,” and Residence Area of Teen- Age Girls Association of Responses to the Question, "When You Shop for Clothing in Stores, Where Do You Go Most Frequently?," and Residence Area of Teen—Age Girls. Distribution of Responses to the Question, "What Clothing Items Could You Not Buy Unless Your Mother Approved of Them?," Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls. and Distribution of Responses to the Question, "What are the Items of Clothing on Which You Would Want to Have Your Mother's Approval Before Purchasing?." and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls Comparison of Responses to the Question, "If You Have Any Garments in Your Wardrobe That Your Mother Has Made for You That You Don't Like, What Are Your Reasons for Not Liking Them?," and Residence Area of Teen- Age Girls . . . . . . . . . Summary of Associations of Shopping Practices with Residence Area of Teen—Age Girl Participants vi Page UO Al 43 43 45 45 59 6O 64 SO Table II. III. Summary of Association of Clothing Selection with Residence Area of Teen—Age Girl Participants . . . . . . Summary of Association of Responses to the Question, "How Are the Garments in the List Below Usually Selected for You?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls. . . Association of Responses to the Question, "When You Shop for Clothing, Does Your Mother Go With You?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls. . . . . . Association of Responses to the Question, "When Your Mother Goes Shopping for Clothes with You, Does She Influence Your Decision?, and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls H Association of Responses to the Question, "In What Ways Does Your Mother Influence Your Decision When She Shops for Clothes with You?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls. Association of Responses to the Question, ”Do You and Your Mother Agree on the Amount of Clothing You Should Have?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls . . . . . Association of Responses to the Question, ”Do You and Your Mother Agree on the Price You Should Pay for Clothing?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls . . . . . Association of Responses to the Question, ”When You Find Garments You Like, Do You Buy Them and Take Them Home Without Asking Your Mother's Opinion?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls. Association of Responses to the Question, "If You Order Clothing through a Mail Order Company, Do You Decide What to Order by Yourself?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls. vii Page 55 57 109 109 110 111 111 112 112 Table Association of Responses to the Question, "If You Went Shopping for a Garment and Found One that Your Mother Did Not Like, What Would You Do?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls Association of Responses to the Question, "If Your Mother Saw a Garment She Liked for You Which Would She Do Most Frequently?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls . Association of Responses to the Question, "Do You and Your Mother Agree on the Clothing You Should Buy?, and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls. . . . . Association of Responses to the Question, "How Are Your Clothes Usually Selected?," and Residence Area of Teen—Age Girls Association of ReSponses to the Question, ”Are There Certain Items of Clothing You Could Not Buy Unless Your Mother Approved of Them?," and Residence Area of Teen—Age Girls Association of Responses to the Question, "Are There Certain Items of Clothing on Which You Would Want Your Mother's Approval Before Purchasing?,” and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls Association of Responses to the Question, "Would You Like to Be Able to Select More of Your Clothes Than You Do?,” and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls. Association of Responses to the Question, ”Do You Have Any Garments in Your Wardrobe That You Do Not Like to Wear?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls Association of Responses to the Question, "Are Any of the Garments That You Do Not Wear in Your Wardrobe Because Your Mother Likes Them?," and Residence Area of Teen- Age Girls viii Page 113 113 114 llA 115 115 116 116 117 Table Page Q. Association of Responses to the Question, "Has Your Mother Picked Out Any of the Garments in Your Wardrobe That Are Your Favorites?," and Residence Area of Teen- Age Girls . . . . . . . . . . . . 117 R. Association of Responses to the Question, "Who Decides Which Patterns and Fabrics Will Be Used in Making Your Clothing?," and Residence Area of TeeneAge Girls . . . 118 S. Association of Responses to the Question, ”Do You Make Any of Your Own Clothing?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls . . . 118 T. Association of Responses to the Question, ”Does Your Mother Make Any of Your Clothing?," and Residence Area of Teen- Age Girls . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 U. Association of Responses to the Question, ”Do You Have Any Garments in Your Wardrobe That Your Mother Has Made for You That You Don't Like?," and Residence Area of Teen- Age Girls . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 V. Association of ReSponses to the Question, ”Do You Have Any Garments in Your Wardrobe That Your Mother Has Made for You That You Especially Like?," and Residence Area of Teen-Age Girls . . . . . . . . . . 120 W. Association of Responses to the Question, ”If You Have Any Garments in Your Wardrobe That Your Mother Has Made for You That You Especially Like, What Are Your Reasons for Liking Them?,” and Residence Area of Teen- Age Girls . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 ix CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Statement of the Problem American society has shifted from one that is predom- inantly rural and homogeneous to one that is urban and diversified. This urbanized society presents new problems for parents rearing children, for approval or disapproval of parents and teachers is considered less efficient in motivating children in constantly changing urban areas than in traditional rural societies.l Whether parental approval or disapproval is more ef— fective with rural rather than urban teen—agers in clothing selection has been barely explored. It is the purpose of this study to discover if, in the Opinions of teen—age girls, their urban, rural non-farm, and rural farm mothers partici— pate differently in the selection of their clothing. Review of the Literature This section will review selected literature dealing with these topics: rural to urban shift in American society, lDavid Riesman, The Lonely Crowd: A Study of the Changing American Character (abridged edition; Clinton, Massachusetts: The Colonial Press Inc., 1961), p. 47. 2 and the participation of mothers in clothing selection for teen-age daughters. Rural to Urban Shift A rural community is often characterized as a stable, localized, and personalized society.1 A traditional rural community in the United States is Gemeinschaft—like in nature-—having its basis in the "natural will."2 Groups controlled by Gemeinschaft—like sentiments value persons, especially members of the group, as ends in and of them- selves. In the past the rural community in America was a fairly isolated world, populated by people alike in many respects. The rural community no longer exists as an iso- lated unit, but this does not mean rural and urban have merged into one.3 In today's rural America there is a decline in the homogeneity that had characterized the past.“ Rural areas 1James S. Coleman, The Adolescent Society (New York: Free Press, 1961), p. 2. 2Charles P. Loomis and J. Allan Beegle, Rural Socio— logy--The Strategy of Change (Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc., 1957), p. 468. 3Robert C. Bealer and Fern K. Willits, "Rural Youth: A Case Study in the Rebelliousness of Adolescents," The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Soci§I_ Science, CCCXXXVIII (1961), 64. “Loomis and Beegle, op. cit., p. 441. 3 are no longer solely inhabited by the agriculturist. The numbers of part-time farmers and farm families that supple- ment their incomes from off—farm work are increasing. The "explosion" of the cities into the countryside has resulted in more rapid encroachment on rural areas.1 "Rural non-farm" is the term applied by the Census Bureau to the people who live in rural areas but are urban employed. These people are professionals who serve the farmers or are the urban employed who have taken up rural residence. Urban areas are usually viewed as the primary source of change while rural areas are considered strongholds of traditionalism. It is believed that there are gradations between the two, in other words, one can speak of degree of urbanity or rurality.2' In this continuum,farmers come closest to the characterization of rural; next come the open country non-farm dwellers; then small town inhabitants; and last at the opposite end of the rural-urban continuum lie the city residents. Loomis refers to some changes that take place as a society shifts from rural to urban. As societies move from the Gemeinschaft-like to a Gesellschaft—like pattern, all the elements of the various social systems will change or receive dif- ferent emphasis. The social systems . . . which operate outside the famil§ will receive much higher priority than the family. lLoc. cit. 2Bealer and Willits, op. cit., p. 64. 3Loomis and Beegle, op. cit., p. 441. 4 The education of youth is one of the social systems that changes emphasis as a society shifts from rural to urban. The "natural processes" of education which character— ize traditional rural society were designed to help the society reproduce itself by giving "its young members the l The family values, habits, and skills of their parents." farm is still the most important producing unit in agricul- ture.2 Farm children become part of this working unit early in life through employment on the land. As a result of working together as an economic unit farm families appear to have a greater cohesiveness.3 The type of education characteristic of traditional rural society becomes inadequate in urban society.u Change is so rapid in urban society that "parents are often obsolete in their skills and . . . [are] unable to transmit directly their accumulated knowledge."5 Further, the urban family becomes less and less an economic unit.6 Usually the child no longer helps the family economically by contributing to a family work unit. In addition, the family has little to offer the child that will prepare him for taking his place in the community. lCoieman, loc. cit. 2Bealer and Willits, op. cit., p. 65. 3Loc. cit. 4 5 Coleman, op. cit., p. 4. Ibid., p. 2. 6 Ibid., p. 3. 5 In urban society, adolescents seem to look to each other rather than to adults for their frames of reference.1 Parents and their desires are important to teen-agers in a long range sense. It is to their peers, however, that adolescents turn for approval, admiration, and respect in every day activities. "Increasingly in doubt as to how to bring up their children, parents turn to other contemporaries for advice; a they also look to the mass media; and, . . . in effect, to the children themselves."2 As a result, the old "levers” by which children are motivated--approval or disapproval of parents and teachers--are less efficient. "A popular and widespread idea which is used in analyzing the actions of American teen-agers [today] is the notion of a youth subculture."3 This subculture is actually a small society formed by the adolescent and his peers. It has most of its interactions within itself and has only ”a few threads of connection with the outside adult society."4 Bealer points out possible exceptions to the idea of an adolescent subculture when he states, the popular image of an adolescent subculture may refer to urban, middle- class youth and may mask important deviations from this lLoc. cit. 2Riesman, op. cit., p. 47. 3Bea1er and Willits, op. cit., p. 64. “Coleman, op. cit., p. 3. 6 pattern. Where one lives-~that is, rural versus urban resi— dence--is one such factor fostering deviations."l Nye found residence to be associated significantly with adolescent-parent adjustment in a study of 1,472 adoles- cents from farm, open country non-farm, village, small town, fringe, and city areas in Michigan.2 O In his study of parents of high school children in‘ Nebraska, Stott discovered that farm parents, in general, had the least favorable attitude toward parental control while city parents had the most favorable attitude. [A favorable attitude indicated] that the subject believed that a child of adolescent age should be relatively free to act on his own initiative and should not be made to feel that he must act according to the dictationof his parents. To grow up in this sort of atmOSphere is thought to be favorable to the development of self—reliance and independence of decision. [An unfavorable attitude] reflects a belief that youngsters of high school age are relatively in~ capable of wisely making their own decisions and that parental authogity must be imposed in the guidance of their conduct. The 1934 White House Conference report on the adolescent suggested that an authoritarian pattern of parental authority in the farm home centered about work demands}L In a study of lBea1er and Willits, op. cit., p. 64. 2Ivan Nye, ”Adolescent—Parent Adjustment-—Socio-Econ- omic Level as a Variable," American Sociological Review, XVI, No. 3 (June, 1951), 341-349. 3Leland H. Stott, ”Parental Attitudes of Farm, Town, and City Parents in Relation to Certain Personality Adjust- ments in Their Children,” The Journal of Social Psychology, XI, Part 2 (1940), 325—339. ”Ruth Cavan, The Adolescent in the Family, White House CCanerence on Child Health and Protection (New York: D. AIDpIeton-Century Co., 1934), pp. 23—4, 303-4. 7 midwestern girls 14 to 24 years of age, Duvall and Motz noted that the home training of rural girls was more rigid than that of urban girls.1 ‘Landis suggests that the growth of an urban industrial culture in the United States caused a more democratic family system to emerge in urban society as compared with an author- 1 itarian type of parental authority in traditional rural society.2 Davis refers to the existence of parent-youth conflict. Youth is reared in a milieu different from that of the parents; hence the parents become old-fashioned, youth rebellious, and clashes occur which, in the closely confined circle of the immediate family, generate sharp emotion. If the image of rural-urban differences is accurate, and if there is a rebellious youth subculture, then rural adolescents should be less inclined to rebel than their urban peers. Davis, and others, support this idea as the following statement demonstrates: If ours were a simple rural—stable society, mainly familistic, the emancipation from parental authority being gradual and marked by definite institutionalized steps, . . . parents and youth would not be in con- flict. Hence, the presence of parent-youth conflict in our civilization is one more Specific manifestation lEvelyn Mills Duvall and Anabelle Bender Motz, "Are Country Girls So Different?" Rural Sociology, X (September, 1945), 263-274. 2Paul Landis and Coral Stone, Rural-Sociological Series on the Family, No. 3: The Relationship of Parental Authority Patterns to Teen-Age Adjustments (Pullman) Washington: Wash— ington Agricultural Experiment Stations,.Institute of Agricul— tural Sciences,.State College of Washington, Bulletin 538, 1952), p. 28. 3Kingsley Davis, "The Sociology of Parent-Youth Conflict," The American Sociological Review, X, No. 4 (August, 1940), 523— 535. 8 of the incompatability between an urban—industrial- mobile social system and the familial type of repro- ductive institution. This image of rural-urban differences suggests that as members of a more tradition-oriented society, rural adoles- cents should be expected to turn more to parental authority in decision—making than would rural non-farm or urban adolescents. Participation of Mothers in Clothing Selection2 Many studies concerned with decision-making in regard to teen—age clothing selection have been conducted in recent years. Some authors have explored clothing selection as a source of conflict between teen—agers and their parents. While still others have been concerned with the degree to which parents are involved in clothing selection for teen— age children. The participation of mothers in clothing selection for teen—age daughters has been reported in the following studies. 3 One of the earliest was reported by Wilson in 1939. Five hundred and ten high school girls completed schedules to determine what goods and services these girls had experience in buying, and to what extent the goods and services were selected independently. Wilson found that expensive items 1Ibid., p. 534; see also, Bealer and Willits, op. cit., p. 65. 2This section of the review of literature is in <fllronological order. 3Gertrude v. Wilson, ”The Responsibilities of High §C3hool Students in Buying" (unpublished Master's thesis, UKIiversity of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, March, 1939). 9 such as coats and suits were most often selected jointly by the students and their parents. The other most commonly purchased items such as shoes, school dresses, hats, blouses, sweaters, and skirts were most often selected independently by the girls. AS to the responsibility for the selection of the less commonly purchased items, [like street clothes; party dresses; sports, lounging, and rainyeday apparel for girls] it was found . . . that parents alone did very little of the buying, except in cases of items which are often given as presents, such as bathrobes, lounging pajamas, house slippers, and umbrellas. The . girls alone made the majority of the selections when these items were purchased. Exceptions were those where cost, as in girls‘ suits, or concern for suit- ability, as in girlS' party dresses, might cause 1 parents to take some share in selecting the items. Silverman, in 1945, discussed the relationship between mother and daughter with regard to clothing.2 Ninety per cent of the girls indicated that their mothers approved of clothing suitable to their ages. They also reported that the clothing chosen reflected a compromise between the mothers' and daughters“ choices. In a Study of high school girls from 11 to 18 years of age, Yancey found only 36 per cent of the girls bought their clothing unassisted;3 Her study indicated that, as the girls increased in age, there was a definite decrease in the number lIbid., pp. 73—74. 2Sylvia Silverman, Clothing and Appearance: Their Psy— chological Implications for Teen—Age Girls (New York: Bureau‘ of Publications, Teachers College, Columbia University, 1945), p. 63. 3M. Juliette Yancey, ”A Study of the Clothing Problems of One Hundred Eight Grade Pupils of the Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta, Georgia” (unpublished Master’s thesis, Hampton Institute, Hampton, Virginia, 1948). 10 of them receiving help in the selection of clothing. The same trend was found in Cassidy‘s study when she surveyed 150 girls in the fourth, fifth, Sixth, and seventh grades and 50 of their mothers in Shadyside, Ohio to determine the clothing preferences and responsibilities of a group of pre- adolescent girls in the selection of their clothing.1 Sixty—four percent of the mothers and daughters agreed that mothers usually helped in the selection of new clothing. Eighty—one and three~tenths percent of the one hundred-fifty girls said they had helped select new clothes when they were bought or made; ninety-two percent of the fifty mothers said their daughters did help select new clothes, but only seventy-eight percent of this group said they had helped in such selection. The mothers and daughters agreed that girls liked 2 clothes better when they had a part in selecting them. In 1954, Hovermale conducted a study in West Carroll~ town, Ohio of 4C ninth and tenth grade girls enrolled in the home economics classes of the city’s Exempted Village High School to determine where these girls purchased clothing and 3 what factors influenced their purchases. Over one-half of the girls reported that they selected the major portion of their clothing themselves; seven- teen percent of the girls worked closely with their mothers; wnile in ten percent of the cases, the girls' mothers selected the major portion of their clothing. lMagdalen Louise Cassidy, ”Clothing Preferences of One Hundred-Fifty Pre-Adolescent Girls and Fifty of Their Mothers" (unpublished Master‘s thesis, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 1954). 2Ibid., p. 70. 3Ruth Hovermale, ”Factors Affecting the Clothing Pur- chases of High School Home Economics Students with Implica- tions for Consumer Buying" (unpublished Master‘s thesis, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio, 1954). 11 Slightly less than half (42.5%) of the girls selected the minor portion of their clothing, and seven (17.5%) worked closely with their mothers. Approximately one- third of the mothers selected the minor portion of the girls' clothing.1 Holmblade interviewed 101 high school girls in a Mich- igan community to determine their clothing beliefs and prac- 2 She discovered that the girls were influenced a tices. good deal by members of their families and were also anxious for the approval of their peers. Generally they agreed with their parents as to the quantity and quality of their clothing. Barnes” study in 1955 employed the questionnaire method of collecting data to determine the preferences and practices 3 This study was in the purchase, use, and care of clothing. conducted with 225 junior high school girls enrolled in home economics classes. Over 50 per cent of the girls said that they made the final decision in purchasing clothing while five per cent claimed they were never permitted to make the final decision. Mead's study in 1957 was designed to find out if disagree- ments concerning clothing existed between adolescent girls 1Ibid., p. 54. 2Amy Jean Holmblade, ”A Comparative Study of the Clothing Area of the Secondary Homemaking Curriculum in a Selected Community and Selected Beliefs and Practices of Families in that Community” (unpublished Ph.D. thesis, Michi- gan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 1954). 3Sara Heagen Barnes, ”Preferences and Practices in the Purchase, Use, and Care of Clothing of 225 Junior High School Students in Zanesville, Ohio” (unpublished Master‘s thesis, The Ohio State University Libraries, Columbus, Ohio, 1955). 12 . \.....——A l The study was conducted in Boone, Iowa and their mothers. with the participation of 50 sophomore and 50 junior and senior high school girls and their mothers. Four of the areas of possible conflict studied were: shopping, clothing selection, fit, and source of money spent for clothing. Mead discovered that the sophomore girls were more dependent on their mothers in clothing selection and were more easily satisfied than the older girls. The junior and senior girls wanted more independence when shopping. Disagreements that arose during shopping with the mothers usually resulted in compromise favoring the older girls. In addition, the older girls were in conflict with their mothers over the fit and the amount of money spent for clothing. The first seven questions on Mead‘s questionnaire were concerned with shopping for and selection of clothing. She concluded: that the sophomore girls received more help from their mothers in buying wraps, outerwear such as dresses, underwear, shoes and play clothes than did the girls in the junior—senior age group. Both groups of girls shopped for wraps and outerwear with their mothers seventy—five percent or more of the time. Ninety percent of the mothers of sophomores and eighty percent of the mothers of juniors and seniors believed that their daughters wanted their help when Marjorie Elaine Mead, ”Disagreements Between Adoles— cent Girls and Their Mothers Concerning Clothing” (unpub- lished Master’s thesis, Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa, 1957 . 2Ibid., pp. 64-65. 13 Shopping for clothing. Fifty percent of the sopho- more girls and sixty percent of the junior-senior girls preferred to shop alone or with a friend rather than with their mothers. Both mothers and daughters of each age group believed that the girls needed more help in purchasing coats than any other item of apparel. Mothers of sophomores and their daughters believed that "dress—up" dresses and shoes were other items which the girls would need help in purchasing. In 1958, Davis studied decision-making in clothing purchases of one hundred 18 year old girls in Morgan County, Indiana.1 Sixty-Six per cent of the girls named their mothers as shopping companions. Girls who were still dependent on their mothers' decisions indicated they felt capable of making these decisions for themselves. Clothing practices of 189 girls, aged 13, were examined by Thompson in 1958.2 Eightymoneper cent of the girls indi- cated that they selected a school dress with the approval of their mother. Magrabi studied a group of 69 eighth grade girls and their mothers in Hancock County, Iowa.3 Girls mentioned style while mothers pointed to care of clothing as the com- monest cause of disagreement between them. Diaz designed a study to develop instruments for use with ninth grade girls and their mothers in determining lLinda Davis, ”Decision Making in Clothing Purchases of 100 Home Economics Students in Five High Schools of Morgan County, Indiana” (unpublished Master's thesis, The Ohio State University Libraries, Columbus, Ohio, 1958). 2Henrietta H. Thompson and Reba Tucker, "Some Clothing Practices of Thirteen—Year Old Girls,” Journal of Home Econ- cnnics, L (December, 1958), 783. 3Francis Marie Magrabi, "Differences Between Parents‘ 14 important clothing characteristics for ninth grade girls.l Disagreements as to number of garments needed, style, fit, cost of individual items, and total cost of the wardrobe were indicated by this study. More recently, Hurst reported that the selection and use of dress-up dresses or party dresses resulted in dis— agreements between mothers and daughters.2 Data for this study,obtained from 131 eighth grade girls and their mothers in Norwood, Ohio,indicated disagreements between mothers and daughters concerning care, whether or not a dress was nec- essary, style, and fit. Waldron analyzed a group of 54 eleventh and twelfth grade girls to determine some of the influences on their clothing buying practices; to learn the extent of their clothing purchases; to discover the sources of their clothing money; to find the difficulties which they have in buying clothing; and to detect the relationship of their buying and Daughters' Criteria in Selection of Eighth Grade Girls Clothing" (unpublished Master's thesis, Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa, 1958 lWinnifred Elizabeth Diaz, ”Instruments for Determining Characteristics of School Clothing Important to Ninth Grade Girls and Their Mothers" (unpublished Master' s thesis, Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa, 1959) 2Marie Jeanne Hurst, "A Comparison of Mothers‘ and Daughters' Preferences and Areas of Agreement and Disagreement in the Choice of a Dress-up or Party Dress” (unpublished Master's thesis, The Ohio State University Libraries, Columbus, Ohio, 1961). l5 practices with their educational, and socio~economic back— grounds.l In this study, the teen-agers' mothers were discovered to be the most influential persons in daughter's buying practices. Forty-nine of the fifty-four girls designated their mothers as the person whose opinions the daughters considered most important when they were choosing ' clothing for themselves. Summary The changing character of American society from a traditional, stable, familistic rural community to the urban- industrial-mobile social system mentioned by Davis has fostered new patterns of family relationships in today's homes. Riesman and Coleman point out the inability of parents to shape children in their own image in urbanized society. Because change is so rapid, parents cannot train children to take their places in a society which is so different from the one in which the parents were educated. Bealer and Willits indicate that a rural-urban continuum exists in American society with degrees of rurality and urbanity between the farmer, with a traditional orientation, and the city dweller who represents more rapid change. Adoles— cents of a traditional rural community are more apt to turn to their parents as frames of reference in decision-making than are adolescents of an urbanized-mobile family. lJoyce Jean Waldron, ”Clothing Buying Practices of llth and 12th Grade Girls of the Wyandotte High School and the Opinions of the Girls and Their Mothers Regarding These Prac- tices" (unpublished Master's thesis, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, 1961). 16 Yet, in either situation, adolescence is a period in which individuals feel a need to establish independence from home and parental control.1 Manifestations of this indepen- dence may cause conflicts between adolescents and their parents. Studies concerned with the participation of mothers in the selection of clothing for teen-age daughters reveal varying amounts and types of participation by the mothers in decision-making for daughters' wardrobes. One reason for this variation, as suggested by Yancey and Cassidy, may be age level of teen—age girls. No other reasons for the varying amounts of participation by mothers in the selection of clothing for daughters appear in the literature. If, as Davis suggests, there are differences in parent- youth conflict between rural—stable society and urban-indus— trial-mobile society one reason for the varying amounts of participation by mothers in the selection of clothing for daughters may be residence area. It is the purpose of this study to gather data to support the hypothesis that urban, rural non-farm, and rural farm mothers participate differ- ently in the selection of clothing for teen-age daughters. The factors to be considered in regard to mothers'partici- pation are shopping practices and clothing selection. The data for the study will be concerned only with the teen—age 1William W. Wattenberg, The Adolescent Years (New York: Harcourt Brace and Company, 1955), p. 4. l7 girlsi views of their mothers' participation in clothing selection for daughters. Chapter ll will discuss the methodology of the study. The sample will be described in Chapter TIT. Chapter TV will be concerned with the analysis of data concerning teen- age girls’ views of mothers‘ participation in the selection of clothing for daughters. Chapter V will contain the summary and conclusions of the Study. CHAPTER II METHODOLOGY The methodology for this study will be presented in the following order: (1) purpose of Study, (2) selection of method, (3) selection of residence areas, (4) selection of sample, (5) development of instrument, (6) pretest, (7) administration of instrument, and (8) method of analysis. Purpose of Study The purpose of this study is to discover possible evidence to support the hypothesis that urban, rural non- farm, and rural farm mothers participate differently in clothing selection for teen-age daughters. A major purpose of research is ”to gain familiarity with a phenomenon or to achieve new insights into it, often in order to formulate a "1 more precise research problem‘ . Selection of Method This project was designed as exploratory research to gain insights into possible relationships between the variables of residence and teen-age girls' vieWs'of their mothers' participation in clothing selection for their lClaire Selltiz, Marie Jahoda, Morton Deutsch, and Stuart W. Cook, Research Methods in Social Relations (New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc., 1960), p. 51. 18 19 daughters as a basis for further research. .Selltiz indicates that the major emphasis in exploratory studies is the dis- covery of ideas and insights that can be used for more precise -inVestigation.l 'According to Festinger and Katz, the explor- atory study may point out "important relationships between variables, but the more definite proof of these relationships comes from hypothesis-testing.”2 This study does not attempt to present definite proof to support the research hypothesis. That is a project for further investigation. .Selection (n7 Residence Areas In the selection of an urban community-for this study the United States Census Bureau definition of urban residencey was used: According to the definition adopted for use in the 1960 Census, the urban population comprises all persons living in (a) places of 2,500 inhabitants or more in- corporated as cities, boroughs, villages, and towns; (b) the densely settled urban fringe; whether incor- porated or unincorporated, of urbanized areas; (c) counties in States . . . that have no incorporated .municipalities within their boundaries and have a density of 1,500 persons per square mile; and (d) un- incorporated places of 2,500 inhabitants or more. In other words, the urban population comprises all persons living in urbanized areas and in places of 2,500 inhabi— tants or more outside urbanized areas. The urbanized area including and surrounding Lansing, Michigan was selected as the urban community from which the llbid.,-p. 52. 2Leon Festinger and Daniel Katz (eds), Research Methods in the Behavioral Sciences (New York: Dryden Press, 1953), p. 74. 3United States, Bureau of the Census, Census of Popula- tion 1960, Vol..I, Characteristics of the Population (Washing— ton: ’U. S. Government Printing Office, 1960). 20 sample for this study was taken. The major portion of the urbanized area including and surrounding the city of Lansing falls within the boundaries of Ingham County.l According to the United States Census reports for 1960 the population of the Lansing urbanized area within the boundaries of Ingham County was 164,238 of the total popu- lation of 211,296. Population density of this county was 378.0 inhabitants per square mile. The number of urban residents in Ingham County in 1960 was 173,578 residents which equaled 82.1 per cent of the total population. The total rural population of the county was 37,585 inhabitants. The increase of population in Ingham County from 1950 to 1960 was 22.2 per cent. The urban population increase during this period was 28.2 per cent while the rural increase was only 0.4 per cent. According to the Census Bureau, the rural population of the United States consists of all people who cannot be classified as urban residents under the above definition. The rural population is subdivided into the rural farm popu- lation, comprising all rural residents living on farms, and the rural non-farm population, comprising the remaining rural population. Sanilac County, Michigan was the community from which the rural farm and rural non-farm samples for this study were taken. 1The portions of the Lansing urbanized area lying out- side the boundaries of Ingham County in 1960 included 2,659 people in DeWitt Township, Clinton County and 2,428 people in Delta Township, Eaton County. 21 The population of Sanilac County, according to the 1960 Census, was 32,314 inhabitants. Density of population equalled 33.4 persons per square mile. .According to the Census Bureau definition, the entire population of this county was classified as rural. One-sixth of the inhabi— tants-—5,523 people-—lived in places of 1,000 to 2,500 population. The remaining five-sixths of the population-- 26,791 people--1ived in other rural territory. The increase in rural inhabitants mem11950to 1960 was 4.8 per cent. Selection of Sample The total sample for this study consisted of 62 teen— age girls from urban, rural non-farm, and rural farm resi- dence areas. The distribution of these girls according to residence area, as indicated in Table 1, is used as the independent variable thoughout the analysis of this study. TABLE 1 DISTRIBUTION OF TEEN-AGE GIRL PARTICIPANTS BY RESIDENCE AREA Residence Area Rural Rural Item Urban Non-Farm Farm Totals Farm 0 7a 23 30 Country, but not on a farm 0 0 0 0 Village of less that 2,500 people 0 12 0 12 Built-up area around a village of less than 2,500 people 0 0 0 0 Village or city of over 2,500 people 15 0 0 l5 Suburb around a village or city of over 2,500 people 5 0 O 5 Totals 20 19 23 62 aSeven of the respondents who lived on farms were classified as rural non-farm because they indicated that the farm contributed less than half of the family income. 22 Two groups of teen-age girls were selected for the urban sample. These groups consisted of girls enrolled in a clothing construction contest with the Singer Sewing Center in Lansing and summer school students in home economics clothing at Lansing's Everett High School. The Singer Stylemaker Contest, conducted from June through August, was part of a nationwide contest sponsored by the Singer Sewing Machine Company. To qualify, each contestant was required to enroll in a sewing course at the Singer Company for the purpose of constructing garments to be entered in the contest. One division of this contest was Open to girls between 14 and 17 years of age. This division of the contest comprised a portion of the urban girls sampled for this study. The other part of the urban sample consisted of the girls enrolled in a Six weeks summer school class in clothing construction at Everett High School. This class was not typical of an average high school home economics class be- cause of the wide range of students‘ abilities. Some of the girls were accelerated students who enrolled in the class as an elective; others in the class were taking the course in order to make up credit for failure during the school year. Four members of the class were married. The range of ages for this class was from 14 to 18 years. The rural non-farm and rural farm samples for this study consisted of teen-age girls between 15 and 17 years 23 of age who were members of Sanilac County 4~H Clubs. A list of the names and addresses of these girls were ob- tained through Mr- Robert R. Schultheiss, County Extension Agent in 4—H Club work in Sanilac County. Development of Instrument A questionnaire was used in collecting data for this study. This method was chosen because of its practicality in presenting respondents with selected and ordered ques- tions for the purpose of eliciting data to confirm or repudiate the hypothesis. In gathering data to support the hypothesis that urban, rural nonnfarm, and rural farm mothers participate differently in the selection of clothing for teen-age daughters, two areas of participation were considered from the viewpoint of teen_age girls. These areas included shopping practices and clothing selection. Questions were designed to learn Specific facts about the teen-age girls in the sample and to study the two areas of participation by mothers in the selection of clothing for teen-age daughters. The majority of items in the question— naire were of the closed—end type to facilitate the admin- istration and the process of tabulation and analysis. This type of question was also used to force respondents to 24 categorize their opinions or to take a stand on an issue. Some questions were designed with multiple answers from which I! the respondent could choose, such as "always, "frequently," H n : "sometimeS, seldom,' and ”never.” Others required the respondent to choose between the responses "yes" and "no." Open-ended questions were used throughout the instru- ment when motives or attitudes of the respondents were desired. They were also used when qualification of answers to other questions were required. The areas studied and the numbers of the items in the instrument (see Appendix C) relating to them are as follows: Descriptive factors: concerning girls and their families 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5: 7, 8: 9, 10, ll, 19: 20 concerning money spent for clothing l2, l3, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 21, 22, 23 concerning types of establishments shopped 31 concerning distance traveled to shop 32 Shopping practices: 33, 34. 35. 36, 37, 38. 39. 45. 5 , 59 Clothing selection: 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 40, 41, 42, 60, 61, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66 Areas of agreement and disagreement between mothers and daughters concerning clothing of teen-age sirls= 43, 44, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 55, 56, 57, 58 Pretest The questionnaire was pretested with two urban girls in East Lansing, Michigan, two rural non-farm girls, and three rural farm girls in Sanilac County, Michigan. None of these 1The items in the instrument related to areas of agree— ment and disagreement between mothers and daughters concerning clothing of teen-age girls were not included in the analysis of this thesis because they did not pertain to the hypothesis under investigation. 25 girls answered the questionnaire for the study. The purpose of the pretest was to determine two things: if these girls would answer the questions; and if they could comprehend the meanings behind them. Changes were then made in the instru- ment as a result of the pretest (see Appendix A). Question 19 of the pretest, which asked the girls to indicate the total income of their families, was omitted. Question 25, which asked for the approximate amount of money spent for the girls' clothing in a year, was also omitted. The girls who responded to the pretest were unable to answer these ques- tions accurately. Multiple choice questions in the pretest with the three alternatives--"always,” "sometimes," and "never" were changed to questions having five alternatives for greater discrimination in the analysis of data. Several questions were reworded and one question was added to change the apparent negative attitude in the questions concerning areas of agreement and disagreement between mothers and daughters concerning clothing. The word "style" was omitted from questions 44, 46, 47, and 48 of the pretest in order to make these questions more objective. Administration of Instrument The revised questionnaire (see Appendix C) was adminis— tered to girls enrolled in the Singer Stylemaker Contest during class periods. About ten minutes were required to complete the questionnaire. Sixteen girls from the Singer classes filled out the questionnaire. Four of these were 26 not included in the analysis of data because they indicated their residence area as rural non-farm. One was excluded because she failed to complete the questionnaire. A class of 19 girls at Everett High School also com- pleted the schedule during a class period. The answers of three married girls were not included in the data analysis; five were eliminated because they were over 17 years of age; one was omitted because her mother was deceased; and one other was not used because she indicated her place of resi— dence as rural non-farm. The instrument was administered to the rural non-farm and rural farm samples simultaneously. One hundred fifty girls were contacted by letter (see Appendix B) asking them to meet for the purpose of answering the questionnaire. Forty girls attended the meeting and completed the schedule. The completed questionnaire of one girl was not included in the data analysis because she was not a 4—H clothing member; another was omitted because She had indicated no school grade in completing the schedule; and a third was not used because her mother was deceased. Because the sample of rural non-farm respondents was small compared to the other two categories, the instrument was administered to an additional five rural non-farm girls individually. .In all of the cases, the instrument was administered to the respondents personally by the investigator. AS nearly as possible the same instructions were given to each group or individual before completion of the questionnaire. 27 Method of Analysis In the majority of cases the chi-square test of sig- nificance was used in determining relationships between the variable of residence area and the other variables. Blalock refers to the chi-square test as follows: "The chi-square test is a very general test which can be used whenever we wish to evaluate whether or not frequencies which have been empirically obtained differ Significantly from those which .would be expected under a certain set of theoretical assump- tions."1 The formula for the chi-square test is: 2 X2= 2(fo -fe) fe In this study a probability of .05 or less is accepted as indicating a significant relationship that is not likely to occur by chance. Probability values are discussed according to the following:2 1. When probability is greater than .05, "not significant” . . . . . . . NS 2. When probability is .05 or less but greater than .01, ”moderately signifi- cant" . . . . . . . . . . . . P .05 3. When probability is .01 or less but greater than .001, ”highly significant". P .01 lHubert M. Blalock, Social Statistics (New York: Mc— (}raw-Hill Book Company, Inc., 1960), p. 212. 2George w. Snedecor, Statistical Methods: Applied to fgxperiments in Agriculture and Biology (4th edition; Ames, lEowa: Iowa State College Press, 1946), reproduced in Margaret J‘. Hagood, Statistics for Sociologists (New York: Henry Holt 84nd Company, 1952), p 325. 28 4. When probability is .001 or less, "extremely significant" . . . . . . P .001 Other analyses were done using descriptive statistics with percentages and mean scores showing frequency distri- butions. CHAPTER III DESCRIPTION OF SAMPLE This chapter is concerned with describing the sample used in the study in relation to the characteristics of the teen-age girl participants and their families, the source of money spent for the teen—age girls' clothing, the types of establishments shopped most frequently for girls' clothing, and the distance traveled to shop for girls' clothing. These descriptive factors were explored in an attempt to control against their having an effect on the study which might mask the influence of the hypothesized independent variable of residence area. Characteristics:ngeen-Age Girls and of Their Families The following factors are described in relation to teen- age girls and their families: (1) age and grade of teen-age girls, (2) education of the main financial supporters of the families, and (3) occupations of fathers and mothers of teen- age girls. The total sample population from urban, rural non-farm, and_rura1 farm communities, as indicated in Chapter II, con- sisted of 62 teen-age girls. Respondents in the urban 29 3O category were Lansing, Michigan or greater Lansing urbanized area residents. Rural non-farm and rural farm respondents lived in Sanilac County, Michigan. The girls ranged in age from 14 to 17 years (see Table 2). TABLE 2 DISTRIBUTION OF TEEN-AGE GIRL PARTICIPANTS BY AGE AND RESIDENCE AREA Residence Area a Rural Rural Age Of Participants Urban Non—Farm Farm Totals 14 4 1 1 6 15 6 6 13 25 16 8 9 8 25 l7 2 3 1 6 Totals 20 19 - 23 62 Average Age 15.40 15.74 15.39 15.50 -x2 = 2.403 2 d.f. .302 P < .50 aIn the computation of the chi-square, rows 1-2 and 3-4 were collapsed. The six 14 year olds appeared inadvertently during the administration of the instrument. These were included in the sample for analysis, even though the original plan included only l5, l6, and 17 year olds. Since the number of 17 year olds in the sample was limited (only six), this group ans collapsed with the 16 yearcflxigroup in the chi-square test for statistical Significance. The category of six 14 31 year olds was collapsed with the 15 year old group in the test for significance to help equalize the effect that the small numbers in each collapsed category might have on the results of the study. The distribution of ages of the girls when compared with the residence area was not found to be significant. Fifteen and 16 year olds composed 86 per cent of the sample. The mean ages for the entire sample was fifteen and one-half years, while the mean age of each of the urban, rural non-farm, and rural farm categories varied by not more than three-tenths of one year. Sixty-six per cent of the girls in the entire sample were in grades ten and eleven, while 21 per cent were twelfth graders (see Table 3). TABLE 3 DISTRIBUTION OF TEEN-AGE GIRL PARTICIPANTS BY SCHOOL GRADE AND RESIDENCE AREA Residence Area a Rural Rural Grade in School Urban Non-Farm Farm Totals 9 4 2 2 8 10 5 5 9 19 ll 8 3 11 22 12 3 9 1 13 Totals 20 19 23 62 x2 = 0.638 2 d.f. .80 4 P 4 .90 aIn the computation of the chi-square, rows 1-2 and 3~4 were collapsed. 32 Sixty-five per cent of the urban girls and 87 per cent of the rural farm girls were in grades ten and eleven. A relatively large number of 16 year old twelfth graders in the rural non-farm sample caused the largest number of these girls (63 per cent) to be in grades eleven and twelve. The variable of "grade" was insignificant when compared with residence area of teen-age girls. Fifty-six of the 62 girls in the sample indicated that they resided with both of their parents. Of the other six respondents, five lived with their mothers only, while one girl lived with her father because the parents were separated. The main financial supporter of the families of the girls studied was the father in 57 (92 per cent) of the cases. The mother was the main supporter of the family in the remain- ing five cases. Education of the main financial supporter of the family was moderately significant in association with resi- dence area (see Table 4): In the urban sample, 45 per cent of the main financial supporters of the family had attended college or were college graduates. In the rural non-farm andlnutfl_farm samples, the percentages of main supporters falling into these two categories were 16 per cent and 13 per cent. Seventy-four per cent of the persons designated as the imain financial supporter of the family were not formally educated.bey0nd high school. High school graduates composed the largest.category of the total sample equalling 42 per cent. 33 TABLE 4 THE EDUCATION OF THE MAIN FINANCIAL SUPPORTER OF FAMILIES OF THE TEEN—AGE GIRL PARTICIPANTS BY RESIDENCE AREA Residence Area a Rural Rural Education Urban Non—Farm Farm Totals 8th grade or less 1 4 9 l4 1 to 3 years of high school 3 3 O 6 High school graduate 7 9 10 26 Some college 1 1 l 3 College graduate 7 2 2 11 Other 1 O 1 2 Totals 2O 19 23 62 x2 = 7.287 2 d.f. .024 P 4.05 aIn the computation of the chi-square, rows 1-3 and 4-6 were collapsed. \ Teen—age girls' fathers occupations were categorized according to a socio-economic scale used in the censuses of 1940 and 1950. This general occupational classification was developed by Alba Edwards.l With a minimum of rearrangement, the categories of census classification can be divided into six hier- archial groups, described as ”social-economic classes": 1. Unskilled workers l-a Farm laborers 1-b,c Laborers, except farm l-d Servant classes lTheodore Caplow, The Sociology of Work (Minneapolis: Urliversity of Minnesota Press, 1954), p. 33. 34 Semiskilled workers Skilled workers and foremen Clerks and kindred workers Proprietors, managers, and officials 5-a Farmers (owners and tenants) 5-b Wholesale and retail dealers 5-0 Other proprietors, managers, and officials 6. Professional persons UT-II‘UUID The distribution of fathers' occupations according to the Edwards classification is shown in Table 5. TABLE 5 CLASSIFICATION OF FATHERS' OCCUPATIONS ACCORDING TO THE EDWARDS' INDEX BY RESIDENCE AREA OF THE TEEN-AGE GIRLS Residence Area Classification of Rural Rural Occupations Urban Non-Farm Farm Totals Unskilled workers 0 O O O Semiskilled workers 1 9 O 10 Skilled workers and foremen 5 3 O 8 Clerks and kindred workers 1 O 0 l Proprietors and managers 6 3 23 32 Professional persons 4 2 O 6 NO father 1 1 O 2 No reply 2 l O 3 Totals 2O 19 23 62 Mothers of the teen—age girls studied were employed: outside the home in 18 (21 per cent) of the families. Forty per cent of the urban mothers and 42 per cent of the rural non-farm mothers were employed, while only nine per cent of the rural farm mothers found employment away from the family Tkarm. 35 The types of work performed by mothers outside the home are classified according to the Edwards index in Table 6. TABLE 6 CLASSIFICATION OF MOTHERS' OCCUPATIONS ACCORDING TO THE EDWARDS INDEX BY RESIDENCE AREA OF THE TEEN-AGE GIRLS Residence Area Classification of Rural Rural Occupations Urban Non-Farm Farm Totals Unskilled workers 1 O 0 1 Semiskilled workers 0 3 1 4 Skilled workers and foremen 0 0 O 0 Proprietors and managers 4 5 0 9 Professional persons 2 O O 2 Totals 8 8 2 18 Distribution in residence areas 20 19 23 62 Source of Money This section is concerned with the relationship between residence area and the source of money spent for teen—age girls‘ clothing. The two major sources of money spent for teen-agers' clothing are: (1) money from parents that is either provided according to the clothing needs of the children, or money from a regular allowance; and (2) money earned by teen—agers. Table 7 indicates the majority of families spent money for clothing that was not determined by a family budget. Almost one-half (48 per cent) of the girls in the sample reported their families had no definite clothing budget, 36 while 34 per cent of the girls indicated they were not aware of any clothing money in their family budget. Only 18 per cent claimed their families earmarked funds for clothing. Within the three residence areas,the urban sample revealed the largest proportion of clothing budgeting. Of this group 25 per cent said their families set aside a certain amount of money for clothing. Unpredictable incomes in the rural non-farm and rural farm families may account for the lower percentage of clothing budgeting in these groups. TABLE 7 COMPARISON OF RESPONSES TO THE QUESTION, "DOES YOUR FAMILY SET ASIDE A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR CLOTHING?,'l AND RESIDENCE AREA OF TEEN-AGE GIRLS Residence Area Rural Rural Responses to Question Urban Non-Farm Farm Totals Yes 5 3 3 11 N0 7 12 ll 30 Don't know 8 4 9 21 Totals 20 19 23 62 ,In indicating the source or sources of money for their clothing, the respondents answered ”money your parents provide as you need clothes" 44 times and ”allowance” 19 times out of the 100 responses given to the question (see Table 8). These responses, which in both cases represent money given by parents, equalled 63 per cent of the total responses. Almost 37 one-half (30) of the 62 girls in the sample gave multiple responses to this question. A much higher proportion of rural non-farm and rural farm girls checked more than one source of money for their clothing than did urban girls. This result may have been caused by the wording of this particular question which did not indicate to everyone that the query could be answered with more than one response.1 TABLE 8 ASSOCIATION OF RESPONSES TO THE QUESTION, "FROM WHAT SOURCE DOES THE MONEY COME TO BUY YOUR CLOTHING?,H AND RESIDENCE AREA OF TEEN- AGE GIRLS Residence Area Rural Rural Responses to Questiona Urban Non-Farm Farm Totals Money you earn 6 12 17 35 Allowance 4 6 9 19 Money your parents provide as you need clothes l4 l3 17 44 Other 0 l l 2 Totals 24 32 44 100b x2 = 1.400 2 d.f. .304P4.50 aIn the computation of the chi—square, rows 2-4 were collapsed. bTwenty—three girls gave two responses and seven girls gave three responses to the question. 1The words "or sources" were omitted from this question due to a typographical error, see Question 22, Appendix C. 38 Neither was the major source of money for teen-age girls' clothing significant in association with residence area (see Table 9). When the girls in the sample were asked to indicate the source of most of their clothing money, 50 per cent of those who replied answered "money from parents." "Allowance" was the alternative chosen by another 25 per cent of the respondents. Thus, parents of 75 per cent of the girls who responded were the major source of money for clothing, either directly or through an allowance. TABLE 9 ASSOCIATION OF RESPONSES TO THE QUESTION, "WHAT IS THE SOURCE OF MOST OF THE MONEY FOR YOUR CLOTHING?," AND RESIDENCE AREA OF TEEN-AGE GIRLS Residence Area Rural Rural Responses to Question8 Urban Non-Farm Farm Totals Money from parents 10 8 9 27 Allowance 3 4 7 14 Money you earn 4 6 4 14 Totals 17 18 20 55b:C x2 = 0.919 2 d.f. .50 4.2 41.70 aIn the computation of the chi-square, rows 1-2 were collapsed. bNo response was given by nine of the girls to the question. CTwo girls gave two responses to the question. 39 Allowances were received by 34 (53 per cent) of the girls. Within the three residence areas, 11 (55 per cent) of the 20 urban girls, 8 (44 per cent) of the 19 rural non- farm girls, and 15 (65 per cent) of the 23 rural farm girls received allowances. The allowances received per month by girls was not significant when associated with residence area (see Table 10). TABLE 1O ASSOCIATION OF RESPONSES TO THE QUESTION, "HOW MUCH ALLOWANCE DO YOU RECEIVE PER MONTH?," AND RESIDENCE AREA OF TEEN-AGE GIRLS Residence Area Rural Rural a Urban Non-Farm Farm Totals Responses to Question $1 — 4 3 2 6 11 5 - 9 3 2 2 7 £10 — l4 2 2 2 6 l5 - 19 1 0 0 1 20 and above 2 2 4 8 Totals 11 8 14 33b x2 = 0.126 2 d.f. .90 <1E’2f.95 8In the computation of the chi-square, rows 1—2 and 3-5 were collapsed. bOne girl who received an allowance did not respond to the question. 40 Table 11 indicates the percentage of allowances spent for clothing by the girls. When associated with residence area this factor was not significant. Over one-half (18) 0f the girls receiving allowances spent 25 per cent or less for clothing and 79 per cent spent one-half or less for clothing. TABLE 11 ASSOCIATION OF RESPONSES TO THE QUESTION, "WHAT PER- CENTAGE OF THE MONEY YOU RECEIVE AS AN ALLOWANCE DO YOU SPEND FOR CIOTHING?," AND RESIDENCE AREA OF TEEN-AGE GIRLS Residence Area Rural Rural Responses to Questiona Urban Non-Farm Farm Totals 0’ 3 O 2 5 1 - 25% 4 4 5 13 26 — 50% 2 3 4 9 51 - 75% 2 0 2 4 76 - 100% 0 2 1 3 Totals 11 9 14 34 x2 = 1.456 2 d.f. .30 JT' the rural farm girls and 60 per cent of the urban girls. TITP1<3 majority of girls from all three residence areas (65 IDSEBJT cent) who purchased clothing from mail order companies iI‘lldcflicated they sometimes, seldom, or never decided what to C335‘1? rural non-farm girls and 74 per cent of rural farm girls Inéicde the same claim. Of the 62 girls in the sample, 61 per C=€3I1t indicated that they selected clothing with the advice (DIET their mothers. This result parallels similar findings in 13171453 Yancey and Cassidy studies indicating that the majority <33f7 girls select clothing with the help of their mothers.2 \ 1Table III, in the text, is a summary of the selection (33:? specific garments in girls' wardrobes in association with b e sidence area . 2Yancey, loc. cit.; and Cassidy, 10c. cit. 55 TABLE II SUMMARY OF ASSOCIATION OF CLOTHING SELECTION WITH RESIDENCE AREA OF TEEN-AGE GIRL PARTICIPANTS Significance Level Dependent Variable of Clothing Selec— Table No. Clothing Selection tion in Association (Appendix D) with Residence Area J Agreement on clothing pur— chased for daughter .05 K Who selects garments N.S. L Items that cannot be pur- chased without mother‘s approval N.S. M Items on which girl desires mother's approval before purchasing .001 N Desire by girl to select more clothing independently N.S. O Garments in wardrobe that. girl does not like to wear N.S. P Garments that girl does not wear present in wardrobe because mother likes them N.S. Q. Any of girl's favorite garments chosen by mother N.S. R Who selects patterns and fabrics for garments made for girl .01 S Girl sews any of her own garments N.S. T Mother sews garments for daughter N.S. U Garments made for girl by mother that girl doesn't like N.S. 56 TABLE II--Continued Significance Level Dependent Variable of Clothing Selec- Table No. Clothinngelection tion in Association (Appendix D) with Residence Aream V Garments made for girl by mother that girl especially likes N.S. W Reasons why girls especially likes garments made for her by mother N.S. Table III indicates how specific items of clothing were selected for girls in the sample. The clothing items included in this question were: coat, suit, formal, dress for best wear, dress for school wear, jacket, skirt, sweater, blouse, shoes for school, shoes for best wear, underwear, shorts and slacks, and bathing suits. Only the item, formal, was signifi- cant when associated with residence area of teen-age girls. Within the three residence areas 80 per cent of the urban girls and 87 per cent of the rural non-farm girls selected formals with the assistance of their mothers as compared with 100 per cent of rural farm girls. The other clothing items from this list which approached Significance when associated with resi- dence area were: coat, jacket, shoes for best wear, underwear, and bathing suits. 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