This volume presents thinking and research on linkages among socioeconomic status, parenting and child development. The contributors represent an array of different disciplines, and approach the issues from a variety of perspectives. Accordingly, their take on how SES matters in the lives of children varies. This volume is divided into two parts. Part 1 concerns the constructs and measurement of SES and Part 2 discusses the functions and effects of SES. Each part presents four substantive chapters on the topic followed by an interpretive and constructively critical commentary. The chapters - considered as a whole - attest to the value of systematically examining the components of SES and how each flows through an array of specific parenting practices and resources both within and outside the home environment to help shape the course of child development. The result is a more fully delineated picture of how SES impacts the lives of children in the 21st century - a picture that contains a road map for the next generation of studies of SES and its role in the rapidly evolving ecology of family life.