In both cultures, grandparents and elders are highly respected, the father holds most of the power and is the decision maker of the family, the mother is the caretaker of the family and the Children's only responsibility is to go to school and get an education. This is the case for almost all Hispanic families because they tend to maintain traditional values. This hierarchy also occurs in traditional American families. It has always been thought that “the absence of a father is destructive to children, particularly boys, because it means that children will lack the economic resources, role model, discipline, structure and guidance that a father provides." (Biblarz & Raftery, 1999) However, this is no longer the case. The differences between American family structures can be seen more clearly when separated by socioeconomic class. Now, studies have shown that “children from single-mother families do more or less well than children from two-biological-parent families.” (Biblarz & Raftery, 1999) This encourages mothers to believe that a single-mother family is still successful. Therefore, the mother becomes the decision maker and caretaker. This concept also applies to opposite sexes. In single-father families, the father is not only the decision maker but also the caretaker. These family structural differences give way to another similarity in Hispanic and American cultures. Wedding ring