Research studies have shown that African Americans are currently the least likely ethnic group to be married in this country. This paper will examine some of the reasons why this trend exists when there was a time when marriage rates among blacks were about equal to those of whites. History, culture, economics and dominant culture influences have impacted the current trends in African American families. Many are choosing to postpone marriage, while others are finding alternative ways to cultivate family and raise children. Does the African American definition of family differ from that of the dominant culture? How has ecological systems influenced past and present trends in African American families? These questions and more are examined in this paper. According to the article African American Marriage Patterns, The most broadly accepted explanations for marital breakdown are essentially race-blind: greater acceptance of nonmarital sex and unwed parenthood so that young people feel less need to marry, widespread affluence so that it is easier to leave an unhappy marriage, less emotional and economic gain from marriage so that there is less reason to get married, and welfare’s marriage penalties that discourage low-income couples from marrying. (Besharov & West) With these issues affecting American families on a broad perspective the question rises, why are African American families more greatly affected? The history of the African American culture shows a culture that values family, children and marriage. These values were confused and stripped when blacks from Africa and the Caribbean where brought to America to perform as slaves. While on plantations under harsh treatment, husbands, wives and children were torn apart and sold t... ... middle of paper ... ... Pearson Education. Gerstel, N. (2011). Rethinking Families and Community: The Color, Class, and Centrality of Extended Kin Ties. Sociological Forum, 26(1), 1. doi:10.1111/j.1573-7861.2010.01222.x Marks, L., Tanner, K., Nesteruk, O., Chaney, C., & Baumgartner, J. (2012). A qualitative exploration of why faith matters in African American marriages and families. Journal Of Comparative Family Studies, (5), 695. Murray, M. (2013). BLACK MARRIAGE, WHITE PEOPLE, RED HERRINGS: Is Marriage for White People? How the African American Marriage Decline Affects Everyone. Michigan Law Review, 111977. Perry, A. (2013). African American Men’s Attitudes Toward Marriage. Journal Of Black Studies, 44(2), 182. doi:10.1177/0021934712472506 Revell, M. A., & McGhee, M. N. (2012). Evolution of the African American Family. International Journal Of Childbirth Education, 27(4), 44-48.
Robert Staples in Sociocultural Factors in Black Family Transformation: Toward a Redefinition of Family Functions goes on to further analysis and critique Moynihan’s report. Staples identify several flaws within his argument, including that the fact that African Americans are not a monolithic unit (19), the numerous reasons for fatherhood absence, and the socioeconomic factors that shape the structure of African American families (21). Staples main critique of the Moynihan report is that marginalization of the Black community is not due to the dysfunction of Black families, rather the economic basis is the fundamental cause that needs to be considered (23). For the most part, I would agree with Staples in saying that economic oppression is the cause of dysfunction within families. While reading Part One of The Black Family, the notion of respectability politics came to mind and how the role of hegemony plays in sociocultural relations. The influence of hegemony has shifted many of us into considering one-singular truth and Western ideologies have led to the shaping of ideas, mindsets, and cultures, all the way to family to dating and sexual patterns, African American culture is compared to European American
Historically, the job of women in society is to care for the husband, the home, and the children. As a homemaker, it has been up to the woman to support the husband and care for the house; as a mother, the role was to care for the children and pass along cultural traditions and values to the children. These roles are no different in the African-American community, except for the fact that they are magnified to even larger proportions. The image of the mother in African-American culture is one of guidance, love, and wisdom; quite often the mother is the shaping and driving force of African-American children. This is reflected in the literature of the African-American as a special bond of love and loyalty to the mother figure. Just as the role of motherhood in African-American culture is magnified and elevated, so is the role of the wife. The literature reflects this by showing the African-American man struggling to make a living for himself and his family with his wife either being emotionally or physically submissive. Understanding the role of women in the African-American community starts by examining the roles of women in African-American literature. Because literature is a reflection of the community from which it comes, the portrayal of women in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) and James Baldwin's Go Tell it on the Mountain (1952) is consistent with the roles mentioned above.
African-American labor was beginning to be more valuable than white labor. African laborers were beginning to be looked at as property, as well as being treated that way. By the 1660’s, the status of the African ...
Moynihan perceives the inclusive problem amongst the black family to be its structure. This is a product of disintegration of nativism in the black community. The “racist virus” still flowing through the veins of American society hinders, in virtually all aspects, the progression of the Negro family. Moynihan discusses the normativity of the American family as a reason that people overlook the problems that occur in Negro and nonwhite families. He emphasizes the significance of family structure by stating “The family is the basic social unit of American life; it is the basic socializing unit.” (Moynihan, II 4). This assertion implies that due to the instability within the black family, socially, the Negro family would be unable to prosper. Because Moynihan feels the largest overall issue in the black family is structure it’s structure, he believes that it will only continue to disintegrate. To further his idea, Moynihan highlights the subdivisions of this structure: matriarchy, failure of youth, economic differences, alienation etc. Each of these subdivisions of family structure contributes to the overall issue Moynihan within the Negro family.
While marriage was synonym of childbearing and childrearing, in the 1950’s, it takes another sense nowadays. Kathryn Edin and Maria Kefalas study this new trend within poor young mothers. Specifically, they stress the importance of parenthood over matrimony in these poor neighborhoods. Edin and Kefalas explain how young mothers perceive the erstwhile correlation between marriage and parenthood. This divergent way of thinking throughout social classes and ethnic is analyzed in their book, Promises I Can Keep.
The portrayal of African American families has changed drastically since the 1950s. The media’s wide representation of African American families has varied from television and literature. The families differ in economic classes, generational differences and their sense of cultural heritage. Literary works such as Lorraine Hansberry’s A Raisin in the Sun and Alice Walker’s Everyday Use depiction of families differs from television’s
Marriage is the foundation of modern society and has historically been present in most civilizations. Marriage is associated with many positive health outcomes and is encouraged across most racial/ethnic groups. According to Sbarra, Law, and Portley (2011), the social institution of marriage has changed much since the 19th century especially in the way it can be terminated. Married African American or Black men are happier, make more money, are less likely to face poverty, and choose healthier behaviors than their counterparts that are divorced (Bachman, Clayton, Glenn, Malone-Colon, & Roberts, 2005). The converse is true for Black women who seem to be the only sub-group not to achieve the universal health and other benefits gained from marriage (Bachman, et al., 2005). This paradox in marital benefits have many implications including lower martial satisfaction and divorce.
It doesn 't matter if the boy is 6, and the woman is 50 by their law they can still get married. In African some of the families will married there children off for wealth. But, in other words the African American life function was used in socialization, and economic lifestyle. The family has to use a lot material things to support there families. Their other functions was taking care of their family member, which is sick. Also the African American had a development function which was to work and provide food ,shelter, and money for their family. The function of the Indian American was to play a role in there family life. The Indian American used their function for their family by doing all of there things in a traditional party. What I mean by traditional party is they dance around, included everyone that live their, and also included everything that they do. The function of family is a big group of relative family member setting around, and enjoying there time together. The reason family has changed is because Martin Luther King Jr. had a plan to bring everyone together. I quote That speech, with its eloquent reflections on the future of the civil rights struggle and introspection. (Phillips Brandes)
In today's world, there is such a big emphasis on education and its importance. And there should be an emphasis. Unfortunately, not everyone has the same attitude about receiving a good education. This article attempts to discuss the attitudes of African American's towards education when a stable family structure is absent.
Bumpass LL, Sweet JA, Cherlin A. 1991. The role of cohabitation in declining rates of marriage. Demography 53:913 27
As an immigrant and divorce mother of two who comes to a foreign country pursuing a better future for my kids, I ignored the complexity of the factors that are required to fulfill my dreams. Moving from a socialistic culture to an individualistic one, being the last one, the culture that my kids are more likely to adopt I realized the importance to build a solid family, and I started looking for possible factors that might give me a clear view on how to achieve my quest. The first factor that I found interesting was the high percentage of single-parent families, and the almost extinct long-term marriages. I come from a country where long term marriages still prevalent, for that reason this observation shocked me the most. Another observation was the high-percentage of interracial marriages in Los Angeles, where I live, and the possible connection with the low percentage of racism in this state.
Gullickson traces literature findings on the historical trends of interracial marriages between the whites and the blacks back in the 18th century to the current Millennium. These unions gained popularity in the beginning of the colonial era that was convenience by the black-servant white relationships. During this time, slavery was at its peak and the decline of white servants gave room for the demand of black labor. The two groups lived and worked in the same surroundings’ where social ties were loose. It is believed that the early experiences of the two groups led to the greatest number of sexual unions.
There is no debate about the catastrophic breakdown of the black family dynamic over the past 50 years; and it haunts us today. Our nation’s 1st African
From Slavery to Freedom: African in the Americas. (2007). Association for the Study of African American Life and History. Retrieved October 7, 2007 from Web site: http://www.asalh.org/
African American families have maintained familial ties most predominantly through extended family members from slavery to present. Extended family members have provided social and economic support collectively in many ways (Shusta, et al. p. 163, para. 2, 2015). African Americas as well as other ethnic groups have experienced economic hardships caused by internal and external factors which have impacted income. Single mothers have assumed the dominant role in many African American families, primarily due to necessity, through the absence the father or no marriage to the mother. Lack of economic and personal support by fathers aid in negative perceptions between African Americans and Law Enforcement personnel.