Transcript Diversity in U.S. Families - Grayslake North High School

Diversity in U.S. Families
Write down your definition
of the stereotypical family.
• Working dad
• Stay-at-home mom
• 2 or 3 children
Only 10% of all households
are in this family form.
The American Family
• There is no such thing as the American
Family, family life varies widely
throughout the U.S.
• Just as above, there is no such thing as
the African American Family or Asian
American Family.
– The primary distinction is between social
class.
Upper-class African American Families
• Upper-class African American families are
concerned with preserving their privilege and
wealth.
• Since marriage is viewed as a merger of family
lines, upper-class African-American families are
especially anxious about the family background of
their children’s prospective mates.
• Children marry later than children of other classes.
Middle-class African American Families
• Focus on achievement and respectability
– Pushing children to go to college, get good jobs,
and marry educated, respectable, and hardworking
people like themselves.
African-American families in Poverty
• Face all the problems that are generally associated with
poverty.
– With few skills and not enough good jobs, many of the men
have a difficult time fulfilling the cultural roles of husbands
and fathers.
– African-American women, on the other hand, are faced
with a marriage squeeze:
• an imbalance in the sex ratio created, in this instance, by not
enough eligible African Americans men for the numbers of
unmarried African American women.
– As a result, African American families are the least likely
to be headed by a married couple, and African American
women are more likely than other racial-ethnic groups to
marry men who are less educated then themselves.
Social Class Factors: Latino
Families
• The proportion of Latino families headed by
married couples falls between that of whites
and African-Americans
• Proportions differ by country of origin.
– Latino families from Cuba are more likely to
be headed by a married couple than families
from Puerto Rico
• Major difference between Latino families and
other racial-ethnic families is culture
– Spanish language
– Roman Catholic religion
– Strong family orientation with disapproval of
divorce
Machismo
• An emphasis on male strength and
dominance
• The husband-father plays a stronger role
than in either white or African American
families
• Machismo apparently decreases with
each generation in the U.S.
Asian American Families
• Almost identical to that of white families
• Because Asian Americans come form twenty different
countries, their family lives vary, reflecting their many
cultures.
• As with Latino families, the more recent their immigration,
the closer families reflects country of origin.
• Although adopted the nuclear family, also retain Confucian
values that provide a distinct framework for family life:
–
–
–
–
–
Including humanism
Collectivity
Self –discipline
Respect for the elderly
Obligation
• Parenting: more permissive than whites in child rearing and
more likely to use shame and guilt than physical punishment
to control children’s behavior.
Native American Families
• Most significant issue is whether to adhere to
traditional values
– Speaking Native languages
– Emphasizing distinctive Native American values
and beliefs
– To assimilate into the dominant white culture
• Structure closely resemble Latino families
• Parenting: permissive with children and avoid
physical punishment. Elders play a much more
active role in children.
Figure 16.4 Family Structure: The Percentage of U.S. Households Headed
by Men, Women, and Married Couples
Source: By the author. Based on Statistical Abstract 2000: Table 44; 2002: Tables 37, 38, 40.
One Parent Families
• Have become a matter of general concern in U.S.
• Percent of children living with both parents dropping
from 85% in 1970 to 69% today.
• Two primary reasons:
– High divorce rate
– Increase in births to unmarried women
• Most head by women, most poor
• Children are more likely to:
–
–
–
–
–
Drop out of school
Get arrested
Have emotional problems
Get divorced
If female, more likely to have children as unmarried teens
Figure 16.5 The Decline of Two-Parent Families
Source: By the author. Based on Statistical Abstract 1995: Table 79; 2002; Table 54. *author’s estimate
Gay and Lesbian Families
• In 2000, the state of Vermont became the first state to legalize
“gay unions”, joining a number of European countries that have
made same-sex marriages legal.
• Gay and lesbian families in the U.S. are highly urban, with about
half of them concentrated in just 20 cities.
– The cities with the greatest concentration of gay families are San
Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New York City, and Washington D.C.
– About one fifth of gay and lesbian couples were previously married to
heterosexuals.
– 22% of lesbian couples and 5% of gay couples have children.
• Same-sex couples face many of the same problems as
heterosexual couples:
–
–
–
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Housework
Money
Careers
Problems with relatives
• Are more likely to break up, however, and one argument for
legalizing gay marriages is that it would lead to longer-lasting
relationships.
http://thesocietypages.org/socimages/2012/03/14/updated-map-of-legal-statusof-same-sex-marriage/
Families Living in Poverty
• http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?i
d=7389750n
• http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?i
d=7358670n