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Chapter 3. Dynamics and Diversity of Families. Chapter Outline. American Families Across Time Aspects of Contemporary Marriages and Families Social Class Variations in Family Life Racial and Ethnic Diversity Changing Perspectives on Ethnicity and Family. Native American Families.
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Chapter 3 Dynamics and Diversity of Families
Chapter Outline • American Families Across Time • Aspects of Contemporary Marriages and Families • Social Class Variations in Family Life • Racial and Ethnic Diversity • Changing Perspectives on Ethnicity and Family
Native American Families • In the early years of colonization, there were 2 million Native Americans in what is now the United States. • Most families were small. • There was a high child mortality rate. • Marriage took place between the age of 12 and 15 years for girls and between the age of 15 and 20 for boys.
Colonial Families • The family was the primary unit for producing goods and caring for the needs of its members. • Marriages were arranged. • The wife was not an equal, but a helpmate. • Like her children, the colonial wife was economically dependent on her husband.
Colonial Concept of Childhood • Children were believed to be evil by nature. • Childhood did not represent a period of life radically different from adulthood. • When children reached the age of 10, they were often “bound out” as apprentices or domestic servants.
African-American families • Began in the United States in the early seventeenth century. • They continued the African tradition that emphasized kin relations. • Most slaves lived in two-parent families that valued marital stability.
African-American families After Freedom • Thousands of former slaves formally renewed their vows, as they were now legally able to marry. • The first year or so after freedom was “the traveling time.” • African Americans traveled up and down the South looking for lost family members who had been sold.
Immigration: The Great Transformation • Between 1820 and 1920, 38 million immigrants came to the United States. • Kinship groups were important for survival. • The family economy focused on family survival rather than individual success.
Companionate Marriages • In the 20th century, companionate marriage became an ideal. • Men and women shared household decision making and tasks. • Marriages were expected to be romantic. • Wives were expected to be sexually active. • Children were treated more democratically.
The Depression and World Wars • Family roles and relationships were profoundly affected by the Depression and two world wars. • Survival depended upon a combination of women’s earnings, children’s earnings, assistance from kin, or public assistance. • Between 1941 and 1945 the numbers of employed women increased by more than 6 million, to a high of 19 million.
Families in the 1950s • Marriage and birthrates were unusually high. • Divorce rates were uncharacteristically low. • The economy enabled many to afford to buy houses with only one wage-earning spouse.
Factors That InitiateMarriage and Family Changes • Economic changes • Technological innovations • Demographics • Gender roles and opportunities for women
Labor Force Participation: Married Women w/Children 6 or Younger
Demographic Changes • Three important changes have emerged: • Increased longevity • Increased divorce rate • Decreased fertility rate
Social Class and Family Life: Upper Class • Roughly 7 to 10% of the population occupies this position. • The uppermost level of this class represents 3% of the population.
Social Class and Family Life: Middle Class • Represents between 45 to 50% of the population. • Upper-middle class consists of highly paid professionals (lawyers, doctors, engineers). • Lower-middle class comprises includes white-collar service workers with incomes between $25,000 and $50,000.
Social Class and Family Life: Working Class • About a third of the U.S. population is working class. • Tend to work as skilled laborers, earn between $15,000 and $25,000, and have high school or vocational educations.
Social Class and Family Life: Lower Class • Close to 20% percent of Americans are poor. • The poverty line was determined by calculating the annual costs of a “minimal food budget” multiplied by three. • Families whose incomes are even one dollar above this are not officially classified as poor.
Racial and Ethnic Diversity • 29% of the U.S. population are people of color: • 13% are African American • 11% are Hispanic • 4% are Asian/Pacific Islander • 1% are Native American
African American families • The largest ethnic group in the United States. • Many of the problems African-American families experience are the result of low socioeconomic status rather than family structure.
Features of African-American families • Women traditionally have been employed. • This has given them important economic roles in the family and more egalitarian relationships. • Kinship bonds provide emotional and economic assistance. • Children are highly valued. • Much more likely than whites to live in extended households.
Latino Families • The fastest growing and second largest ethnic group due to immigration and a higher birthrate than the general population. • Important factors in understanding Latino culture: • Ethnic diversity within the culture • Role of socioeconomic status
Latino Families • Emphasize extended kin relationships, cooperation, and mutual assistance. • La familia includes not only the nuclear family but also the extended family. • Bilingualism helps maintain ethnic identity.
Asian Americans • Third largest ethnic group in the U.S. • Immigration contributed heavily to the dramatic recent increase in the Asian-American population. • 66% of Asian Americans are foreign born. • Largest Asian-American groups are Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, and Japanese Americans.
Native Americans • Include nearly 2 million Americans. • Tribal identity is their key identity. • Powwows are gatherings of diverse tribes that center on drumming, singing, and dancing. • Over 1/2 of Native Americans live in cities and remain in contact with their home reservation.
