Gerstel and Sarkisian both argue that minority families do not have weaker family ties than whites, contrary to popular belief, and that the reason for this myth is because of social class. Both authors describe how minority families aid one another through practical help, financial aid, and emotional support. They claim that minority families surpass white families in all forms of assistance for financial help and emotional support in terms of women. By revealing white families to be shockingly inadequate compared to minority families, Gerstel and Sarkisian prove that social class and money are the two defining factors that make a decent family. However, financial assistance seemed to be their only argument when explaining why minority families were not as loving and caring as they could be. …show more content…
The authors explained how white families with money did not need practical help such as transportation and child care, which the authors showcased in their article, published in the early 2000s, with outdated data from the early 1990s. If removed from poverty, minority families would be free of asking their extended family of assistance, thus decreasing the need for practical help, which could compromise family communication. Deprivation of money leads to increased family communication because it is necessary for survival, not because it is always genuine. Also, if lack of economic stability leads to greater family ties, does that mean financial help between families is not a symbol of a caring family? Both authors basically claim that white families have weaker family ties than minority families because they already have the means to support
In the article “The Color of Family Ties: Races, Class, Gender, and Extend Family involvement” by Naomi Gerstel and Natalia Sarkisian, there is a theory that they believe in reality, people misunderstand the wrong concept of family involvement. In this case, we need to realize this conflict is still happening in the societies. Base on the authors’ data, Black and Latinos/Latinas families show that they likely to have less education than the whites families therefore black and Latinos/Latinas will focus on reply the helps from the members of the families rather than being independent (49). Toward more, Gerstel and Sarkisian also discuss
Have you suffered and feel disappointment in your life? Who is willing to support to you without any reason when you fail in doing something? The answer is your family. Usually, family members can tolerate our mistakes and help us to solve our personal problems. Many people believe that having a family is happiness and they don’t need to be alone and support with each other. The family life is a very important to discuss because our attitude on the family value may effect to our views toward the world. In the article “ The Color of Families Ties: Race, Class, Gender, and Extended Family Involvement”, Gerstel and Sarkisian argued that that the social class did not make the poor family had weaker ties and the relationship between the extended family members was more fragment. Actually, Gerstel and Natalia Sarkisian claimed that financial problems create weak ties among the color family.
The misconceptions are based on the fact that there is a weaker link between the minority families and their larger relatives. Gerstel and Sarkasian have led a study that shows that this is just but a myth. Through the text, there are racial contrasts since white ladies are more inclined to give and get passionate help while the minority women support their broadened families in performing the family chores such as helping raise kids. Therefore, this provides a justification that an alternative family structure does not imply that the link is weak. The authors further explain that social class reflects the lifestyle of a family as well as the financial ability. Ethnicity or race can only be used to classify people, but not to meet the daily expectations of individuals living in society. In the essay, the role of ladies towards social class comes out as that of contending the financial positions by a family
As stated before, communities within cities tend to be segregated by race and economics. Settlement patterns tend to show that people prefer settling with others that display similar outward traits, usually physical characteristics that can be recognized at first glance. Here, race again plays an important role in community poverty. Many communities create disadvantages for minorities based on the population and location. In the study, a white woman, her children, and her partner are evicted from the predominantly white trailer park. Upon eviction, the couple apply to multiple rental agencies and private apartment complexes with little luck because many property owners do not want the burden of children living in their complexes. As the couple become desperate, the woman considers finding a place in the black ghetto community because prices are much cheaper and there are fewer regulations. However, the partner clearly expresses that by lowering the family by living in the ghetto, they will forever be social outcast and seen as scum. The partner would rather be homeless than
Racial discrimination is the main and ongoing problem in the social life of Americans. When we look at the gap of incomes between White and African Americans, we can see the inequality between these two groups. In general, whites have more annual earnings than their black counterparts in America. Lori Ann Campbell and Robert L. Kaufman emphasized that the wealth determinants, which are the indicators of socio-economic status, have effected more on Whites than Blacks. And even when society is organized, there is still some disparities on account of race and ethnicity. (Campbell and Kaufman, 2006). And income disparities between African and White Americans have definitely effected the peace of the social life. According to Campell and
Annette Lareau, author of Unequal Childhoods Class, Race, and Family Life, revealed her research findings in this enlightening text featuring twelve socially, economically, and culturally diverse families having a child nine to ten years of age respectively in their nuclear family unit. These families were garnered from the author’s coinciding study comprised of eighty-eight children. Lareau, along with her research assistants, visited each family approximately twenty times. Visits included time spent within the home, as well as family events, school functions, doctor’s visits, structured activities, shopping trips, and church services. Wide-ranging contexts allowed researchers a unique opportunity to observe and record a multiplicity of interactions within each family unit.
However, Amanda’s family has potential to thrive despite these challenges if they are resilient (Black & Krishnakumar, 1998). African American families commonly show resiliency by having a strong kinship bonds, central role in religion, racial biculturalism, and enforcing positive self esteem (Black & Krishnakumar, 1998). Amanda’s father can continue to protect her from negative consequences of communities by providing structured activities, like sports, or involvement at recreational centers (Black & Krishnakumar,
According to the article “The Color of Family Ties: Race, Class, Gender, and Extended Family Involvement” by Naomi Gerstel and Natalia Sarkisian. Families of color are more likely to share a home, live next to, and visit relatives as oppose to White families. They also are more likely to help family member out when it comes to “practical task”. The reason families of color are closer to their relatives is because they are more dependent of them. However, when it comes to helping financially White families obtain a great amount of money. Since they have higher income this allows them to provide that financial help their relatives or close friends need. Additionally, families of color also have less education than White families. The authors
In the U.S., there’s a cycle of poverty and hardship that many Black and Hispanic citizens face. This cycle began when the War on Drugs started. The implementation of mandatory minimums, the predetermined punishments that come with drug crimes, greatly impacted ethnic minorities. The amount of minority single-parent households became more prominent in 1960s, where the War on Drugs was emphasized. Families with a single head are increasingly more likely to be in poverty than those with both parents. In the 60’s, Black families held the highest single-parent household population. Gregory Acs, who has a PhD in social work and specializes in social welfare, found that over 40 percent of single-mother families with children were in poverty. Those who are in poverty are defined as having an annual income lower than $22,000 (Acs, et al). The cycle of poverty ensures that those who are in poverty stay in
The African-American family is defined as networks of households related by blood, marriage, or function that provide basic instrumental and expressive functions of the family to the members of those networks (Hill, 1999). It is one of the strongest institutions throughout history, and still today. Family strengths are considered to be cultural assets that are transmitted through socialization from generation to generation and not merely adaptations or coping responses to contemporary racial or economic oppression (McDaniel 1994; Hill 1999). This definition is contrary to the belief that the Black family is an adaptation to harsh conditions, instead of an ongoing establishment. Hill (1999) discusses
The issue of poverty in the United States seems to lie on the grounds of race education and family structure. As expected I found that educational levels paralleled poverty levels. Unexpected , research was found to prove that race did in fact play a substantial role in poverty. Family structure along with other influential factors either locked an individual into poverty or provided a means for escape from the continuing cycle. Other factors contributing to poverty was the location of homes or neighborhoods and the accessibility to better paying jobs.
After obtaining my recent degree in Anthropology from the University of Georgia and securing a job as a campaign assistant for a candidate running for U.S. senate, I have been assigned the task to help my candidate write the best family values policy platform he can. To accomplish this goal, I have interviewed one participant, nineteen-year-old Brandon, about his kinship system. This will help me gather information on the social issues of a family and family values. To give you a quick introduction, Brandon is my boyfriend and someone who I have known for almost a year. I am quite familiar with his family. Brandon grew up in a single-parent home after his parents divorced when he was six. They are not alone here; in 2012, there were 11.2 million single-parent households documented (BOOK pg 366). In this home, he was raised primarily by his mother, and lived there along with his older sister Chrissy Dale. Brandon has a bilateral descent group, meaning the relationships in his family are recognized through both his mother and fathers’ sides of the family (LECTURE). His kinship system is also homogamic, meaning all of the couples in his family married from inside their social group. (LECTURE). Brandon is not my participant’s real name, but will be used for the sake of this project for ethical reasons. In this report, I plan to make known step by step Brandon’s family and who inhabits it, what occupational patterns they have, what residence patterns they follow, and how
The film Our Family Wedding illustrated the diversity among and between families. The film depicted the views of different generations within a family and how an interracial marriage affected them differently. The film explores new contemporary marriage trends and challenges traditional family roles and marriage trends. This paper will explore different demographic trends as it relates to the social constructs of class, race, and gender, survey the recent trends and changes towards contemporary marriage, and study the changes in the family relationships within the film. Conclusively, this film analysis will use textbook concepts and examples in the movie to establish a framework for the diverse family system and the changing marriage.
The families in America are steadily changing. While they remain our most valued and consistent source of strength and comfort, some families are becoming increasingly unstructured. In the past, the typical family consists of a working father, a stay at home mother and, of course, well-rounded children. Today, less than 20 percent of American families fit nicely into this cookie cutter image. American households have never been more diverse. Natalie Angier takes stock of the changing definition of family in an article for the New York Times.
Falicov, C.J., & Brudner-White, L. (1983). The shifting family triangle: The issue of cultural and