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Gerstel And Sarkisian Minority Families Summary

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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such as transportation and child care, which the authors showcased in their article, published in the early 2000s, with outdated data from the early 1990s.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

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