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Family Sociology

Race, Ethnicity, & Families

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Race, Ethnicity & Families

How do we define race?

How do we define ethnicity?

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Racial-Ethnic Groups

Racial groups are those with a common set of physical features that distinguishes them from other groups

Race is defined as a category composed of people who share real or supposed physical traits that members of a society deem to be socially significant

For ex. In the U.S. > we focus on skin color, mostly white vs. black

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Race, Ethnicity & Families

But race is also a social concept Race is socially constructed or createdThe characteristics associated with each racial

group are subjective In other words in the U.S. we decided to

focus on skin color or eye shape BUT!!!! Definitions of race:

vary over time from one society to another have emerged from interaction of various populations

over long periods of human history

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Race, Ethnicity & Families

Why do sociologists argue that race is socially constructed?

1) While racial characteristics may have been biological in origin, the interpretation of those characteristics varies Societies each decide which racial

differences are meaningful

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Race, Ethnicity & Families Why do sociologists argue that race

is socially constructed?2) Choice of racial characteristics is

subjective People differ in many ways, but only some of

those differences are emphasized For example, in defining differences in racial

characteristics, why have we focused on skin color or the shape of a person’s eyes?

Why isn’t race based on different blood types or eye color?

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Race, Ethnicity & Families

Why do sociologists argue that race is socially constructed?

3) The characteristics used to distinguish racial differences and stereotypes change over time

4) And the last reason to argue that race is socially constructed is that definitions of race differences vary from one society to the next

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Race, Ethnicity & Families

How do we define ethnicity?A population that shares a cultural

heritageEthnic Groups have a sense of group

identity based on a distinctive cultural pattern or heritage

They often share a place of common ancestry (immigrated from the same country), language, or religion that is the basis of their collective identity

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Race, Ethnicity & FamiliesHow do we define ethnicity?? Ethnic groups often have a sense of brotherhood or

sisterhood that is maintained within a larger society. Members of ethnic groups have usually migrated to

a new nation or have been conquered by an invading population.

Some different ethnic groups include: Italian-AmericansMexican-Americans Irish-Americans

U.S. Census Bureau

The U.S. Bureau of the Census is a Federal agency charged with counting all Americans every ten years

New data from the 2010 Census is being released every week.

Take a few minutes to visit the 2010 website and read the home page

http://2010.census.gov/2010census/about/

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U. S. Census

You may remember receiving the Census form last year

The form was the shortest in history Click on the link below to see the form:

http://2010.census.gov/2010census/about/interactive-form.php

Note questions # 8 & 9 Q. 8 Asks about Hispanic origin (an ethnicity)Q. 9 Asks to select or write in your race.Think about how you would answer those two

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U. S. Census

If you answered no to Q. 8 and selected African American on Q. 9, the Census would combine your two answers and report you as a non-Hispanic African American

How would you answer these two questions? And think about what racial/ethnic category

the Census would categorize you as…

Is the Census category similar to how YOU define yourself? 12

Race & Ethnicity according to the 2010 CensusNote the table on the next page.The top half show the % and number of

people by race for ALL people who said YES to Q.8 meaning they consider themselves Hispanic/Latino(a)

The bottom half shows the % and number of people by race for those who are NOT Hispanic/Latino(a)

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Race, Ethnicity & Families

Need to recognize diversity in familiesHow do families vary by race/ethnicity?How does family structure vary?How does the teen pregnancy rate vary

by race/ethnicityHow do families’ ties to other social

institutions, like education system, the economy, or health care system, vary by race/ethnicity?

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Race, Ethnicity & Families

Different racial groups make their homes in different neighborhoods, and have different access to a set of social institutions

Social institutions include the education system, government, healthcare system, religion etc…

Social institutions create paths in which families are assigned to a different set of opportunities

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Race, Ethnicity & Families

Minority families/ families of color are: more likely to live in disadvantaged

neighborhoods go to under-funded schools have less access to high level collegeshave poorer health care optionshave higher rates of teen pregnancyless access to better, higher paying jobs

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Social InstitutionsFamily sociologists examine interactions among social

institutions and how they influence behaviors, attitudes, and opportunities in families

All of these interactions take place in the context of racial/ethnic relations in the U.S.

Economy

Families

GovernmentEducation

Religion Healthcare

Race/Ethnicity

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Great differences among individual and families outcomes by racial/ethnic groups

Let’s consider the rate of teen pregnancy:

Source: http://www.cdc.gov/TeenPregnancy/Massachusetts.htm

Race/Ethnic differences

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For example:

In 2006 4,724 mothers age 15-19 gave in Massachusetts,

This is a birth rate of 21 per 1,000 females in that age group

Significant disparities exist in birth rates for Massachusetts youth by race and Hispanic origin.

In 2006, the non-Hispanic black teen birth rate was nearly three times higher than the white teen birth rate Hispanic teen birth rate was nearly six times higher

Teen Pregnancy by Race/Ethnicity in Massachusetts

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Sociologist Howard Taylor asks…

Why are African-American families different from other racial-ethnic groups?

And why is the teen pregnancy rate so much higher for African American women?

He makes a “cultural argument” …. African American families rely more on extended family ties, rely less on nuclear family

In other words African Americans families are culturally different from white or Asian families

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Sociologist Howard Taylor asks:

Why are African-American families different from other racial-ethnic groups?

He also makes an “Economic argument”… As we changed from emphasis on industrial occupations to service ones – A.A. men were displaced from their jobs more than white men

African American men, it is argues, “bring less to the table” in terms of economic stability – so African American women are less likely to marry them

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Union formation - first unions (relationships) formed are twice as likely to be cohabitations compared to whites

Family incomes for black families well below averages for white families

Median Family income:African American families is $32,584White families: $51861

Economic gains to marriage have declined for black women

African-American Families

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Race, Ethnicity & FamiliesHow are the race categories

used in Census 2000 defined?To see how the Census defines race and

ethnic categories you can download the Census report

Go to: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/Scroll down and click on:

“An Overview: Race & Hispanic Origin in the United States”

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Hispanic FamiliesAs much variation within the group as between

Hispanics and other groupsMexican Americans, Cuban Americans, Puerto

Ricans = are the three largest groups of Hispanics living in the U.S.

Of all Hispnaics in the U.S. 63 % are Mexican 9.2 % are Puerto Rican 3.5 %Cuban Americans = 24.3 % are other including Dominican, Central

& South Americans, and Spaniard (from Spain)

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Asian-American Families

Again Asian is an “umbrella” term that includes diverse groups

Less research on Asian-American families as prior to 1965 numbers wee lower than Hispanics

But for Example, in 1970 there were 69,000 Korean Americans

By 1998 there were 980,000Asian Americans population grew faster than

any other group between 2000- 2010 Source An Overview: Race and Hispanic Origin in the U.S.

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Asian-American Families

In general Asian-Americans emphasize interdependence among family members over individualism favored by western cultures

Asian families place more emphasis on children’s loyalty and service to parents

Asian-American adults are more likely to live in a household with an adult child who provide most of the income

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Summary

Racial categories were originally based on physical or biological characteristics

But sociologists argue that race is also socially constructed (or created)

Ethnicity is based on your country of origin, culture, language spoken, traditions.

Make sure you know percentages of major racial/ethnic groups

The newest numbers are from the 2010 U.S. Census

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Summary

Families vary greatly by race/ethnicityRates of marriage and fertility rate varies

across racial and ethnic groupsTeen pregnancy rates vary by race and

ethnicityAsians are the fastest growing group from

2000 to 2010