1. Introduction to Family Studies
Race, Ethnicity, and Families

2. Race, Ethnicity & Families
How do we define race?
How do we define ethnicity?

3. 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 alleged physical traits that members of a society deem to be socially significant

4. Race, Ethnicity & Families
But race is also a social concept
Race is socially constructed
The characteristics associated with each racial group are subjective
Definitions of race:
vary over time
from one society to another
have emerged from interaction of various populations over long periods of human history

5. Race, Ethnicity & Families
Why do sociologists argue that race is socially constructed?
1) While racial characteristics may have been based on biology -- the interpretation of those characteristics varies from one society to the next, from one group to the next
Societies each decide which racial differences are meaningful

6. Race, Ethnicity & Families
Why do sociologists argue that race is socially constructed?
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?

7. 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

8. Race, Ethnicity & Families
How do we define ethnicity?
A population that shares a cultural heritage
Ethnic Groups have a sense of group identity based on a distinctive cultural pattern or heritage
They often share a place of common ancestry, language, or religion that is the basis of their collective identity

9. Race, Ethnicity & Families
How 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.

10. Race, Ethnicity, and Families
An indication of how fluid (always changing) racial/ethnic categories are:
U.S. Census changed the way they measured race and ethnicity in the 2000 Census
The federal government considers race and Hispanic origin to be two separate and distinct concepts.

11. U.S. Census Form: 2010
On the next slide, note questions 8 & 9 on the next slide showing the 2010 U.S. Census form
#8 measures whether you are Hispanic/Latino etc
#9 measures race

13. Race, Ethnicity and Families
The Census defines Hispanic or Latino as “a person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American,or other Spanish culture or origin regardless of race.

14. U.S. Population by Race, 2010 Number (in 100s) Percent Total:
Number (in 100s)
Percent
Total:
308,745,538
100.0
White only
72.4
Black or African American only
12.6
American Indian and Alaska Native alone
0.9
Asian only
4.8
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander only
0.2
Some other race
6.2
Two or more Races
2.9
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census retrieved from

15. U.S. Population by Hispanic Origin: 2000 & 2010
Not Hispanic or Latino
87.0
83.7
Hispanic or Latino
13.0
16.3
Between 2000 and 2010, the Hispanic population grew by 43 percent!!!
The Hispanic population increased by 15.2 million between 2000 and 2010,
Number of Hispanics rose from 35.3 million in 2000 when group made up 13 percent of the total population to 50.5 million or 16.3 percent of total population

16. Social Construction of Race
Social Experiment repeated after 50 years
Young filmaker, Kiri Davis tests some old ideas
See Assignment 3

17. Race, Ethnicity & Families
Need to recognize diversity in families
How do families vary by race/ethnicity?
How does family structure vary?
How do families’ ties to other social institutions, like education system, the economy, or health care system, vary by race/ethnicity?

18. Race, Ethnicity & Families
Different racial groups make their homes in different neighborhoods
This means they have different access to a different set of social institutions
Social institutions create paths in which families are assigned to a different set of opportunities
Think about schools

19. Race, Ethnicity & Families
Minority families are MORE likely to:
live in disadvantaged neighborhoods
attend under-funded schools
have less access to high level colleges
have poorer health care options
have less access to better, higher paying jobs

20. Interfamily differences
Great differences in families by racial ethnic groups

21. African-American Families
Decline of marriage
Fewer young women who will ever marrya
64% in 1990s (88% in 1950s)
Increase in percentage of nonmarital birthsb
69% in 1998 (38% in 1970) Increases in female-headed familiesc
58% in 1998 (33% in 1970)
Source: a Rodgers & Thornton, 1985; Goldstein & Kenney, 2001
b U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1991; NCHS, 2005a
c U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2003a, 2004a.

22. African-American Families
Union formation - first unions formed are twice as likely to be cohabitations compared to whites
Family incomes for black families well below averages for white families
Economic gains to marriage have declined for black women

23. Families vary by race/ethnicity

24. Hispanic Families
As much variation within the group as between Hispanics and other groups
Mexican Americans, Cuban Americans, Puerto Ricans = 31.3 million people
Mexicans and Mexican Americans = 65%
Central and South Americans = 14%
Puerto Rican = 10%
Cuban Americans = 4%

25. Asian-American Families
Again Asian is an “umbrella” term that includes diverse groups
Less research on Asian-American families as prior to 1965 numbers were lower than Hispanics
But for Example, in 1970 there were 69,000 Korean Americans
By 1998 there were 980,000

26. Asian-American Families
In general Asian-Americans emphasize interdependence among family members over individualism favored by western cultures
Asian families place more emphasis on childrens 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

27. Total Fertility Rate by Race and Ethnicity

28. Percent of Mothers who were not Married

29. Summary Race is socially constructed
Family patterns vary greatly by race/ethnicity
Rates of marriage and fertility vary across racial and ethnic groups
Make sure you know percentages of major racial/ethnic groups
Race is based on biological characteristics
Ethnicity is based on cultural characteristics