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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