Black family structure. Social Structure and Black Family Life: An Analysis of Current Trends on JSTOR 2022-10-05

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The concept of family structure is a complex one that can vary significantly from one culture or community to another. Within the African American community, the structure of the family has often been shaped by the unique historical and social contexts in which it has existed. This essay will examine the ways in which the black family structure has been influenced by factors such as slavery, segregation, and economic inequality, as well as the ways in which it has evolved and adapted over time.

One of the most significant factors that has shaped the black family structure is the legacy of slavery. During the time of slavery, African American families were frequently separated and forced to live and work apart from one another. This had a profound impact on the structure of the black family, as parents and children were often unable to form and maintain close relationships with one another. In addition, the institution of slavery often resulted in the sexual exploitation of enslaved women, leading to a high rate of children born out of wedlock and a lack of stability within family units.

Another factor that has influenced the structure of the black family is segregation. Throughout much of the 20th century, African Americans were subjected to legal and societal segregation in the United States, which often resulted in the isolation of black communities and the creation of distinct cultural and social norms. This segregation had a number of effects on the black family structure, including a lack of access to education, employment opportunities, and social services, which in turn contributed to higher rates of poverty and instability within black families.

In recent decades, the structure of the black family has continued to evolve in response to changing social and economic conditions. One trend that has emerged is the increase in single-parent households, which now make up a significant portion of the black family structure. This is often due to a variety of factors, including the high rate of incarceration of black men, economic instability, and the lack of access to affordable child care.

Despite these challenges, the black family has a rich history of resilience and adaptability. Many African American families have found ways to overcome adversity and create strong, supportive relationships within their communities. This has often involved the development of strong networks of extended family and friends, as well as the use of cultural traditions and values to strengthen bonds within the family.

In conclusion, the structure of the black family has been shaped by a variety of historical, social, and economic factors. While it has faced numerous challenges and setbacks, the resilience and adaptability of the black family has allowed it to thrive and remain a vital part of the African American community.

Changes in Black Family Structure: Implications for Welfare Dependency on JSTOR

black family structure

Summary Overall, there are two forms of social groups that from the basis of Bemba marriage and traditional family. National Vital Statistics Reports. Havenstein, and John B. First, in succession and inheritance the man inherits his dead grandfather, maternal uncle, or brother. Everyone has a different reason why they want children.

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Social Structure and Black Family Life: An Analysis of Current Trends on JSTOR

black family structure

Retrieved 15 April 2013. The Jim Crow theory is on slightly firmer ground when it comes to drug offenses. Married black women are even rarer. Mainly, because the agencies thought such households would harm the children, both emotionally and economically. The dramatic social changes in Africa during the last three decades of political independence from European colonialism have obviously affected the traditional family. Lusaka: National Educational Company of Zambia, and Kenneth Kaunda Foundation, 1970 Queen, Stuart A. Social ills would diminish if there were more stable, two-parent black households.

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The Breakdown of the Black Family

black family structure

Second, an identifying drum beat used at ceremonies. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1958, 1967, 1975. The husband could take his wife home if the marriage was thought stable especially after the couple has had two or more children. Because of this, extended families among the Bemba are not really as large as those found, especially among patriarchal polygynous traditional families in other tribes be it in Southern, Eastern, or West Africa. A total of 68 linguistic terms of relationships are used by the Baganda.

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African

black family structure

Social change in Africa as everywhere else is ubiquitous. It was only after 1960, even as more black men were finding jobs and even as legal discrimination was being dismantled with civil-rights legislation, that the family began to unravel. These variations are caused by differences in tribal customs or culture according geography, history, religion, external influence of colonialism, inter migration, political and economic structures and influences. National Vital Statistics Reports. That is why it is so easy for Black men to walk away from their children. Moynihan's report contained a passage that conservatives rarely quote: "Three centuries of injustice have brought about deep-seated structural distortions in the life of the Negro American. Even with the many struggles that African Americans has been through, there is still something out there today that affects the black family.

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For Black Boys, Family Structure Still Matters

black family structure

This chapter only focussed on the matrilineal and polygynous patrilineal African traditional family patterns because they seem representative of the broad patterns that exists on the continent. Current statistics show the disproportionate disadvantage that black men face in the work force, even in a booming economy. Retrieved June 1, 2020. And on that issue—and despite his announced interest in the topic—Coates has been the opposite of lucid. We were responsible for nothing. In the past four decades, a social and economic revolution has transformed traditional patterns of marriage and family among both whites and blacks.

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childhealthpolicy.vumc.org: The Gender Revolution

black family structure

So too were they slow to catch up in the 1960s as crime was on the rise while incarceration rates moved not at all. Many Black families were also separated by far distances, making it difficult for family members to travel and find them. Polygyny though set the tone and often determined the strength of the society and pattern of social organization of the traditional African family. Fifty years ago next month, a Labor Department official named Daniel Patrick Moynihan published a paper titled, "The Negro Family: The Case for National Action," which argued that "a tangle of pathology" afflicting black communities had emerged because "the Negro family in the urban ghettos is crumbling. All are professionals or graduate-level students dedicated to economics research and teaching.

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The Traditional African Family

black family structure

These Anglo-Saxon or Eurocentric descriptions do not help in the fair and accurate perception of the traditional African family. In looking at it in an economic point of outlook countless blacks are overrepresented in local and state administration jobs that are being removed due to substantial resources. This experiment, with a few other scenarios, were used as a means to place children in homes. They can find themselves steered away from white communities by real estate agents or rejected by landlords. Conclusion The traditional African family is a very broad concept which has challenging variations across the continent. One reason: Black men are "in demand" and "don't have to commit to marriage before enjoying the benefits of marriage.

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8 Ways Slavery Affected Black Families And Still Has An Impact Today

black family structure

Middlesex: Penguin Books Ltd. Her conclusion echoes the work of Harvard sociologist William Julius Wilson, who found in the mid-1980s that an increasing share of black men in the inner city didn't marry because they couldn't: They were lucky to earn enough money to support themselves, much less help sustain a family. Never, he says, have the voices of black women and men been angrier or sadder. The project will incentivize innovators who are proximate to the problem and will seek to foster structural changes that remove the drag of racism on home values. The one parent having to shoulder all the decision making for the entire family can be overwhelming at times.

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