Using Baca Zinn=S Framework

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Using Baca Zinn=s framework --

How is it that social structure - or position within hierarchy -- has shaped families?

Black Families

Concept of Family

--> African traditions, the experience of slavery, assimilation into the American mainstream, the psychological scars of past and current discrimination, age, education, religion, and geographic origins allow for great heterogeneity within African American culture.

--> however, survival issues based on interdependence and oppression due to racism are commonalities that transcend individual and group differences

--> a general assumption exists among African Americans that regardless of the educational or economic advantages of individuals, the legacy of slavery, racism, and oppression is a common bond

--> family relationships represent "wealth" and guarantee emotional and concrete support in the face of negative feedback from the larger society

--> family is an extended system of blood-related kin and persons informally adopted into this system

--> African Americans often believe that one does not succeed just for oneself but for one's family and race as well

--> family members are expected to stay connected and reach out and assist others who are in need

Motherhood

-- the concept of motherhood is of central importance in the philosophy of both African and Afro-American peoples

-- the norm for Black mothers is that mothers should live their lives of sacrifice

-- motherhood can serve as a site where Black women express and learn the power of self-definition, the importance of valuing and respecting themselves, the necessity of self-reliance and independence, and a belief in Black women's empowerment.

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I. Bloodmothers, Othermothers, and Women-centered Networks

A. Bloodmothers

- biological mothers are expected to care for their children

-- but African and Afro-American communities have also recognized that vesting one person with full responsibility for mothering a child may not be wise or possible

B. Othermothers

-- women who assist bloodmothers by sharing mothering responsibilities-

-- traditionally othermothers have been central to the institution of Black motherhood.

-- African-American cultural value placed on cooperative child care traditionally found institutional support in the adverse conditions under which so many Black women mothered

-- young women are often carefully groomed at an early age to become othermothers

-- some of Black women's status in African-American communities stems from their actions as mothers in Black family networks

-- they derive other power and status from contributions as community othermothers

-- community othermothers -- work on behalf of the Black community by expressing ethics of caring and personal accountability which embrace conceptions of transformative power and mutuality

-- this community based child care is an arrangement that is different from the white family "ideal"

-- according to Baca Zinn, this community based arrangement was socially constructed by social and economic forces

-- this is a creative form of family that arose because it is a way for Black families to cope with their oppressive situation

-- if this is the case, what factors may have contributed to the "creation" of this arrangement?

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-- Hill Collins argues more strongly that women-centered networks have been culturally passed on to Afro-American from their African ancestors

-- she points out that community based child care arrangements exist in other cultures that too have come from African descent; such as: Caribbean and other Black societies

-- despite the obstacles and costs, motherhood remains a symbol of hope for many of even the poorest Black women:

"to me, having a baby inside me is the only time I'm really alive. I know I can make something, do something, no matter what color my skin is...."

-- mothering is an empowering experience for many women

-- children affirm their mothers

-- in a society that denigrates Blackness and womanhood this affirmation is incredibly important for mothers and is part of the reason they keep becoming mothers

Socialization of children -- what is taught in families is affected by place in hierarchy

--> racial socialization takes place in families

--> parental socialization values mirror those of the wider community and society and in turn, societal agents reinforce the socialization themes that are expressed in the family context.

--> however, for black parents, racial prejudice and discrimination are important intervening factors in this process.

-- for black Americans, socialization occurs within a broader social environment that is frequently incompatible with realizing a positive self and group identity.

--> the process of explicit racial socialization is clearly a distinctive childrearing activity that black parents engage in as an attempt to prepare their children for the realities of being black in America

--> among those who do, the family sometimes provides specific socialization messages stressing a proactive orientation toward existing social inequalities

--> who does this socializing?

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-- mothers who resided in neighborhoods in which the racial composition reflected roughly equal numbers of blacks and whites were more likely to socialize their children racially than were mothers who lived in all black neighborhoods

-- mothers who had never been married were less likely, while highly educated, older women were more likely to familiarize their children with racial realities.

Collins teaches us that:

--> daughters learn to expect to work, to strive for an education so they can support themselves and to anticipate carrying heavy responsibilities in their families and communities

-- these skills are essential for their own survival and for those for whom they will eventually be responsible

--> despite the dangers, mothers routinely encourage Black daughters to develop skills to confront oppressive conditions

--> unlike white women, symbolized by Agood looks@ and Awaist-long hair@, Black women have been denied male protection. Under such conditions it becomes essential that Black mothers teach their daughters skills that will Atake them anywhere@

--> for far too many Black mothers, the demands of providing for children in interlocking systems of oppression are sometimes so demanding that they have neither the time nor the patience for affection

-- and yet most Black daughters love and admire their mothers and are convinced that their mothers truly love them

--> make a point of setting aside time to teach the daughters lessons to help them survive

-- like the Saturday nights that were for doing the daughters= hair; this is when the mother would share stories with the girls

Division of Labor -- and attitudes about it are shaped by position in social structure

--> findings suggest that gender distinctions in the provider and homemaker roles are not as rigid in black families as they are in white families

--> Black women have historically had higher levels of participation in the paid labor force than white women, and black men are more likely than white men to endorse the view that women should be employed

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--> despite the fact that black households are more egalitarian, gender differences in contributions to household work indicate that black women still perform the majority of the traditional work of cooking, cleaning, and laundry, and are more likely than black men to feel overworked

Family Household Arrangements -- Extended family households

--> existing research has consistently documented that blacks are more likely to reside in extended-family households than are whites.

--> 6 out of 10 black women experienced some form of household extension during the period from 1969 to 1984

--> extended households primarily due to the presence of grandchildren residing there

--> research suggests that both blacks and whites who are not married have a higher probability of residing in an extended household

--> the practice of Adoubling up@ in extended households has an important bearing on the economic welfare of the family and in comparison to direct case transfers, is generally a less expensive method of providing for needy relatives.

--> the relative contribution of wife, adult children, and non-nuclear relatives constitute a greater portion of the total household income than is the case among whites.

--> another adult in the household may help alleviate the burden associated with caring for an impaired family member or provide the opportunity for a single parent with a young child to pursue educational goals and obtain employment outside the home.

Role of Grandparents in Black Families -- due to social structural constraints

-- find that black grandparents take a more active part in the parenting of grandchildren than whites

-- why?

1. The great probability of blacks residing with grandchildren and in three-generation households (increased opportunity for involvement)

2. A higher incidence of marital, employment and health events among blacks (ie. divorce, layoffs, unemployment, morbidity, etc)

-- these incidences may have important consequences for household arrangements and child care responsibilities

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3. It may be the case that there are explicit cultural norms in support of extended-family relations in operation among black Americans

--> the elderly are held in reverence.

--> older women, more than men, are called upon to impart wisdom as well as to provide functional support to younger family members

Hispanic Families

Large Extended networks as a function of social structural constraints

--> migration propells these large networks

--> the use of families for migration and adaptation -- binational, intercommunity linkages are sustained through resilient family network ties.

--> immigrants from Puerto Rico have an overrepresentation of disrupted families, and cohabitation seems more common for second-generation families

--> however, families on the island seem to be intact

--> characteristics of the Hispanic family are increasingly understood to be a response to socioeconomic conditions.

--> the Mexican American family has had to be flexible, pluralistic, and adaptive to survive.

--> others might argue however, that it is not just social structural constraints that create differences between the experiences of Hispanic and non-Hispanic families --

--> Large extended-family networks enjoyed by Mexican Americans may actually be somehow related to real behavior patterns rather than social structural constraints

--> Mexican Americans participate in relatively large kin networks and engage in high rates of visiting and exchange.

--> the difference seems to lie in the geographic propinquity of Hispanic extended kin networks, which facilitates visiting and exchange behaviors, whereas non-Hispanics are more readily satisfied with long-distance relationships while restricting intimate contact to the nuclear family.

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--> non-Hispanics migrate away from kin networks and Hispanics migrate toward them

--> there are no studies comparing patterns of middle-class Hispanics and non-Hispanics

--> recent studies confirm emotional support as the main outcome of familism

--> the family is the dominant source of advice and help in all generations

Gender Roles in Hispanic Families --> consequence of social structure

--> the implication is that Hispanic families are adaptive, and gender role expectations will change as social conditions require.

--> gender roles among Mexican Americans range from a patriarchal (role segregated) structure to an egalitarian (or joint-role) structure, with many combinations of these two polar opposites evident

--> immigrant Mexican women in Los Angeles find themselves in a process of "proletarianization, where their labor is necessary for family survival

--> whereas many Cuban women left the labor force when short-term goals of improving living standards were attained

--> women in particular, are expected to assume caretaking roles in the family and tend to experience more pressure than do men to devote their lives to the welfare of others

--> becoming martyrs gives them special status, in that family members often seen their sacrifice as exemplary

--> it can also translate into a woman's attempt to fulfill her multiple-role expectations as mother, wife, worker, daughter, and community mother -- in other words, "superwoman" working a double shift at home and on the job

--> men on the other hand, are more likely to assume financial responsibility for elderly parents, younger siblings, and nephews and nieces.

--> this behavior, too, is admired and respected

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Family Relations and Processes are affected by social structural constraints

--> adult immigrants acculturate at a rate that is much slower than that of their children, a difference that leads to profound intergenerational conflicts

--> when Hispanic families arrive in the US, the children usually find it easier to learn English and adapt to the new culture than do parents.

--> parents, on the other hand, may find English too difficult to learn and the new culture unwelcoming and dangerous

--> they may react by taking refuge in the old culture, expecting their children to do the same

--> when this occurs, children typically revel against their parents' rigidity by rejecting parental customs, which are viewed as inferior to the American way of life

--> children who are caught in the conflict of cultures and loyalties may develop a negative self-image

** maybe compare how African American children don't have this struggle necessarily because they are taught from a very young age where their loyalties shall lie; not migrating from another place

Making Changes to the Family are also afftected by social constraints

--> leaving the family system (through divorce or separation) is extremely risky for both men and women because it implies loss of control, support, and protection.

--> for couples who are still adjusting to American culture, the loss of the family system can be devastating

Role of Grandparents

--> Grandparents and other elderly often do so indirectly by caring for grandchildren and thus enabling parents to work or got to school

--> in return for this assistance and by virtue of their being in need, it is expected that the elderly will be cared for by their adult children

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Irish Families

Motherhood

--> within the family, intergenerational relationships throughout the life cycle are handled primarily by the mother

--> she cares for both the old and the young

--> she views caretaking as her responsibility, as does everyone else in the family

--> her main supporters -- daughters and sisters

--> sense of duty is a wonderful resource

--> tend to focus more on their children's conformity to rules than on other aspects of their child's development, such as emotional expression, self-assertiveness

--> traditionally, Irish have believed that children should be seen and not heard

--> Irish fathers play a peripheral role in intergenerational family relationships whereas Irish mothers are central

--> sainted Irish mother -- not always a positive view of her

--> she can be critical, distant, lacking affection, less concerned about nurturing her children as she is about discipline and control

--> social structure affects family structure --- this behavior and these attitudes make sense in a culture with such a long history of foreign domination, in which Irish mothers sought control over "something" through whatever means were available to them and felt a need to keep their family in line to minimize the risk of members being singled out for further oppression

Ideas about who your children should marry

--> resentment over class differences may surface when Irish children marry.

--> the Irish tend to measure others hierarchically as being "better than" or "inferior to" themselves.

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--> thus parents may criticize children for "marrying up" and putting on airs (which usually means marrying a WASP)

--> or parents criticize them for "marrying down"

--> historical influences -- both of these parental reactions are deeply rooted in tensions stemming from the Irish history of oppression by the British, which left the Irish with a deep sense of inferiority

Asian Indian Families

--> can best be understood when we understand the social structural constraints under which they function: their religious beliefs provide the social structural framework

--> one=s karma is sort of one=s position in society and this guides their individual and family behavior

--> Karma can be changed only through death and subsequent rebirth. It is believed that with each rebirth a person moves from a lower cast (pollution) to higher caste (purity) until "nirvana" (eternal afterlife) is achieved. These beliefs perpetuate values of passivity and tolerance, suffering and sacrifice. The more accepting one is of one's karma (passivity), the greater assurance one has of achieving spiritual afterlife (tolerance).

--> in present life the male-centered family system exerts enormous social and economic power over women and children

--> relationships are other-directed rather than self-centered.

--> Spirituality and simplicity are applauded, and family-centered decisions take priority over individual preferences.

--> older men assume decision making authority over all members of the family

--> Fathers are responsible for the education of their male children and for the care of their elderly parents

--> intimacy btw son and mother is emphasized

--> Fathers are responsible for the dowry and marriage of their daughters

--> older women gain status and power though the mother-in-law role

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--> in this system, women realize power by exerting control over women of lesser status

--> young children are often overprotected by grandparents, while being taught to respect their elders

--> older sister-in-law assume a degree of power over younger women entering into the male-centered family system

--> Education of male children is considered necessary for the economic needs of the entire family, whereas education for female children increases their market-ability as brides.

--> aging parents are cared for within the family by adult married male children and, in rare instances, by female children who have families of their own

--> childrearing is a shared responsibility of the women in the male extended family system