American Family Life Research Articles

African American family life in societal context: Crisis and hope

Since 1965 hundreds of articles and books have been published about African American families. Nevertheless, our understanding of these families continues to be limited. There is a tendency to gloss over important within-group differences; thus, monolithic, stereotypic and inaccurance portrayals of Black family life are common. This paper sets aside debates of Black family pathology or viability, focusing instead on these families' essential character. The paper seeks to understand Black families on their own terms, locating them in relevant social, historical, political and cultural contexts. Key empirical patterns and trends reveal dramatic changes in Black family geographic location, headship, quality of life and socioeconomic status since 1950. A complex picture is revealed. There has been gradual but steady overall improvement alongside persistent, extreme racial disparties and pronounced class disparities among Black families. The proposed Black Family Socio-Ecological Context model specifies and connects institutional, interpersonal, environmental, temporal and cultural facts that shape the essential character of Black family life in such a way as to produce characteristics simultaneously shared and idiosyncratic. The model also provides an organized, systematic accounting of research and public policy issues relevant to the study of African American families.

Families Before and After Perestroika: Russian and U.S. Perspectives.

Presenting the first substantive comparison of Russian and American family life in the post-Cold War era, this volume yields a diversity of insights into the successes, failures, and challenges faced by both societies. An outgrowth of the United States/Soviet Family Project - initiated in 1985 as a means for developing meaningful, programmatic cooperation between Soviets and Americans - the book provides the most faithful rendering to date of the unique aspects of family life that have characterized Soviet socialist society through much of the twentieth century. Emphasizing the cooperative nature of the book, the information is derived from intensive research, discussions, and exchanges conducted by Russian and American social scientists specializing in particular areas of family study. Each chapter presents cogent analyses of historical and contemporary issues that have been placed into perspective by family scientists. The topics covered represent a range of important issues confronting post-Soviet families today, as well as thoughts about what the turmoil of the current period will bring. The text begins with an overview of major trends in the two societies and ends with interpretive analyses by the editors. Eschewing subjects widely covered in other recent publications, early chapters explore such highly selective family issues as the current state of male-female relationships in marriage, trends in divorce and remarriage, sexual attitudes and practices, the relationship between work and family life in centrally regulated and free enterprise economies, and family-related problems of aging populations. An incisive debate between a Russian and an American on definitions of familypolicy is concretely brought to life by a discussion on the respective strengths and weaknesses of child care programs in the two societies. The concluding chapter analyzes the themes that emerge from a comparative examination of Soviet and American family life, and presents provocat

The Impact of Racism on American Family Life

This review emphasizes the importance of therapists' awareness of the impact of race and racism on family life. Severalcurrent works of broad social commentary are examined.

Putting Families First: America's Family Support Movement and the Challenge of Change

Sweeping social changes of the past three decades have dramatically altered American family life. At the same time, it has become increasingly clear that the strength of our society is inextricably linked to the strength of its families. In this book, leading scholars and practitioners in family support come together to reflect on the issues and challenges currently faced in the family support field and to offer insights into strengthening policies, programs, and services. Drawing on their diverse and unique perspectives, the authors examine the evolution of current principles and practices in family support and discuss future directions in quality services, training, and evaluation. They analyze the movement of family support programs into mainstream institutions such as schools, the workplace, churches, and prisons. And they project a vision in which family support approaches guide the manner in which systems, communities, and national policies work to promote family well-being.

Promotion of African American family life: Families, poverty, and social programs

Promotion of African American family life: Families, poverty, and social programs

Changing Demographics: Past and Future Demands for Early Childhood Programs

This article provides a historical analysis of how demographic changes in the organization of American family life from the mid-1800s to the present have shaped the demand for programs to complement the efforts of families to educate and care for their children. The author asserts that the United States is in the midst of a second child care revolution. The first occurred in the late 1800s, when families left farming to enable fathers to take jobs in urban areas and when compulsory free public schooling was established for children age six and above. The second has developed over the past 55 years as the proportion of children under six living in families with two wage earners or a single working parent has escalated and propelled more and more young children into the early childhood care and education programs discussed throughout this journal issue. Looking to the future, the author sees indications that the demand for early childhood care and education programs will continue to grow while the needs of the children to be served will become increasingly diverse. To meet these dual pressures, the author argues that public funding for early childhood programs--like funding for public schools--is justified by the value such programs have for the broader society.

African American family life: The dynamics of interactions, relationships, and roles

African American family life: The dynamics of interactions, relationships, and roles

Child Welfare: An Africentric Perspective

Child Welfare, twenty-one educators call attention to racial disparities in the child welfare system by demonstrating how practices that are successful for white children are often not similarly successful for African American children. Moreover, contributors insist that policymakers and care providers look at African American family life and child development from a culturally-based Africentric perspective. Such a perspective, the book argues, can serve as a catalyst for creativity and innovation in the formulation of policies and practices aimed at improving the welfare of African American children.

American Families: A Research Guide and Historical Handbook

Introduction: The Study of the American Family by Joseph M. Hawes and Elizabeth I. Nybakken Changing Approaches to the Study of American Family Life by Maris A. Vinovskis and Laura McCall Periods in the Study of the Family The Preindustrial Family (1600-1815) by Ross W. Beales, Jr. The New Model Middle Class Family (1815-1930) by Marilyn Dell Brady Families Face the Great Depression (1930-1940) by Winifred Wandersee Families, World War II and the Baby Boom (1940-1955) by Judith Sealander New Rules: Post War Families (1955-Present) by Steven Mintz Topics in the History of the American Family Women and the American Family by Margaret M. Caffrey African American Families by Karen Anderson Native American Families by Nancy Shoemaker Immigrant Working-Class Families by Selma Berrol Selected Bibliography Index

Cultural Diversity and Sexual Abuse Prevention

This study addresses the question, How do lessons about touching and privacy frequently taught to children in sexual abuse prevention programs correspond to acceptable patterns of intimacy among families from different ethnic groups? Data on patterns of family intimacy dealing with bathing practices, sleeping arrangements, and physical contact were gathered from a survey of 364 mothers representing six ethnic groups: African Americans, Cambodians, Caucasians, Hispanics, Koreans, and Vietnamese. The findings reveal that (a) there are a number of significant differences among the groups studied in regard to acceptable patterns of intimacy in family life, and (b) the lessons of child sexual abuse prevention training set normative boundaries for parent-child relations that do not take into account the diverse patterns of acceptable behavior in American family life. These findings raise the issue of how to balance the collective obligation to protect children with the wish to respect diversity in family life.

The Urban Underclass.

Many believe that the urban underclass in America is a large, rapidly increasing proportion of the population; that crime, teenage pregnancy, and high school dropout rates are escalating; and that welfare rolls are exploding. Yet none of these perceptions is accurate. Here, noted authorities, including William J. Wilson, attempt to separate the truth about poverty, social dislocation, and changes in American family life from the myths that have become part of contemporary folklore.

Are Families Deteriorating or Changing?

Many observers of contemporary American family life view current sociodemographic and psychological trends in family affairs with alarm, as evidence of an irrevocable "decline" in the viability of "the" family as the fundamental "building block" of American social orga nization and development. This article presents the postmodern thesis that family structures are changing for the better, in response to post- materialist transformations in social values that are associated with greater freedom of choice, equality, and autonomy, especially for women.

Parent-Child Relations: Assessing Recent Changes

Profound structural changes in American marriage and family life over the past three decades have transformed traditional living arrangements for children and stimulated an enormous amount of popular and scholarly interest regarding the consequences for children's well-being. Of greatest concern have been the impact of divorce, single-parent families, maternal employment, dual-earner marriages, and a general erosion of parental commitment and support. A systematic review of the research indicates that although parents and children spend very little time together, they remain generally satisfied with their relationships, largely due to a pattern of consistent, but detached, parental support. I argue that the consequences of maternal employment, divorce, and single-parent family structure have been greatly exaggerated, and that researchers need to investigate processes more directly influencing children, notably economic hardship and high levels of marital and family conflict.

Reviews and Short Notices

Reviews and Short Notices

Domestic Revolutions: A Social History of American Family Life

Domestic Revolutions: A Social History of American Family Life

Domestic Revolutions: A Social History of American Family Life.

Domestic Revolutions: A Social History of American Family Life.

Steven Mintz and Susan Kellogg. Domestic revolutions: A social history of American family life. New York: Free Press, 1987. 400 pp. $22.50 (cloth) (Reviewed by Larry M. Logue)

Journal of the History of the Behavioral SciencesVolume 25, Issue 3 p. 246-248 Book Review Steven Mintz and Susan Kellogg. Domestic revolutions: A social history of American family life. New York: Free Press, 1987. 400 pp. $22.50 (cloth) (Reviewed by Larry M. Logue) First published: July 1989 https://doi.org/10.1002/1520-6696(198907)25:3<246::AID-JHBS2300250314>3.0.CO;2-9AboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume25, Issue3July 1989Pages 246-248 RelatedInformation

Cross-cultural developmental comparisons: The case of Japanese-American infant and mother activities and interactions. What we know, what we need to know, and why we need to know

The main aim of this article is to review the status of one important field of psychological comparison between Japanese and American cultures, viz., activities and interactions of infants and mothers. The article is organized around three issues. The first concerns some of what we know already about Japanese and American infants and mothers. This part of the review focuses on comparative studies of infant activity and the epistemological controversy surrounding investigations of infant activity in relation to the origins of culture. Infant activity is a central feature and a common denominator of most cross-cultural developmental comparisons of Japanese and American family life. An equally important goal of the substantive part of this review is heuristic. The second issue in this article concerns why we need to know about similarities and differences between Japanese and American infants and mothers. The third concerns what we need to know from future comparative research on Japanese and American family life.

Steven Mintz and Susan Kellogg. Domestic Revolutions: A Social History of American Family Life. New York: Free Press. 1988. Pp. xx, 316. $22.50

Steven Mintz and Susan Kellogg. Domestic Revolutions: A Social History of American Family Life. New York: Free Press. 1988. Pp. xx, 316. $22.50 Get access Mintz Steven and Kellogg Susan. Domestic Revolutions: A Social History of American Family Life. New York: Free Press. 1988. Pp. xx, 316. $22.50. Linda Gordon Linda Gordon University of Wisconsin Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar The American Historical Review, Volume 94, Issue 3, June 1989, Pages 835–836, https://doi.org/10.1086/ahr/94.3.835-a Published: 01 June 1989

Domestic Revolutions: A Social History of American Family Life

Domestic Revolutions: A Social History of American Family Life