Introduction
The United States is a community that is characterized by a diverse society. Other than the native whites, other ethnic or diverse groups like African Americans, Asian Americans, and Hispanic Americans also inhabit the land. Unlike the Native Whites, the other inhabitants' families face challenges as they strive to secure opportunities for the prosperity of their generations (Jiang, Kellermanns, Munyon, & Morris, 2015). This paper will focus on the African Americans, and highlight their family dynamics and challenges in such an ethnically diverse community as the United States.
The African Americans initially arrived in America as slaves, and there was no special relationship between then and the natives other than slavery. During that time, slaves were denied all their rights and privileges - they were basically at the mercy of their masters. First attempts to have a civil rights movement were thwarted on the basis that slaves would no longer submit to the whites. African American families, therefore, were compelled to operate under inhumane conditions, with no one to defend them. Later, when the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was institutionalized, inequalities based on sex, national origin, religion, race, and color were banned (Hersch & Shinall, 2015). However, families belonging to the group still live under uneven conditions like discriminative insurance cover. The African Americans also trade in an uneven economic ground due to unequal earning capacity in places of work.
African American also face a disruption of family units. The disintegration of family structures arises due to high rates of births outside wedlock, and cases of absentee fathers (Father Matters, 2019). Lack of family support grid for the youthful members of the group has also hit hard African Americans in the urban areas of the USA. Such crises have further fueled the perpetuation of negative images of the group among the natives. Besides, the disparity has also contributed to defining the American social and political landscape by polarization based on races.
The other challenge facing families of African Americans is the rise of underclass. According to Solicitors (2014) in spite of the emergence of many economic and social advances, and even the rise of a professional class of educated African Americans, sections of urban areas have still trailed behind in terms of development. Usually, such areas are prone to social immoralities and abuse of drugs (Alcohol Education Trust, 2019). Unfortunately for the African Americans, the society has labeled them to be responsible for such social crimes as a result of the existence of an underclass among their families. Whites are also opting from urban to suburban areas, leaving behind inadequately funded schools in the urban. Ideally, the betrayal of students in city schools, and ideology about the African Americans' relation to social crimes are also adversely affecting their families.
Despite the fact that families across the United States are facing childcare crisis and just a few options for families at work, the magnitude of the challenge varies across the various groups in the country. African Americans, for instance, receives the largest proportion of the tragedy. Statistics show that around 75% of African American children under 6 years of age have their parents in the workforce. Comparatively, the proportion is above 60% of non-African American children (Solicitors, 2014). With a high rate of African American women in the workforce, there is a need for childcare in the families whose mothers are not available to take care of their children.
The United States Census Bureau report that children under the age of 5 years are of color (Ratcliffe, Burd, Holder, & Fields, 2016). The trend points to a possible future situation in which learning institutions and workforce will be dominated by non-whites. With the probability, the black families and future generations are likely to face further inequalities at places of work, hence even at home. To illustrate, African American parents earn an average of 40% less than their non-Hispanic colleagues. With demands like child need for childcare and other family needs, they generally face low purchasing power and economic dilemmas. An instance, some parents may choose to leave the workforce in favor of their families temporarily, and specifically their children (Skogrand, Henderson, & Higginbotham, 2006). As a result, their economic productivity and returns narrow. Therefore, coping with family issues is proving to be a challenge for African American parents.
On average, African American women have low educational attainment in comparison to other women (University of Cincinnati, 2019). So, they develop inferiority against the whites. Thus, they prefer to marry from within their ethnicity than practice out-marriage. And when they marry black men, then they are more likely to choose a man with less education than themselves. In difficult situations, women might decide not to marry at all. The cycle continues since children attend bad schools, and are more likely to drop out before graduating. Their families, therefore, ideally live in poverty that is passed on to next generations.
Disparities among communities living in America is widespread. Unfortunately, minorities get affected more by the adversities than the natives. The US government has a responsibility to bridge the gaps and harmonize all sectors, in attempts to create equity in the society.
References
Alcohol Education Trust (2019). Retrieved 30 September 2019, from https://alcoholeducationtrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/ParentGuide.pdf
Carter, D. R., & Peters, T. (2016). The Underrepresentation of African American Women in Executive Leadership: What's Getting in the Way. Journal of Business Studies Quarterly, 7(4), 115-134.
Father Matters: Why Dads are Important for Their Children. (2019). Retrieved 30 September 2019, from https://www.ksre.k-state.edu/historicpublications/pubs/MF2923.pdf
Hersch, J., & Shinall, J. B. (2015). Fifty Years Later: The Legacy of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 34(2), 424-456.
Jiang, D. S., Kellermanns, F. W., Munyon, T. P., & Morris, M. L. (2016). The Family Ties that Bind: How Emotion and Family Dynamics Preserve Socioemotional Wealth. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 2016, No. 1, P. 11936). Briarcliff Manor, NY 10510: Academy of Management.
Kawashima, M. (2017). New Immigrants and the "Underclass." In American History, Race and The Struggle for Equality (Pp. 143-163). Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.
Programs | University of Cincinnati. (2019). Retrieved 30 September 2019, from https://online.uc.edu/programs/behavior-analysis/
Ratcliffe, M., Burd, C., Holder, K., & Fields, A. (2016). Defining Rural at The US Census Bureau. American Community Survey and Geography Brief, 1-8.
Skogrand, L., Henderson, K., & Higginbotham, B. (2006). Sandwich Generation. Retrieved 30 September 2019, from https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=2529&context=extension_curall
Solicitors. (2014). Complex Divorce: Navigating Financial Issues. Retrieved 30 September 2019, from https://www.slideshare.net/bannerjones12/complex-divorce-navigating-financial-issues
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