Kin Support among Blacks and Whites: Race and Family Organization

This article addresses two central debates in the scholarship on black families: the disorganization versus superorganization debate and the culture versus structure debate. Focusing on kin support as a measure of family integration and using the National Survey of Families and Households (1992-1994...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American sociological review 2004-12, Vol.69 (6), p.812-837
Main Authors: Sarkisian, Natalia, Gerstel, Naomi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African American culture
African Americans
Black people
Black White Differences
Black women
Child care
Child care services
Children
Comparative analysis
Cultural differences
Cultural heritage
Cultural values
Culture
Debates
Economic Status
Emotional support
Ethnicity
Families & family life
Family
Family (Sociological Unit)
Family Structure
Financial support
Gender
Gender differences
Gerstel, Naomi
Households
Housework
Kinship
Literature reviews
Men
Minority & ethnic groups
Multiculturalism & pluralism
National Surveys
Oppression
Parents
Participation
Polls & surveys
Race
Racial differences
Racial groups
Sarkisian, Natalia
Scholarship
Sex Differences
Sexuality. Marriage. Family relations
Slavery
Social structure
Sociology
Sociology of the family. Age groups
State Surveys
Support
Transportation
White people
Whites
Women
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Summary:This article addresses two central debates in the scholarship on black families: the disorganization versus superorganization debate and the culture versus structure debate. Focusing on kin support as a measure of family integration and using the National Survey of Families and Households (1992-1994), this article challenges the assumptions about black and white families in both debates. It shows that blacks and whites have different patterns of kin support involvement. Whereas blacks are more involved in practical support (help with transportation, household work, and child care), whites report greater involvement in financial and emotional kin support This article also shows that gender is crucial for understanding racial differences. Black men and white men are very much alike, whereas there are many significant differences between black women and white women. Furthermore, in understanding kin support, diversity within racial groups appears to matter more than race itself. Social structure explains most of the racial differences in kin support, though cultural differences between whites and blacks do exist and help to explain kin support.
ISSN:0003-1224
1939-8271
DOI:10.1177/000312240406900604