Family stability is a very
important concept in the United States. Americans work hard to create a stable
environment for their kids to grow up in. Stability can look different in various
parts of the world or even different regions of the same country. Family stability
within the minority community is an important group to look into when trying to
compare and contrast stability within the families of color and white families.
A stereotype is that many individuals in the black community come from single
parent or guardian homes while white Americans usually grow up with both
parents in the home. Though this is not always the case, there are people of
color who have experienced this first hand. Though a family’s race or ethnicity
does not influence whether the family will be stable, trends can be seen
throughout certain races and ethnicities.
The Cosby Show helped to change
peoples mind about the stereotype that black Americans come from broken homes.
The show featured an upper middle class African American family in New York. Bill
Cosby showed through the series that African American families could be proud, successful
and stable.
Having a stable family life is
extremely important for the children. To ensure the success of the student,
his/her home life needs to be conducive to learning and working hard.
Individuals, especially children cannot be fully productive when change is
taking place in the household. Stability can be achieved through a single
parent home, or a two-parent home. The household just should not go through any
changes like divorce or a marrying into another family. Some research was done
to compare stable families for black, white and Latino families. Claire Kamp
Dush suggests that, “for black families the study did find ways in which
children did better with two parents,” (Kamp Dush). As for white and Latino
children, they, “do well living in single-parent homes if they have a stable home
environment,” (Kamp Dush). Though the researcher found these results, she also
noticed that single-parent families could be just as beneficial as two-parent
families. Both types of families just need to ensure they are raising their
children in a secure and steady environment.
To be more specific, within the
African American community, there can be many factors that can affect the
stability of a family. Black incarcerations rates are also a major contributor
to unstable family environments. With fathers, brothers, or uncles
incarcerated, this can have a negative affect on everyone in the household, and
even extended families. According to the United States Bureau of Justice
Statistics, in 2006, “an estimated 4.8% of black non-Hispanic men were in
prison of jail, compared to 1.9% of Hispanic men of any race and 0.7% of white
non- Hispanic men,” (bjs.gov). Without an older male figure in the household,
younger boys have to find different role models to look up to. These men might
not always be the best role model or might not understand the child enough to
help them mature into young men. This could also apply to daughters living
without her mother, or strong female model in the home.
Even people of color who immigrate
to the US, leave their families to gain access to better opportunities. And
while they are in the US, they might not be able to send the benefits back to
their families. As a result, his/her family does not reap the benefits of the
new opportunities in the US.
According to history in the United
States, the typical American family consisted of a mother, father, and a couple
of kids. However, different influences like economic, social and political
forces could change the meaning of family. For Native American families
especially, when European whites arrived to America, families were broken
through the use of genocide and wars. Colonial families only experienced living
with a single parent when the man left for the armed forces or when someone
passed away. As for African American slaves during this time, marriage was not
legal, but they performed their own ceremonies, (Palmisano, p.1). Families were
broken when slaves were sold to other plantations and forced to leave children,
spouses and extended family behind. There are also many theories that state
that slavery is the reason African American families struggle with stability.
Whether or not they are true African Americans are one of multiple ethnicities
that are susceptible to instability because of their economic, social and
political disadvantages.
Again, family stability is
essential for the success of the next generation. Whether children are coming
from single to two parent homes, guardians need to encourage a healthy and
secure environment, within the home, so that it ensures that children are
working at their highest potential.
"American Families." World of Sociology, Gale. Ed. Joseph M. Palmisano.
Farmington: Gale, 2001. Credo Reference. Web. 23 September 2014.
Graham, Renee. "'Cosby Show' Had A Serious Impact." Boston.com. The New York Times, 02 Aug. 2005. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.
Rosiak, Luke. "Fathers Disappear from Households across America."Washington Times. The Washington Times, n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.
Family stability within the
Caribbean population can be disturbed when they decide to migrate. Child- shifting
can also take place. This is when the family in the US decided to send their
child back to their home island, while they continue working in America. Or the
child can initially stay on the island while their parent(s) works abroad. After
a while, the child is usually able to join the family in America. This is very
common in places like Jamaica, Barbados, Haiti, and Trinidad. These kids who
spend their time between the US and the West Indies are usually called ‘barrel
children’. The name ‘barrel child’ comes from the fact that parents usually
send clothes, toys, and money back to their kids and the caregivers, in
barrels.
