CH. 10: Intimate Life

Laws prevented fathers and mothers from defending their children.

African Americans Through slavery, all African Americans were viewed as property, and there was nothing that a white slave owner could not do to his property.

Identify the common characteristics of single mothers.

Common: poor under age 25 Not Common: not in a committed relationship when the child was born. college graduate. Hispanic Most single mothers come from poor class backgrounds. In most cases, the mother and father are in a committed relationship at the time of the birth, although many separate afterward. Most single mothers are in their early twenties (11 percent are under age eighteen). Most single mothers are not highly educated (and more than 30 percent lack a high school diploma). No single racial group constitutes a majority of single mothers, although African Americans have the highest rate of single motherhood.

The behaviors you adopt to strategically shape the impressions that others have of you

Front stage In terms of race, we imagine how particular audiences perceive us and alter our behavior accordingly.

An African American avoids using Ebonics or mentioning famous African Americans when meeting new white students.

Masking Masking is the process of distancing oneself from their own race and racial background around those who they might not yet trust to be racially tolerant.

The arrangement of social performances and the face you present to different audiences at different times

The self We can apply a dramaturgical perspective for understanding the racial order. However, while the back stage and front stage may not differ for many whites, this is not likely the case for nonwhites.

Groups vary in their teenage birthrates. Place the following groups in order from lowest teenage birthrate to highest teenage birthrate in 2016.

White Americans -> Black Americans -> Hispanic Americans The white American teenage birthrate was 14.3 per 1,000 females in 2016. The Black American teenage birthrate was 29.3 per 1,000 females in 2016. The Hispanic American teenage birthrate was 31.9 per 1,000 females in 2016.

Boarding schools separated parents from their children.

Native Americans Some Native American children were sent to boarding schools and never saw their parents again.

_____ likely suffered the most from a systematic attack on the institution of the family. Some _____ slaves were forced to sleep at the foot of a mistress's bed and were subject to abuse of all kinds. The priority for the lactating mothers' milk often went to the children of _____. Families were often forced to have many _______, which became a disadvantage after slavery was abolished.

1. African Americans 2. Women 3. Whites 4. Children On plantations, there was less of a slave "family" in the conventional sense of the term, but rather a "reproductive unit" controlled by the master, who could pursue any sexual, physical, and emotional tolls on his slaves.

In the 1980s and 1990s, law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts began to charge women who used any type of drug during pregnancy with abuse, neglect, and delivering a controlled substance to a child.

False

What do the authors conclude about racial identity and racial politics?

Identity-based thinking not only can be important in promoting social justice, but also in impeding struggles for social justice. Identity-based thinking and politics have their place and have been employed in the service of social justice, but some thinkers have begun to wonder about the usefulness of the concept of identity.

Identify the true and false statements about mass sterilizations of women of color.

True Forced sterilizations in the South came to be known as "Mississippi appendectomies" & Mexican American women were routinely coerced into sterilization during labor False Five percent of all Puerto Rican women of childbearing age had been sterilized by 1968 Why? because... It was a common belief among blacks in the South that black women were routinely sterilized without their informed consent and for no valid medical reason. Medical personnel withheld treatment to laboring patients until they signed a consent form (offered only in English even if the patient could not read it) or falsely claimed the procedure was reversible or medically necessary. It was far more than five percent. One third of Puerto Rican women were sterilized in a campaign partly funded by the federal government.

Identify the true and false statements about interactions between racial groups.

True Because of America's legacy of racial domination, some nonwhites are distrustful of whites. Whites do not need to know much about nonwhites to navigate society, but nonwhites must know about whites to do so. Many blacks and Hispanics have been taught that arguments should be handled "on the spot." False Whites must operate with a "double consciousness." Why? because... It is nonwhites that must operate with a "double consciousness." One strategy is "testing," the act of "feeling out" members of other racial or ethnic groups to evaluate their level of racial tolerance and understanding. Nonwhites may have their guard up around whites until they are confident they are trustworthy or "down with the cause." Because whiteness is the dominant and "normal" racial category in all of society's fields of life, whites need not be reflexive about their whiteness to get ahead in the world. This means that some whites find nonwhites, especially blacks and Hispanics, loud and confrontational.

Joe is a Hispanic teenager that lives in suburban Los Angeles, and his mother is a mid-level manager at a media company, where she was given stock. His friend, Michael, is a Hispanic teenager in downtown Los Angeles, and his parents own and operate two successful restaurants where they started out as servers. Given this information, identify the true and false statements about Joe and Michael.

True Their outlook on social class is likely different. They both likely identify as middle class. False They have the same understanding of their Hispanic identity. Their identity would be identical to Michael's Hispanic cousin in Buffalo, NY Why? because... Despite similar class positions, the different work environments (a media agency or restaurant) and class trajectory (inheriting wealth, rather than acquiring it through upward mobility) likely give the boys different class experiences and outlooks. It is likely that they both identify as middle class because of their wealth and professional occupations as managers. Geography is another important factor that shapes identity. For example, urban Hispanics may understand their identity differently than suburban Hispanics. Regional differences can also dramatically affect one's identity.

After slavery was abolished, black families adopted different family structures than the family forms that existed under slavery. Which of the following best explains how these emerging relationships compared to family structures in white families?

Some black families were characterized by patriarchal relationships, while many black families had more egalitarian relationships. Patriarchy came to define many black families. But unlike white women, many black women often worked alongside black men, picking cotton, harvesting rice, swinging axes—and many were not about to allow one kind of freedom (emancipation) to usher in another kind of oppression (patriarchy).

A white man and Native American woman were able to marry in North Carolina

Antimiscegenation laws In 1967, the Supreme Court ruled antimiscegenation laws unconstitutional in Loving v. Virginia and Americans began to marry across racial lines in record numbers.

Single motherhood often has significant economic disadvantages. In 2003, only ____ of custodial mothers possessed a child support order. Welfare cutbacks have also led to less support for poor families; only _____ of adults living below the poverty line receives cash assistance in the form of welfare. Because single mothers have made up an increasing percentage of the poor, sociologists have characterized this situation as the _____ of poverty.

1. 64 percent 2. 10 percent 3. feminization

How many interracially married couples live in the United States today?

4.8 million Rates of interracial marriage rose more than tenfold by the turn of the twentieth century and increased by another 28 percent between 2000 and 2010.

According to the textbook, the following figure displays the frequency of online dating responses when men sent requests to women. Select the five racial combinations in which men were least likely to get responses from women.

Asian women and black men Hispanic women and black men White women and asian, black, and hispanic men

Citizenship laws forbade women from entering the country and joining their husbands.

Asians The citizenship laws would later forbid all Asian immigrants from entering the United States.

Which of the following are examples of cultural labor?

Examples: A white woman learning about her Hispanic partner's unique racial experiences A Native American understanding the history of a friend's family who is an Arab American Not Examples: Asian American parents help their biological daughter with her schoolwork An African American working full time for an opera company Why? because... Cultural labor refers to learning about another person's culture in any meaningful relationship that traverses racial boundaries. Similar to a white parent who must learn about, and be prepared for, their adopted black child's experiences with racism, this illustrates cultural labor. By learning about a friend's distinct racialized experiences, this Native American is crossing racial boundaries.

Some people have intersectional identities, whereas other people do not.

False Because we all occupy multiple social locations, and our identities are multi-dimensional, it is important to adopt an intersectional framework to understand our social experiences. No one is "just white" or "just a woman," but has distinct combinations of race, ethnicity, gender, class, age, family roles, and so much more.

Edward Morris conducted an ethnography on racial identity and interactions in a majority black school in Texas. What did his study of white students in this context discover?

Many white students performed a black identity and many of the boys linked whiteness with femininity Why? because... Many white students tried distancing themselves from a white identity. They wore their hair in cornrows, sagged their jeans, tilted their caps, wore gold chains, and spoke "black English." White students maintained their white privilege. Morris found that black teachers viewed whites as good and responsible students, and they were more likely to discipline nonwhite students. In this school, nonwhite students used the term "white" to insult and tease those who were overly polite and nerdy.

Why is it acceptable for nonwhites to demand racial power (e.g., "Black Power") but unacceptable for whites to demand "White Power"?

Nonwhites are responding to structural racism Why? because... No one would need to demand "Black Power" or "Chicano Pride" if in reality power were evenly and justly distributed across racial groups. To demand power for nonwhite groups is to rightly claim power that has been taken away from them

A boy born to a white man and an African American woman is considered black

One-drop rule The "one-drop rule" classified all people with African American blood as black. During slavery, this meant that all biracial children (often the result of slaves who were raped) were born into slavery.

A Hispanic student makes subtle comments to evoke a white student's response and "feel out" their empathy for immigrant experiences.

Testing Testing is the act of "feeling out" members of other racial or ethnic groups to evaluate their level of racial tolerance and understanding.

Sociologists Kathryn Edin and Maria Kefalas interviewed more than 160 young, urban, and poor single mothers to understand why many remain unmarried after having children, and why they decide to have children when caring for them may require living hand to mouth.Which of the following did they conclude based on their research?

The mothers felt having children outside of marriage was better than marrying unwisely only to get divorced later. In other words, the mothers revered marriage so highly that they refused to trade vows until they were certain the marriage would last.

Which of the following reflect an intersectional view of social identity?

The phrase "white trash" is a slur that predates the American Civil War & Somali immigrants that entered the United States in the past year have different experiences than Somali Americans who have lived in the United States for three generations. Why? because... A common critique of second-wave feminism, which started in the 1960s and focused on liberating women in personal spheres such as work and family, was that it did not consider the different class and racial experiences of women. In other words, it claimed to universalize women's experiences and was not intersectional. The term "white trash" has racial and class connotations, and it was originally used against rural white Southerners. This statement acknowledges that their country of birth shapes their experiences, highlighting unique experiences within the broader group.

Immigrant families experience relatively high levels of divorce. What is the most significant threat to the stability of these marriages?

The process of immigration itself In the majority of cases, immigrant families migrate in bits and spurts. This can lead to a variety of situations (e.g., partners spend long times apart or a partner works long hours for low pay) that break up or put strains on the family.

The various racial groups have different likelihoods of marrying someone outside of their own race. Based on people married in 2010, place the following groups in order from the least likely to marry outside of their race to the most likely.

Whites-> Blacks->Hispanics-> Asians Why? because... In 2010, only 9 percent of newly married whites married someone who was not white. Approximately 17 percent of blacks married someone who was not black. However, black men were much more likely to marry someone outside their race than black women. Approximately 26 percent of Hispanics married someone who was not Hispanic. Approximately 28 percent of Asians married someone who was not Asian.

Throughout the 1900s, American families were remade and gender dynamics continued to change. Which of the following events helped bring more equality to American families during this time?

World War II & the Great Depression Why? because... With a significant portion of the male workforce fighting overseas, large numbers of women went to work in factories, shipyards, and other places. The Great Depression sent thousands of men to the unemployment line and diminished their role as breadwinner. Women and children had to join men in helping make ends meet, forcing men to relinquish total control of family finances. Jim Crow helped maintain racial boundaries and did nothing to bring about equality in American families. The Racial Integrity Act was Virginia's state law that banned marriages between any white person and any nonwhite person.

Many of our behaviors and styles of interaction are shaped by our racial background. However, we tend to view them as _____ and not associated with our race. And because they differ, they can lead to various forms of _____. An explanation of this is that we come from different spaces of _____.

1. natural 2. misunderstanding 3. interaction The authors argue that when interacting across racial lines, we need to extend to others the benefit of the doubt while practicing humility and respect. We should not attribute a misunderstanding in a conversation to some imaginary characteristics of another group.

In mainstream media, the phrase "reproductive ______" is often used as a synonym for expanding access to abortion and _____, but reproductive _______ especially for nonwhite women, also means fighting for the right to _______.

1. rights 2. birth control 3. justice 4. have and to raise children And even today, leading reproductive rights organizations have ignored issues that women of color face in their reproductive lives, such as the fact that black women are between three to four times more likely to die in childbirth than are white women.

With multiracialism on the rise, a popular question in conversations about interracial marriage is the following: "If we all are multiracial, is racism on its way out?" The authors argue that this scenario is ____. For example, interracial sex and multiracial offspring were common during colonial times and slavery, and race relations were____. Furthermore, one in three Americans still _____ of interracial marriage.

1. unlikely 2. conflictual 3. disapprove Racism can shape-shift and adjust to demographic changes, as it has in Brazil where interracial relationships have long been the norm.

Rates of marriage have declined for all American women over the last four decades, but some racial groups have had more significant declines than others. Place the following groups in order from the lowest marriage rate as of 2012, to the highest.

African American Women (As of 2012, 62 percent of black women had married by their early forties) -> Hispanic Women (As of 2012, 83 percent of Hispanic women had married by their early forties) -> White Women (s of 2012, 88 percent of white women had married by their early forties) -> Asian American Women (Asian American women have the highest marriage rates)

When you let your guard down and step out of character

Back stage When we can relax from thinking about race in our interactions and ignore the ways that the audience perceives us, we are in the back stage.

There have been controversial debates about what constitutes a "real Indian" or "black sincerity." What are these struggles of racial authenticity essentially about?

Determining who is permitted membership in a group Why? because... Furthermore, any dynamic designed with the specific intent of governing behavior and including and excluding people from a community is bound to provide deep satisfaction and meaning to those "let in" as well as a painful sense of rejection for those "kept out."

A Native American dresses differently and changes their manners of speech when interacting with other Native Americans, as opposed to a predominantly white group.

Double Consciousness Double consciousness, or double vision, is the sense of being seen differently by different groups and "code-switching" to interact more effectively with each group.

Many of the nearly 300 low-income single mothers Kathryn Edin and her research team surveyed in three American cities said that they couldn't risk marrying the fathers of their children. Why not? Identify which explanations were given by the mothers, and which were not.

Explanations: Many of the fathers were unemployed. Some of the fathers were domestic abusers. The mothers wanted to make household and parenting decisions themselves. Not explanations: Marrying would cause mothers to lose their welfare benefits. Why? because... Marrying a child's jobless father risks adding yet another mouth for a mother to feed rather than a source of additional household income and stability. Marriage would limit the mother's ability to leave a domestic abuser. Marriage would limit their ability to make household and parenting decisions.

African American marriages are twice as likely to end in divorce as those of whites and native-born Mexican Americans. Which of the following factors contribute to this difference?

Incarceration, spousal dissimilarity, psychological strain of racism, and poverty Why? because... Incarceration increases the risk of divorce, and African Americans have the highest incarceration rates. Couples with high levels of incompatibility with respect to socioeconomic differences, conflicting views on gender roles, different degrees of educational attainment, and a large age gap are at higher risk of divorce, and studies have shown that black couples exhibit greater spousal dissimilarity than nonblack couples in these key areas. Many studies have documented the psychological costs of racism, which can have negative impacts on a marriage. The financial strain of poverty is more likely to lead to divorce, and African Americans have the highest poverty rates. There is no evidence suggesting that black couples have more divergent expectations of children than do couples from other racial groups.

A white woman and African American man married in New York would not be permitted to live together in Virginia

Loving v. Virginia Antimiscegenation laws made interracial sex and marriage illegal. In Virginia, it was punishable by a prison sentence of between one and five years.

Repatriation Programs sent some family members to a different country.

Mexican Americans Some of the Mexican Americans who were "repatriated" to Mexico were actually born as U.S. citizens and, therefore, were sent to a country they never knew.

According to the authors' concluding remarks at the end of the chapter, which are some of the problematic aspects of focusing on identity?

Problems: If we focus on identity, it is likely to reveal our differences and can cause further divisions. Identity necessarily turns our gaze inward, which may cause us to lose sight of other people's hardships. When claims about the world are rooted in one's own identity, we can justify questionable claims about how the world works. Why? because... Focusing only on racial identity encourages a person to view the world not as a reflexive thinker, who has evaluated the social-scientific evidence, but as someone with a distinct identity. It is important to think through your social experiences and how it has shaped your thinking, but it is equally important not to confine your thinking about racial domination to notions about your own racial identity. If anything, focusing on identity overemphasizes the need to respect our differences. Respecting our differences might cause us to avoid the bigger issue of uniting across differences to fight injustice. When we begin sentences with phrases like "As a black woman," or "Speaking as a gay man," these kinds of identity-based statements help us to discuss different experiences, but they sometimes are used to justify questionable claims about how the world works. Our anecdotal experience and interpretation of it are no replacement for reflexive thinking and social-scientific analysis.

Compared with other racial groups, black women are the least likely to enter heterosexual marriages. Which of the following factors help explain why black women have lower marriage rates?

The rise of mass incarceration, racial dating preferences among heterosexuals, black men have fewer economic opportunities than other men Why? because... There are virtually no racial differences in cohabitation rates, so black women are NOT more likely to cohabit with their partners rather than marry There are stark racial differences in imprisonment, and in poor black communities that are intensely policed, black women outnumber black men by sizable margins. Studies of online dating show that requests from black women have lower response rates than any other group. Stable employment opportunities have disappeared from predominantly black neighborhoods (e.g., the inner city) and resulted in the growth of a population of black men who are not considered "marriage material."