Family Life in Black America

Eschews the traditional narrow, negative view that focuses on dysfunctional rather than functional aspects of the African American family. The contributions based on empirical data cover such issues as maturation, mate selection, sexuality, procreation, cohabitation and parenting.

Over the past 20 years, African American families have undergone tremendous changes, both demographically and socially. During this time, most of the studies of black families have focused on problems, such as out-of-wedlock births, single-parent families, and childhood poverty. While an accurate appreciation of the challenges confronting black families is important and needed, a "problem focus" tends to offer a narrow, negative view and restricts the consideration of other important issues affecting families. Family Life in Black America moves away from this deficit perspective and the result is enlightening both in its comprehensive reach and systematic scholarship. Readers of this volume will be pleased with the wide range of issues dealt with in this volume, including maturation, mate selection, sexuality, procreation, infancy, adulthood, adolescence, gender issues, young adulthood, cohabitation, parenting, grandparenting, and aging. Each article is firmly grounded in empirical data, based on, but not limited to, the National Survey of Black Americans (NSBA). A fresh aspect of this book is the amount of diversity it reveals withing African American families and the forces that shape, limit, and enhance them. Both uplifting and informative, Family Life in Black America is truly unique in its field and will be used by professionals and students in ethnic studies, family studies, social work, psychology, research methods, and gerontology.