Suchergebnisse

Black families in the United States are usually studied from a deficit perspective that primarily considers single parents in poverty. There is, however, considerable diversity among American Black families in terms of social class, immigration status, marital status, and parenting values and practices. Using data from the Contemporary Black Marriage Study, a study of young married couples who are native-born Black, African immigrants, or Caribbean immigrants, this research examines childbearing and parenting values from an intersectional perspective. A sample of whites is included for comparison purposes. The research considers impacts of social class, immigration, gender, and race as well as structural influences. Diversity exists both within and among social and demographic groups.

Résumé À partir de deux enquêtes exploratoires menées parallèlement aux États-Unis et en France, l'article propose de saisir les raisons qui conduisent certains couples de différents milieux sociaux à vivre toujours ensemble, sous le même toit, tout en ne formant plus un couple. Les auteurs repèrent les spécificités de ces arrangements dans la période contemporaine par rapport au passé, et en tirent un certain nombre d'hypothèses quant à la signification que prennent actuellement la cohabitation et le lien familial (comme combinaison de lien conjugal et de lien parental). Malgré des conceptions différentes du mariage et de la cohabitation dans les deux pays, les situations considérées comme « vivre ensemble séparés » (living together apart, LTA) et le sens qu'elles revêtent pour les intéressés sont finalement assez proches de part et d'autre de l'Atlantique. Les récits des personnes concernées témoignent de l'importance des conditions économiques et matérielles dans lesquelles se déploient les trajectoires conjugales, que ce soit pour accéder au mariage ou au divorce. Les répondants considèrent qu'ils se sont installés dans ces arrangements familiaux de façon à préserver la fonction parentale et surtout le lien paternel, et par crainte des conséquences économiques du divorce, crainte qui pourrait augmenter avec la crise.

In this article, we examine variations in low‐income mothers' patterns of intermittent cohabitation and the voluntary and involuntary nature of these unions. Intermittent cohabitation involves couples living together and separating in repeating cycles. Using Three‐City Study ethnographic data, we identified 45 low‐income mothers involved in these arrangements, 18 of whom resided with their children's fathers occasionally while saying that they were not in a cohabiting relationship. We term such relationships living together apart (LTA). Data analysis revealed that distinct patterns of voluntary and involuntary separations and reunifications characterized intermittent cohabitation and LTA and that these relationships were shaped by the bonds that shared parenting created and the economic needs of both parents. We argue that these dimensions may explain some disparate accounts of cohabitation status in low‐income populations. They also demonstrate previously unexplored diversity in cohabiting relationships and suggest further questioning contemporary definitions of families.

Historically extended family networks have been identified as contributing to the resiliency of Black families. However, little is known about how extended family networks impact the lives of Black married couples. What we do know largely stems from quantitative research. Using a thematic analysis of qualitative interviews, we examine extended family network relationships among 47 Black couples from the Contemporary Black Marriage Study who had been married for more than 5 years. Black married couples' relationship with extended family networks affects the marriage through the following acts: (a) extended family living, (b) childcare, (c) advice and emotional support, and (d) interfamilial conflict. The four themes influenced Black marriages in various ways. This study has implications for social workers working with married couples.