Posted: October 18th, 2023

Race and Ethnicity in Family Structures

Race and Ethnicity in Family Structures
Research has shown correlations between race or ethnicity and tendencies in family structure patterns in the United States. According to recent sociological studies from 2011 to the present, differences exist in marriage rates, divorce rates, cohabitation rates, and nonmarital birth rates among racial/ethnic groups.
Non-Hispanic white families have been found to have higher marriage rates compared to other races or ethnicities in America (Kreider and Ellis, 2011). White families also demonstrate lower divorce rates, lower cohabitation rates, and lower nonmarital birth rates than black families and Hispanic families (Kreider and Ellis, 2011; Wang and Parker, 2014). Approximately 24% of black children reside with only their mother, whereas 6% of white children and 13% of Hispanic children live in female-headed single-parent households (Kreider and Ellis, 2011). This disparity may partly result from elevated incarceration rates of black men (Wildeman, 2009).
Hispanic families have seen an increasing prevalence of unmarried cohabitation rather than marriage. Around 19% of Hispanic parents cohabit, as opposed to only 8% of white parents (Kennedy and Bumpass, 2008). Nevertheless, Hispanic immigrants from traditionally Catholic homelands like Mexico may still prefer marriage over cohabitation (Landale and Oropesa, 2007).
Asian families have the highest rates of two-parent married households, with around 80% of Asian children living with two married parents compared to 65% of white children (Kreider and Ellis, 2011). Asian cultures also emphasize intergenerational cohabitation and family support systems (Xu et al., 2010).
In summary, research indicates race and ethnicity correlate with tendencies in family structures in the U.S., as non-Hispanic white, black, Hispanic, and Asian families demonstrate divergent patterns relating to marriage, divorce, cohabitation, and single parenthood (Kreider and Ellis, 2011; Kennedy and Bumpass, 2008; Wildeman, 2009; Landale and Oropesa, 2007; Wang and Parker, 2014; Xu et al., 2010).
References:
Kreider, Rose M., and Renee Ellis. 2011. “Number, Timing, and Duration of Marriages and Divorces: 2009.” Current Population Reports, May, 70-125. https://www.census.gov/prod/2011pubs/p70-125.pdf.
Kennedy, Sheela, and Larry Bumpass. 2008. “Cohabitation and Children’s Living Arrangements: New Estimates from the United States.” Demographic Research 19: 1663-1692. https://doi.org/10.4054/DemRes.2008.19.47.
Wildeman, Christopher. 2009. “Parental Imprisonment, the Prison Boom, and the Concentration of Childhood Disadvantage.” Demography 46: 265-280. https://doi.org/10.1353/dem.0.0052.
Landale, Nancy S., and René S. Oropesa. 2007. “Hispanic Families: Stability and Change.” Annual Review of Sociology 33: 381-405. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.33.040406.131655
Wang, Wendy, and Kim Parker. 2014. “Record Share of Americans Have Never Married.” Pew Research Center’s Social & Demographic Trends Project. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2014/09/24/record-share-of-americans-have-never-married/
Xu, Qingwen, Chioun Lee, and Arjumand Siddique. 2010. “Caregiving Across Generations: Continuity and Change Among Chinese Immigrant Families.” Journal of Comparative Family Studies 41(5): 709-726. https://www.jstor.org/stable/41604385

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