RACE VS. ETHNICITY
Race: Traditionally defined as biological
characteristics that distinguish folks
(Mongoloid, Negroid, Caucasoid).
Ethnicity: The social and cultural chars.
that distinguish folks.
RACE VS ETHNICITY CONT’D…
But is this right? Is race biological?
NO. Race is actually just a social
construction as well. People really aren’t
wholly biologically distinguishable and
there is lots of mixing….
Evidence:
 Human genome project finds we’re all
99.9% similar.
 We’re all variations of the same form
(no 3-eyed four-legged green humans)
SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY OF RACISM
Dehumanizing the Other
1. Other is inferior human
examples
 biased IQ tests
 biased portrayals (weak, dimwitted)
2. Other is only part human
examples
 decided at Constitutional
Convention that blacks 3/5 human
3. Other is not human at all
examples
 Native Americans were “savage”
 African slaves were “uncivilized…”
Why Dehumanize?
 To justify inhumane treatment
(exploitation, slavery, genocide, etc.)
SOC PSYC OF RACISM:
ATTRIBUTION ERROR & RACISM
Attribution: blaming/explaining away
phenomena…(i.e. explaining why
someone is poor)
Attribution Error: tending to attribute
things consistently to agency in certain set
situations, structure in others…
Racism & Attribution
Actor Identity:
Ingroup Outgroup
(Same
(Dif.
Race)
Race)
Pos
Agency
Behavior or
Characteristic Neg Structure
Structure
Agency
SIMILARITIES OR DIFFERENCES?
There is much debate on whether we
should focus on similarities or differences.
Scale/Level Matters:
Macrolevel
Differences important because…
 Inequalities need to be identified for
policy purposes (affirmative action,
funding for neighborhoods, etc…)
 Social movements must assert
difference for similar reasons….
Microlevel
Similarities important because…
We should treat each other equally!
(We’re all human, after all…!)
AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILIES
Background
 1960s—civil rights and good economy
leads to employment and income gains
among African Americans
 1973—economic slowdown begins and
hits African Americans hard, especially
the men
 1970s & 1980s—African American men
lose their manufacturing jobs, African
American women enter the growing
service sector
 1980s & 1990s—African American
marriage declines. William Julius
Wilson argues that this is primarily due
to economic forces (loss of jobs, etc.)
DECLINE OF MARRIAGE
Some Statistics....
The percent of African American women
who will get married in their lifetime:
1950s: 88%
1990s: 64%
The percent of children born to
unmarried African American mothers:
1970s: 38%
1990s: 69%
The percent of African American
households headed by one parent:
1970s: 33%
1990s: 58%
REASONS FOR DECLINE:
Economics
 Economics are very important when
getting married
 There are too few “marriageable men”
around for African American women:
 for every 3 unmarried African
American women in their 20’s, there
is only 1 African American man in
his 20’s not in poverty
 steady employment is still very
difficult to find for young African
American men
 inner city violence and crime affects
African American men most
MORE REASONS FOR DECLINE:
National Trends
 Marriage is actually in decline for all:
Why?
 individuality, independence
Cultural Life
 Kinship networks are typically more
inclusive among African Americans:
 grandparents play more of a role in
raising children, as do siblings,
cousins, aunts & uncles, etc.
AFRICAN AMERICAN ADVANCES?
 A sizeable middle class has emerged
among African Americans
Are they really “middle class?”
 The income of the African American
middle class may qualify them as
“middle class,” but their wealth is low:
 African Americans have 1/10 wealth
of whites, on average
 very little inheritance; discrimination
in loans, etc.; lower home values
 Some successful African Americans feel
a need to give money to relatives
HISPANIC FAMILIES
Some general stats and facts:
“Hispanic” is a very general term that
includes a diverse array of groups in US:
65% are Mexican Americans
14% are Central & South Americans
10% are Puerto Rican
04% are Cuban
Today, there are just as many Hispanics
as there are African Americans in US
One family attribute that most Hispanic
Americans share is broad kinship
HISPANIC FAMILIES, CONT’D
Mexican American Families
“Grandfamily” structure rather than
nuclear family
Total fertility rate for women is 3.2,
which is higher than other groups
Percent of women giving birth who are
not married is 40%--which is lower
Mexican Americans marry younger than
other groups
Labor force participation of Mexican
American women is quite high (52.9%)
HISPANIC FAMILIES, CONT’D
Puerto Ricans
44% of Puerto Ricans live on mainland
Because Puerto Rico is part of US,
immigration is not very selective.
As a result, many of the folks coming
from Puerto Rico are NOT the richest
Puerto Ricans have lowest education,
highest unemployment of all Hispanics
Cubans
Immigration from Cuba more selective
Cubans have been welcomed, helped
Cubans have strong social capital—
networks allowing access to resources
ASIAN AMERICAN FAMILIES
Again, diverse array of groups
Again, broad kinship important; parents
are very important
Social capital is strong among some; some
groups are doing quite well economically
Intermarriage is common
NATIVE AMERICAN FAMILIES
Broad kinship important—some tribalism
Still not doing all that well economically
Very few good studies out there