Elaine Pinderhughes’ “African American Marriage in the 20th Century” Essay Example

human exploitation. Despite the improvements of their social and economic standing due to civil rights movements, the legacy of slavery and racial discrimination is still apparent today. It is no secret that the African American community is still in crisis from health problems, political and educational injustices, employment, and other opportunities.

Hence, Pinterhughes is right to claim that “African American has been required to live with multiple and ongoing stresses and their family and couple functioning have become highly vulnerable” (Pinterhughes 270).

Industrialization, science, and technology radically alter the choices and lifestyle of the generation that define their existence. Like many other aspects of life, views and approaches on marriage and family were also greatly affected.

Technology and science manipulated some aspects of human life that resulted in a great cultural, political, and economic impact. Many blue collar jobs were eradicated because businesses can after all depend on technology with a cheaper price. As a result, the work opportunities of most African Americans from lower and middle class who were trained to work manually decreased.

As Pinterhughes said, “the disappearance of stable employment and blue collar jobs in urban centers after 1960” encouraged higher levels of poverty. The available jobs in the highest levels of government which is not suited for most African American make them more restricted. Certainly, there are many educated and successful African American people in America today, but that is nothing compared to the number of lower and middle class.

The negligence of opportunities most particularly in employment apparently created emotional and behavioral problems that motivate them to indulge themselves in drugs, alcohol, and worse crime.

Underemployment seriously affects the ability of men to support a family.

This marginality also affects men’s self esteem and also makes them unattractive. Most African American men in US are even in prison and psychiatric hospitals as a consequence of underemployment since instead of working they find other outlet to seek identity and  survival(Pinterhughes 272).

The rates of infidelity of African American males are also a prime factor in marital instability and rising occurrence of divorce among African American married couples.

Pinterhughes’ studies state that men’s infidelity may be connected to the unequal sex ratio. Since there is scarcity in the number of men, women look for more potential partners which they often don’t want to settle for a long term relationship. As a result, men are not likely encouraged to get marry.

Technology and modernity not only declined the rate of employment of the African American people but also influenced their values and standard of morality. Currently, African Americans are likely to conform to the technological revolution and modernization.

They adapt and eventually accept premarital sexual activities, premarital births, and divorce as well as individualistic and materialistic values. While research shows that African Americans value marriage, they are marrying less (Pinterhughes 272).

Pinterhughes also shows through her researches that African American women are more competitive than men. African American women in “have always been more acceptable than men” in white collar jobs. The historically greater availability of employment for African American women has given women a significant economic role and more power at home that created hostile and chaotic female and male relationships (Pinterhughes 274).

African Americans

who are more traditional make “power” at home a great issue. Greater power of women at home “coupled with the absence of guidelines for marital behavior” after their cultural practices have been destroyed by slavery, while immigration created “confusion over gender relations and decision making” (Pinterhughes 275).

African American males often feel the “provider role anxiety” or thinking of himself as an unreliable provider of the family, reinforcing insecurities and eventually violence. The societal predicaments and societal process roles often create tension between couples that becomes destructive in the process.

Pinterhughes stresses that the constructed roles given to both especially for males affected their marital roles. There is a disorganization and inconsistency in couple functioning and healthy family since they are being dominated by their issues internally: anxiety and insecurity.

Pinterhughes provides a complete and satisfying information about African American marriage. In her article, Pinterhughes proved that history affected the African American people, and its effect extends up to the present times.

Traditionally, the sense of femininity and masculinity used to be defined based on marital and family roles as wife and husband and as mother and father. But femininity and masculinity are not already defined on the terms restricted to family life. As for African American people, the social exploitation, slavery, and modernity they are engaged in characterize their sense of marital approaches.

Both sexes have been greatly influenced by these factors which as a result created threat in their sense of compatibility and altered their traditional view towards family life and marriage. Pinterhughes made a sensible research where every detail of societal process roles has been discussed and

its destructive effects to the African American concept of marriage.

The psychological effects of slavery and social exploitation towards African American people have been effectively discussed by Pinter Hughes.

Work Cited

1. Pinderhughes, Elaine B. “African American Marriage in the 20th Century.” Family Process.Ed. William Pinsof. USA: Black