Abstract
In the late nineteenth century, family and household composition in the United States was more complex than ever before or since. The 1980s represent the opposite extreme: Households are simpler than they have ever been. Only 6 percent of households include extended kin, and the proportion of families with unrelated individuals is even lower. This chapter presents the preliminary stage of a larger project concerning one facet of the simplification of household structure: the decline of multigenerational living arrangements, with a special focus on differentials between blacks and whites. Social scientists frequently view household structure as a strategic and rational response to prevailing demographic or economic conditions. This functional approach is partly a consequence of static analysis. The dramatic changes in population composition during the course of the twentieth century complicate the study of changing family structure. The treatment of family structure as a simple dichotomy masks some key differences between blacks and whites.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | The Changing American Family |
Subtitle of host publication | Sociological and Demographic Perspectives |
Publisher | Taylor and Francis |
Pages | 15-42 |
Number of pages | 28 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9781000243390 |
ISBN (Print) | 9780367290696 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2019 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 1992 Taylor & Francis.