Dynamic dimensions of family structure in low-income African American families: Emergent themes in qualitative research.

Dynamic Dimensions of Family Structure in Low-Income African American Families: Emergent Themes in Qualitative Research* In the past two decades, dramatic increases in the number of economically disadvantaged households headed by females have renewed scholarly interest in the relationship between persistent poverty and family structure (McLanahan & Sandefur, 1994; Ross & Sawhill, 1975; Wilson, 1987). According to Wu and Martinson (1993, p. 213), "the most common measure of family structure [used in quantitative survey-based studies of family structure] is a dichotomous snapshot contrasting intact families and non-intact families." In these studies intact families are often defined as those in which both biological parents are present in the household. Non-intact families are principally characterized as single female-headed households (see also Cooksey, 1990; Michael & Tuma, 1985). While research that defines family structure according to level of intactness and household composition has provided insights on broad demographic changes occurring in families, it has yet to identify and explore additional dimensions of family structure that are salient in the lives of economically disadvantaged families. We argue, as have Wu and Martinson ( 1993), that family structure may be an "omnibus variable" comprised of multiple latent dynamic dimensions beyond household composition and level of intactness. These latent dynamic dimensions represent the mechanisms that produce family structure effects. The exploration of such mechanisms may tell us more precisely what aspects of family structure are influencing the outcome of interest. A number of social scientists have suggested that qualitative research, namely ethnographic studies, are particularly appropriate for exploring dynamic dimensions of family structure (Axinn, Frick, & Thornton, 1991; Burton, 1995a; Jarrett, 1990, 1994, 1995, in press; Rank, 1992). Ethnographic research, given its focus on intense, continuous, and often microscopic observations of families in a specific environment or culture, provides rich and informative insights on the fluid aspects of family structure as they are experienced in day-to-day family life. Such insights are rarely captured in demographic and survey research which rely heavily on data collected from structured questionnaires administered to respondents at discrete points in time (Ross & Sawhill, 1975). The purpose of this paper is to describe the dynamic dimensions of family structure that we identified and observed in two recent qualitative community-based studies of African American family life. The dynamic dimensions include: extended family networks; the socioeconomic structure of extended family networks; the pace of change in family structure; and the age structure of family members (see table 1). We propose that these dimensions move beyond prevailing conceptualizations of family structure and provide important conceptual starting points for survey researchers to develop comprehensive assessments of the relationship between family structure and outcomes in economically disadvantaged African American families. TABLE 1. DIMENSIONS OF FAMILY STRUCTURE Extended Family Networks: The family members who are related by blood, marriage, and adoption (fictive and legal) and who share domestic and familial caregiving obligations. Socioeconomic Structure of Extended Family Networks: The economic and social assets of family members who comprise the extended family network. Pace of Change in Family Structure: The frequency of modifications in family composition through birth, death, and marriage. Age Structure of Family Members: The age distance between generations within a family. DATA AND METHODS Description of the Studies The dynamic dimensions of family structure reported here were derived from two independently-conducted qualitative studies (see Burton,1992,1995b; Burton, Obeidallah, & Allison, in press; Jarrett, 1992, 1993, 1994 for detailed discussions of methods and substantive findings). …