The rate of divorce for first marriages is slightly higherfor interracial couples than it is for couples that marrywithin their race. Many interracial and interethniccouples attend marriage/relationship education(MRE) workshops because they experiencerelationship challenges that are related to their racial/ethnic background. People/families from differentparts of the world can have diverse opinions ongender and family roles, acceptable relationshipswith friends, childrearing practices, money values,and emotional expressiveness, among others. Whileall couples have issues to negotiate,…
Marriage education generally offers useful skills for couples. Nevertheless, practitioners may need to adapt curriculum materials to help participants learn and remember lessons. This tip sheet provides strategies for fine tuning programs toward the African American community. The tips can be applied to any curriculum, but it is important to note that marriage educators should know their audience in order to determine which strategies will create the most positive results. (Author abstract)
This fact sheet explores how gender roles and expectations impact couple interaction, family decision-making, and perspectives on marital satisfaction. Background information is provided on traditional gender roles and behaviors in the United States and attitudes of men and women toward gender roles. Trends revealing Americans are moving away from patriarchal marriages are discussed, as well as findings from studies that indicate more decision-making by women, the impact of gender role expectations on relationships, and differences in Hispanic and African American couples. Graphs compare…
Race, as well as culture, ethnicity, and religion, are important factors leading to an increase in diversity seen in today's marriages. As such, it is difficult to isolate the impact of racial differences within a marriage. This Fact Sheet highlights trends and rates of interracial marriages in American society, and discusses possible explanations of these trends. (Author abstract)
This fact sheet notes the diversity of the Asian American population and explores trends in marriage and intermarriage rates in the Asian community. Statistics are reported that indicate: all Asian ethnic groups living in the U.S. have a greater than 60% marriage rate; compared to other racial groups, the Asian marriage rate is most similar to that of non-Hispanic Whites; Asians in the U.S. have an intermarriage rate slightly greater than 25%; and of those who are intermarried, 92% are married interracially and 8% are married interethnically. Additional information is provided on the current…
Culture influences marriage and it is helpful for practitioners to understand this influence in order to offer culturally relevant marriage education services. Although Asian Americans make up a relatively small portion of the U.S. population (4.4 percent, Census, 2002), they are highly represented in interracial marriages. Other common characteristics in Asian American households include high rates of marriage, and a larger portion of households are family households. Although the Asian American population is diverse, representing at least 16 different countries and multiple languages, there…
Brief
There are 4.3 million Native Americans in the United States. They represent 562 different tribes and speak 292 different languages. Yet, they make up only 1.5% of the total U.S. population and are the second smallest ethnic group in the U.S. This Research Brief is designed to offer an overview of the health and socioeconomic status of Native Americans, to describe varying definitions of family across tribes, and to discuss various aspects of historical trauma and how this trauma has affected the overall well-being of most tribes and their family systems. Finally, this brief will discuss what…
One way to strengthen Hispanic families and give hope to our society is to promote healthy relationships among couples and make marriage a priority. It is very important to develop a campaign in which the male figure in Hispanic families is motivated to engage in his relationship with his wife and children. Hispanic men need to understand (and be convinced) that they are not just providers, but their involvement is vital to the education and well-being of their children's lives. The following tips were compiled by a program dedicated to serving low-income and migrant working families in…
Understanding the culture and values of your audience is of utmost importance. Culture is defined as a person's belief system, language, behaviors and values. Understanding how a person's culture frames his or her worldview and relationships, while not passing judgment, is cultural sensitivity. Because of the strong relationship between culture and marriage, it is important that marriage and relationship education programs are culturally relevant. This tip sheet offers program operators or marriage educators ways to appropriately adapt their program or curriculum to connect with their…
There are a number of areas that marriage and relationship education program providers must address when designing and implementing a program for Native American communities. There have been a number of lessons learned from Native American cultural experts and program practitioners who have developed culturally relevant marriage education programs. These services can be effective for Native Americans living on reservations and for those who are not.There is great diversity within the Native American community. The various tribes have distinct traditions, customs and languages. This Tip Sheet…
