Trading the Picket Fence: Perceptions of Childbirth, Marriage, and Career

Authors

Wanda Parham-Payne, Prince George's Community College
Bette J. Dickerson, American University
Tekisha Dwan Everette, American Diabetes Association

Keywords

Intersectionality theory, single African-American mothers, marriage, childbirth, African-American family

Abstract

While there was a slightly lower rate of out-of-wedlock births in 2009, 41 percent of all births were to unmarried women. Although there has been an increase across the board among older age groups, Black women continue to have children out of wedlock at a disproportionately higher rate than White and Asian women. This is of particular interest, considering African-American women are increasingly attaining higher levels of education in comparison to previous generations of African-American women. As such, the perceptions of childbirth, child-rearing, and marriage among a sample of African-American women matriculating within a postsecondary setting are explored.

Recommended Citation

Parham-Payne, Wanda; Dickerson, Bette J.; and Everette, Tekisha Dwan (2013) "Trading the Picket Fence: Perceptions of Childbirth, Marriage, and Career," The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 40: Iss. 3, Article 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15453/0191-5096.3747
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/jssw/vol40/iss3/6