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Gendered Power in Cultural Contexts: Part II. Middle Class African American Heterosexual Couples with Young Children
Author(s) -
COWDERY RANDI S.,
SCARBOROUGH NORMA,
KNUDSONMARTIN CARMEN,
SESHADRI GITA,
LEWIS MONIQUE E.,
MAHONEY ANNE RANKIN
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
family process
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.011
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1545-5300
pISSN - 0014-7370
DOI - 10.1111/j.1545-5300.2009.01265.x
Subject(s) - solidarity , power (physics) , gender studies , context (archaeology) , social psychology , perception , psychology , variety (cybernetics) , sociology , social environment , developmental psychology , political science , politics , geography , social science , physics , archaeology , quantum mechanics , neuroscience , artificial intelligence , computer science , law
When race and gender intersect, understanding gendered power may be complicated. The authors first describe the historical context that serves as important background for understanding gender and power in heterosexual African American relationships. Then they show how family solidarity in the face of social injustices often overrides gender equality as a goal for middle class African American couples with young children. The findings illustrate pragmatic equality within couple relationships and the willful suspension of gender roles for the well‐being of the family as a whole. However, gendered power impacts couples in a variety of ways. Sometimes a woman's fear that the man might leave, for example, diminished her power in the relationship. Often a woman accommodated a man's greater power in the family because of her perception that he was often denied power in the larger society. Societal discrimination of women was less visible to couples. Implications for practice are provided.