ERIC Number: ED050834
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1971-Mar-12
Pages: 26
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
A Racial Comparison of Developmental Change in Marital-Family Status Projections of Teenage Girls.
Thomas, Katheryn Ann
It is hypothesized that the process of development of orientations toward marriage and procreation will differ for Negro and white girls in terms of goal definitions, import accorded the goals, and dynamics of these orientations. Regarding the latter, it is expected that orientations of both groups will become more realistic over time, expectations more so than aspirations. Reported are data from 165 Negro and white girls, residing in economically depressed areas of rural East Texas, who were originally questioned in 1966 (during grade 10) and who were recontacted in 1968 regardless of school status at the time. Results partially substantiate the hypothesized relationship between race and marital-family orientations. In both 1966 and 1968, Negro girls expressed greater desire to work outside the home after marriage--particularly after children--and accorded desire to marry and raise a family less importance relative to other goals than white girls. Also, both groups desired small families. In 1966, Negro girls expressed desires to marry later than whites; no significant racial differences were found in these aspirations in 1968. In both years, marital-family expectations of the girls were distributed similarly to their aspirations, suggesting that girls perceived few barriers to goal attainment. Contradicting the hypotheses regarding dynamics of orientations, the aggregate distributions of the orientations, even expectations, did not change appreciably over the 2 years with either group. However, evidence of marked individual instability of orientations suggests a need for further research. (Author/AN)
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Sponsor: Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Texas A and M Univ., College Station. Texas Agricultural Experiment Station.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Texas Academy of Science, Nacogdoches, March 12, 1971