Jessica Helm Family Quiz

Jessica Helm 401

            The two articles Explaining Race and Ethnic Variation in Marriage: Directions for Future Research and Trends in Marital Happiness by Gender and Race, 1973 to 2006 both discuss marriage with an emphasizes on race. Both articles discuss the effects of gender and race and the influence those independent variables have of marriage. Research that was done to better understand the American trends and variation within marriages, and what can be done to explain American marriages.

            Explaining Race and Ethnic Variation in Marriage: Directions for Future Research provides new ways of looking at race trends of marriages. Although marriage is not as financially secure as it used to be, the article explains that a couple financial situation is not the main source in marriage variation. The article suggests new explanations for the marriage variation patterns, for example institutional influences impacts marriage and an explanation for race and marriage trends differs between the social classes.

            Trends in Marital Happiness by Gender and Race, 1973 to 2006 uses the data from the General Social Survey (GSS) from 1973-2006 it discusses effect of gender and race on martial happiness, a total of 24,455 married participants were interviewed. The study suggested that White husbands (41% of people interviewed) are the happiest in their marriage, on the other side of the spectrum Black wives (4.6%)are the least happy. Although black wives were the least happy their position on the spectrum has been steadily increasing in recent years suggesting that Black wives are becoming happier, while other group remained in the same positon or even a slight decrease. The study also stated that the happiest marriages are between people who are 75 years or older.                

            Explaining Race and Ethnic Variation in Marriage: Directions for Future Research explains many theories however there is no data to confirm the information. In Trends in Marital Happiness by Gender and Race, 1973 to 2006 when discussing race the authors grouped all other races other than White and Black, in one group ignoring other races and their marriage trends.

            In conclusion, both of the articles are very interesting they provide an outlook on the statistics of marriage, influences on marriages based on race/ethnicity. Marital happiness differs between race and gender, there still is a sizable gap between White and Black martial happiness. There are many explanations, old and new, for the variation of race in marriages that suggest many factors can influence marriages.