Kin Networks, Race, and Family Structure

Abstract

Data from a national survey of families show that black and white families with children under 18 differ in kin network participation. White families are more likely than black families to receive money from outside relatives; black families are more likely than white families to live with others in an extended family household. Among female-headed families, white families are still more likely than black families to receive money, but the relationship between race and extendedness disappears. The apparent relationship between race and extendedness appears to be due entirely to marital status differences between white and black female family heads. Overall, because black female-headed families are less likely to receive money from other families, black female-headed families appear to benefit less than white female-headed families from a kin network.