Which factor likely contributed to African American families' strong extended family ties?

Which factor likely contributed to African American families' strong extended family ties?

• A. African American families were often poor, requiring shared resources.
• B. African American marital relationships were more fragile than White marriages and ended more frequently in divorce or widowhood.
• C. Higher rates of immigration fostered kin networks.
• D. Government policies prevented extended family living.

Answer: (A)

The main idea is that extended kin networks form as a practical response to economic hardship and limited formal supports. When poverty is common and resources are scarce, families naturally pool housing, income, and caregiving across generations. This mutual aid becomes a durable pattern, strengthening ties among relatives because relying on a broader kinship circle helps the family weather discrimination, unemployment, and limited access to social services. The other reasons aren’t as explanatory here: immigration patterns didn’t shape African American family networks in the same way, marital instability alone doesn’t inherently produce stronger extended ties, and government policies did not categorically prevent extended living—if anything, structural barriers often pushed families to lean more on kin for support.

The main idea is that extended kin networks form as a practical response to economic hardship and limited formal supports. When poverty is common and resources are scarce, families naturally pool housing, income, and caregiving across generations. This mutual aid becomes a durable pattern, strengthening ties among relatives because relying on a broader kinship circle helps the family weather discrimination, unemployment, and limited access to social services. The other reasons aren’t as explanatory here: immigration patterns didn’t shape African American family networks in the same way, marital instability alone doesn’t inherently produce stronger extended ties, and government policies did not categorically prevent extended living—if anything, structural barriers often pushed families to lean more on kin for support.