TRACING INTERGENERATIONAL RELATIONS THROUGH REPORTS OF TRANSFERS OF TIME AND MONEY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AFRICAN‐AMERICANS, HISPANICS AND WHITES

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe any patterns of distinctive sociocultural adaptation in the form of exchanges of time and money between American households, and to determine whether any observed racial or ethnic differences remain after controlling for social background characteristics. We tested one dimension of the sociocultural adaptation hypothesis — Through processes of distinctive sociocultural adaptation, minority group members learn to survive by adjusting behaviors, values, and informal organization in response to demands and stressors in their social environment. The focal adaptation in our study involved instrumental and expressive exchanges between households. The findings showed that minority groups on average were less likely to participate in instrumental and expressive exchanges between households as compared to the majority group. The study involved a secondary analysis of data collected in 1987–1988 as part of the National Survey of Families and Households (N= 13,017). Logistic regression was used to test for racial and ethnic variations in a multivariate context.

Citation

Spreitzer, E., Schoeni, R. and Rao, K.V. (1996), "TRACING INTERGENERATIONAL RELATIONS THROUGH REPORTS OF TRANSFERS OF TIME AND MONEY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AFRICAN‐AMERICANS, HISPANICS AND WHITES", International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 16 No. 12, pp. 11-34. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb013284