The Living Arrangements of African American and Immigrant Children, 1880-1990

Stewart E. Tolnay, University of Washington

I compare the living arrangements of African American and immigrant children from 1880 through 1990. African American children were less likely than foreign-born white children to live with two parents throughout this period, with the gap widening after 1960. African Americans and the small group of non-white immigrants exhibited similar family patterns before 1960. That difference also increased during more recent decades, as both foreign-born Asian and foreign-born black children were more likely than African Americans to reside with two parents. Immigrant children from virtually all nationalities were more likely than black children to live with two parents. My findings reveal that, over time, widowhood declined as a cause of paternal absence for all groups, and the influence of marital disruption increased. Non-marital motherhood was always greater among African Americans than among immigrants, but its role as a cause of children residing in mother-only families increased for blacks after 1960.