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The article analyzes the status of African American women in the U.S. The relationship between sexual and racial oppression uniquely affects the African American woman, who experiences both, and who is sometimes forced to choose whether her interests lie primarily with other women or with other blacks. But despite the difficulty of characterizing the women's movement and its goals, at least one thing seems sure. As part of a general trend toward self-definition, the black woman will undoubtedly determine for herself whether and when to align with white women or black men, or whether to identify primarily with other black women whose interests may sometimes coincide with, but are not exhausted by, the more general interests of others of her race and sex.

Oprah Winfrey currently occupies the role of one of the most influential women and effective African American philanthropists in history. Winfrey’s acceptance of the Cecil B. DeMille award at the 2018 Golden Globes provided her with a kairotic moment to address and amplify what has come to be known as the #MeToo movement, a global movement to end sexual harassment and assault. This paper analyzes Winfrey’s epideictic rhetoric and the alternative vision for America she creates during a time of political polarization. Beginning with an examination of the role of Winfrey’s situated and invented ethos in this example of epideictic rhetoric, the paper then examines Winfrey’s use of rhetorical figures in constructing her message of feminist empowerment and equity. Ultimately, the paper concludes that Winfrey’s effectiveness stems from the power of her humility to address the need felt by millions across the globe for an alternative, inclusive, just America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article discusses a U.S. study of black and white female consumers and their reaction to information relative to the environmental impact of certain products. The article outlines previous research about socially conscious consumers, discusses black and white consumption differences, and presents previous ecological information and product choice research. Two hypotheses are tested: that black and white women will show no difference in their environmental importance scores and in a simulated product choice situation, both black and white women will not differ in their choices. The author reports the results and discusses the implications of the study. The study finds that more research is necessary relative to "socially conscious consumers."

African American women are at disproportionate risk of experiencing intimate partner violence (IPV) and consistently report more severe and recurrent IPV victimization in comparison to their White and Hispanic counterparts. IPV is more likely to occur in families with children than in couples without children. Parenting in the wake of IPV is a challenging reality faced by many African American women in the United States. Despite the urgent need to support mothers who have survived IPV, there is currently no culturally adapted parenting intervention for African American mothers following exposure to IPV. The aim of this review is to summarize and integrate two disparate literatures, hitherto unintegrated; namely the literature base on parenting interventions for women and children exposed to IPV and the literature base on parenting interventions through the lens of African American racial and cultural factors. Our review identified 7 questions that researchers may consider in adapting IPV parenting interventions for African American women and children. These questions are discussed as a possible roadmap for the adaptation of more culturally sensitive IPV parenting programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This analysis of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth indicates that young Mexican women and young black women earned, respectively, 9.5% and 13.2% less than young white women in 1994. Differences in education appear to be the most important explanation for the Mexican-white wage gap, whereas differences in labor force attachment are the most important determinant of the black-white wage gap. The authors show that accounting for actual labor market experience, rather than simply imputing experience based on years since leaving school, is crucially important in such analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of research focusing on African Americans' mental health is showing that this group relies heavily on their religious/spiritual beliefs and practices to cope with mental health issues including depression. Unfortunately, the psychotherapy literature provides little guidance on how to incorporate religion/spirituality into psychotherapy with African American women. With the growing cultural diversity of the U.S. population, there has been more emphasis on providing patient-centered culturally sensitive care, which involves providing care that is respectful of, and responsive to, individual patient preferences, needs, and values. This paper provides a synthesis of literature that psychotherapists could use to become more culturally sensitive and patient-centered in their clinical practices; that is, to recognize and integrate religion/spirituality into their work with African American women experiencing depression, and possibly other groups with similar needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among African American infants, preterm birth (PTB) is the most frequent cause of infant mortality. In the United States, there remains a stark African American-Non-Hispanic White difference in PTB (< 37 weeks of completed gestation). When compared to Non-Hispanic White infants, African American infants have greater than three times the risk of preterm-related mortality. Prior research studies have examined whether traditional prenatal risk factors explain the African American-Non-Hispanic White difference in PTB. However identification of these factors fails to explain the disparity. The lack of progress in addressing the African American - Non-Hispanic White difference in PTB suggests that exposures to risk factors across the lifecourse may be vital to addressing the African American-Non-Hispanic White difference in PTB. One potential life-course risk exposure is racial discrimination, which has been shown to influence the increased risk of PTB among African American women. However, research is needed to reveal the mechanisms that underlie the association between racial discrimination and PTB. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be one potential mechanism by which African American women's exposure to racial discrimination contributes to increased risk of PTB. This concept paper strives to advance our understanding of the increased risk of PTB among African American women. Recommendations are suggested to mitigate the impact of racial discrimination and PTSD on the PTB risk among African American women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer in African-American (AA) women occurs at an earlier age than in European-American (EA) women and is more likely to have aggressive features associated with poorer prognosis, such as high-grade and negative estrogen receptor (ER) status. The mechanisms underlying these differences are unknown. To address this, we conducted a case-control study to evaluate risk factors for high-grade ER- disease in both AA and EA women. With the onset of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, creative measures were needed to adapt case ascertainment and contact procedures to this new environment of patient privacy. In this paper, we report on our approach to establishing a multicenter study of breast cancer in New York and New Jersey, provide preliminary distributions of demographic and pathologic characteristics among case and control participants by race, and contrast participation rates by approaches to case ascertainment, with discussion of strengths and weaknesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander's challenge to racial oppression within the US. In 1921, Alexander became the first African American woman to earn a PhD in economics. The author links Alexander's arguments for black political rights to the provision of economic justice for working class Americans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the internationalist concerns of African American women from the participation of black clubwomen in international women's conferences and their independent travels abroad. Highlights of the International Congress of Women held in Chicago, Illinois in 1893; Information on the first African American clubwoman known to have attended an International Congress abroad; Observation on African American women in the international peace movement.

This paper describes a study that investigated the attitudes toward welfare among a sample of three hundred black and three hundred white women living in Baltimore In 1964. Besides welfare, four correlative scales tapped political conservatism, antiblack attitudes, authoritarianism, and alienation. Both groups agreed that able-bodied people should work and sexual misbehavior should not be supported by welfare. Among the correlative attitudes, anti-welfare whites held antiblack and often politically conservative beliefs and antiwelfare blacks were more often conservative. The possible reasons for these attitudes are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the lived experience of two African American women working at predominately white institutions of higher education. A review of the literature suggests research that examines the experiences of African American women in academe is limited. Using an autoethnographic approach, we explore our experiences and how we navigate our roles. Findings suggest that when the appropriate mentoring is in place African American women have a more positive experience navigating the promotion and tenure process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding employment for African American women through the lens of neoclassical economics may not be best to help understand their plight. Their pay and the available employment has not been equal to that of men and even more so, African American women have lower paying jobs compared to their white counterparts, despite their achievement of higher levels of education. This paper looks at unemployment rates across the nation and then centers the discussion on black women in the context of the disparities over the past three decades. It combines the types of employment and wages that they have endured in context to white women during the same period of time. It uses Geographical Information Systems to underscore the concentration of income and race and the types of employment in those areas. It then provides some policy recommendations for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the consequences of mass incarceration on various aspects of the lives of African-American women. In particular, it seeks to determine how the historically high growth rate in the prison population over the past 30 years has affected employment outcomes, family relationships, and the physical and mental health of Black women who have been incarcerated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many media and scholarly reports have focused on the subprime mortgage crisis and the resultant global financial meltdown. Most of the literature notes unequivocally that discrimination in the mortgage market has been, and remains, race-based and that it has damaged the African-American population disproportionately. This paper discusses the consequences of the subprime mortgage calamity and its negative impact on the Black community, women in general, and African-American women in particular. After controlling for individual, credit and housing characteristics, research shows that disparities in lending have persisted. Studies indicate that 63% of those given subprime mortgages qualified for prime mortgages. African-American females received the most high-cost loans and were over twice as likely to be given a subprime mortgage compared to White females. Moreover, African-American women were five times more likely to have received a subprime loan than similarly situated White males. Upper-income Black women were more often targeted for high-cost loans than lower-income women of color. As a result, the subprime mortgage crisis has precipitated an enormous loss of home equity and wealth among African-Americans that will affect generations to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents research paper on gender-specific racial differences in obesity through self-reports of physical activity and food intake. It states that the authors use data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) 1999-2006 surveys to conduct a gender-specific multivariate analysis of obesity and body mass index (BMI). Moreover, it notes that the higher caloric intake among African American women contributed to their higher mean BMI and higher obesity rate.

This paper is a sociological overview and critique of complex relations between race, class, and gender in today's neo-liberal economy. The main aim of the study is to examine some important dynamics of social inequalities in this era by looking at women of color domestic workers. Domestic workers in the United States were predominantly African-American women, but in time other immigrant women of color also began to fill those jobs. This is why I mean Black women and Latinas by women of color. I have chosen women of color domestic workers case because being working class women of color reflects the intersectionality of race, class and gender. The case of domestic work does not only indicate racial inequality in the United States but also the interrelations of race with gender and class in today's neo-liberal economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African Americans are disproportionately represented in every reported HIV/AIDS surveillance category with African American women being at special risk. HI V/AIDS is the leading cause of death for African American women between the ages of 25-34 (Center. for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2009). Disease status, gender disparity, racial inequities and socioeconomic barriers are factors effecting African American women as multiple forms of oppression and disparity impact life outcomes. This paper reviews President Obama's movement of the 2008 presidential election HIV/AIDS campaign promises into year one policy initiatives with final comments on their ability to address the unique needs of African American women living with and affected by HI V/AIDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare but potentially lethal complication of pregnancy occurring in approximately 1 : 3,000 live births in the United States although some series report a much higher incidence. African-American women are particularly at risk. Diagnosis requires symptoms of heart failure in the last month of pregnancy or within five months of delivery in the bsence of recognized cardiac disease prior to pregnancy as well as objective evidence of left ventricular systolic dysfunction. This paper provides an updated, comprehensive review of PPCM, including emerging insights into the etiology of this disorder as well as current treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on the contribution, views and political activism of African American female communists during the Great Depression era in the United States. It explores the history and reasons of their participation in the Communist Party. The political and social objectives of the Unemployed Councils of the United States of America and the League of Struggles for Negro Rights are discussed. The article also discusses the influence of the International Labor Defence's handling of the Scottsboro case on the political views and activism of African American women.

Background: Hypertension is a significant public health problem for Black American women. Increasing physical activity is an effective way to manage hypertension. However, Black women are among the least physically active racial/ethnic/gender group. In this paper we identify the positive resources and areas of need among insufficiently active Black hypertensive women who presented to a study to increase their level of physical activity. Methods: Women completed questionnaires to assess self-efficacy to overcome barriers to physical activity, confidence to use self-motivation to engage in behaviors supportive of a physically active lifestyle, friend and family social support for physical activity, and behavioral and cognitive strategies associated with physical activity. Results: Sixty-one insufficiently active Black hypertensive women participated in the study. The mean age of the sample was 50.48±4.2 years. The mean body mass index was 35.97± 6.88 kg/m². Resting blood pressure was 133.28/78.21 ±16.41/8.96 mm Hg. According to the Transtheoretical Model stages of change, 88.52% of the sample was in contemplation. Women reported a moderate level of confidence to overcome barriers, a moderate level of confidence to use self-motivation, and reported that barriers rarely interfered with their ability to be physically active. However, women had little friend or family support for physical activity and only rarely used behavioral strategies to encourage their activity. Conclusion: To further support this population, physical activity interventions should focus on developing social support networks and teaching a variety of behavioral strategies important to the adoption of an active lifestyle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Horton, Allen, Herring, and Thomas' (2000) study of the black working class, a historical picture is painted in which black women are shown to be uniquely disadvantaged as it pertains to economic position more so than either black men or white women, their experiences parallel neither group. The factors that precipitated this pattern are the concern of this paper. In particular, I propose an integrative theory of race, gender, and class that is based on the utilization of one's occupation as an indicator of economic class. I will then explore the intersection of race and gender in historically creating the disadvantage experienced by black women in the American occupational structure. The advancement of black men, I argue, occurred under the guise of male privilege although they were black and the advancement of white women occurred under the guise of white privilege although they were female, however, black women were both black and female, thus there was no guise, no point of privilege by which they could have advanced. Hence we see their increase in the bottom class during the time when the rates for black men and white women were decreasing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the economic advancement of women in the U.S. during the twentieth-century. It examines the causes and the consequences of women's move from home to market in the country. The investigation begins by documenting demand-side shifts during the 1940s that increased the earnings and occupational choices of African American women. It then demonstrates the impact of contraceptive technology on the extent and intensity of participation by women in the formal labor market after 1960.

The article highlights the activism of journalist Victoria Earle Matthews for the African American community and her establishment of the settlement house White Rose Mission for African American women. The Inquiry Club designed to examine and discuss the condition of African Americans in the U.S. was founded by Matthews with the aid of journalist John Edward Bruce. She became passionate towards African American children and women following the death of her only son.

Studies reporting trends and disparities of osteoarthritis (OA) in the United States are limited. We aimed to examine trends and disparities of OA prevalence among US adults, from 2005 to 2018. Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data from 2005–2006 to 2017–2018 were analyzed. Age-adjusted and self-reported OA prevalence, stratified by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status (SES), was calculated separately for men and women. The linear trend and the association between the survey cycles and OA prevalence were assessed. Age-adjusted and self-reported OA prevalence linearly increased in the seven survey cycles (both Plinear trend ≤ 0.0002) in men and women. Non-Hispanic Caucasians (both Plinear trend ≤ 0.0001) in both genders and Non-Hispanic African Americans women (Plinear trend ≤ 0.0001) had significantly increasing linear trends in OA prevalence. In addition, people with lower SES had a lower age-adjusted prevalence of self-reported OA when compared to those with higher SES. The increasing linear trends still existed among both men and women after adjusting for multiple confounders (both Plinear trend ≤ 0.002). There were significant rising trends and disparities in self-reported OA prevalence among US men and women between 2005 and 2018. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the struggle of black feminists for welfare rights movement and the expansion of boundaries of the women's movement in the U.S. Response of women on the legal right of abortion; Conflation of poverty and race; Feminist politics of the welfare rights movement among African American women.

Makes comparisons between black and white women welfare activists, with illuminating results about both groups. Influence of gender; Influence of race; Three major areas of difference between black and white women's ideas; White experience as defining the boundaries of what is meant by welfare; Author's use of a broad definition of welfare; The black women's network; Black welfare priorities.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze two important dimensions of the relative economic status of nonwhite women, namely occupational position and unemployment. It is found that Negro women have made major gains in upgrading their occupational status, but that for a variety of reasons their relative unemployment rates have increased. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: National Surveys of Family Growth data showed that as of 1982, most lactating women who were sexually active used a contraceptive method barrier methods were most frequently used. Black women and women of higher parity and lower educational level were more likely to be sexually active and not using a method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use data on police-involved deaths to estimate how the risk of being killed by police use of force in the United States varies across social groups. We estimate the lifetime and age-specific risks of being killed by police by race and sex. We also provide estimates of the proportion of all deaths accounted for by police use of force. We find that African American men and women, American Indian/Alaska Native men and women, and Latino men face higher lifetime risk of being killed by police than do their white peers. We find that Latina women and Asian/Pacific Islander men and women face lower risk of being killed by police than do their white peers. Risk is highest for black men, who (at current levels of risk) face about a 1 in 1,000 chance of being killed by police over the life course. The average lifetime odds of being killed by police are about 1 in 2,000 for men and about 1 in 33,000 for women. Risk peaks between the ages of 20 y and 35 y for all groups. For young men of color, police use of force is among the leading causes of death. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite a growing focus on constraints to leisure participation among African Americans, a gap in the research remains when it comes to understanding the lived experiences of African American women and their outdoor recreation participation. This study explored African American women's constraints to leisure participation in outdoor recreation activities to better understand what guided their recreation choices. Data were collected from semistructured interview questions administered to 10 African American women who regularly engage in physical activity. The constant comparison method was used for data analysis. From the data analysis, five major themes emerged: (a) The Fit Factor, (b) Need for Companionship, (c) Identity in Outdoor Recreation, (d) The Fear Factor, and (e) Convenience Factor. The results supported that personal fears, lack of support or companionship, lack of childhood exposure, and the convenience of an activity influenced adult African American women's outdoor recreation choices and participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study finds that between 1965 and 1981, black women's occupational mobility rose relative to that of white women and white men by about 20% and 24%, respectively, and that more than half of these gains remain even after controlling for pre-existing trends, cyclical economic conditions, education, and factors potentially influencing the labor supply No evidence is found to support the null hypothesis that this pattern is explained in significant measure by a decline in the labor supply of black women. The author argues, instead, that the results reflect the effects of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and, by the mid-1970's, affirmative action laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores how the framing of a violent confrontation between a White police officer and an African American woman affects people's perceptions of the incident. First, we conduct a content analysis of every news article published about the encounter over a three-month period. We use the content analysis to identify the major frames employed by the news media when reporting the event. We find that the news media relied on three frames: police brutality, law and order, and race. We embed these frames into an original experiment to determine how the alternative frames affect citizens' attitudes and perceptions of the incident. Exposure to the law and order frame and the police brutality frame significantly influences support for the White police officer and African American woman. Finally, alterations in the framing of the confrontation influence people's beliefs about the problem of racism in law enforcement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses sadomasochism, or BDSM, performed by African American women on hardcore Internet pornography, including the black women and white men's sexual relations in pornography and feminists' attitudes towards black women's BDSM. An overview of the power associated with U.S. black women's BDSM, including in regard to historical violence against African Americans and sexual pleasure, is provided.

The article focuses on the struggle of HIV-positive African American women to claim and define acts of self-assertion on their fight for social justice in the U.S. It offers overview of the narratives shared by 30 HIV-positive Floridian Black women and their struggle for civil rights, equity and parity amidst their condition. It explores how such women have participated in community-based political participation to prevent HIV/AIDS.

Objective: This study examined the ability of social, demographic, environmental and health-related factors to explain geographic variability in preterm delivery among black and white women in the US and whether these factors explain black-white disparities in preterm delivery. Methods: We examined county-level prevalence of preterm delivery (20–31 or 32–36 weeks gestation) among singletons born 1998–2002. We conducted multivariable linear regression analysis to estimate the association of selected variables with preterm delivery separately for each preterm/race-ethnicity group. Results: The prevalence of preterm delivery varied two- to three-fold across U.S. counties, and the distributions were strikingly distinct for blacks and whites. Among births to blacks, regression models explained 46% of the variability in county-level risk of delivery at 20–31 weeks and 55% for delivery at 32–36 weeks (based on R-squared values). Respective percentages for whites were 67% and 71%. Models included socio-environmental/demographic and health-related variables and explained similar amounts of variability overall. Conclusions: Much of the geographic variability in preterm delivery in the US can be explained by socioeconomic, demographic and health-related characteristics of the population, but less so for blacks than whites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the effects of white privilege on U.S. feminist scholarship. Particular focus is given to the development and effects of the analytical categories of third world women and women of color. According to the author, these categories, intended to be inclusive, have in fact contributed to the marginalization of scholarship by and about black women and of U.S. black women themselves. It is suggested that in subsuming U.S. black women under these larger categories, U.S. feminists have created an environment in which scholarship on the concerns of U.S. black women is seen as particularist and is dismissed. Other topics include the feminist periodical "Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society," discursive formations, and intersectionality theory.

In this article, the author of the book "Jesus, Jobs and Justice: African American Women and Religion" responds to various reports within the issue commenting on her work. Particular focus is given to the process of researching and writing the book. Details related to the author's academic career and to her work founding the Mary McLeod Bethune Memorial Museum and National Archives For Black Women's History are presented. Other topics include activist Nannie Helen Burroughs, masculinity in African American organizations, and the U.S. criminal justice system.

This article examines how the increase in the incarceration of black men and the sex ratio imbalance it induces shape the behavior of young black women. Combining data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics and the Current Population Survey to match male incarceration rates with individual observations over two decades, I show that black male incarceration lowers the odds of black non-marital teenage fertility while increasing young black women' school attainment and early employment. These results can account for the sharp bridging of the racial gap over the 1990s for a range of socioeconomic outcomes among females. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hispanic fertility (primarily among nationals from Mexico, Central and South America in the US) is higher today than it is in Mexico and the other nations of origin (Frank and Heuveline ). It persists into the second and third generations, with only moderate signs of declining to replacement. Meanwhile, the fertility rates of African-Americans, American Indians Cubans, and Puerto Ricans have all declined to replacement, only slightly above the non-Hispanic white population. This study attempts to clarify the question why African-American fertility has declined to replacement, but Hispanic fertility has not. The data used are from Cycle 6 of the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) of 2002. Differences in physiological or marital-status factors are found not to explain these fertility differences; however, there are significant differences in the practice of contraception during early childbearing years. Slightly less effective methods if contraception is used, and less recourse to abortion if a pregnancy is undesired, all imply higher fertility for Hispanic women. Underlying contraceptive behaviour are sets of attitudes and motives that favour, permit, or seek childbearing. A much higher percentage of Hispanic than African-American women report that they wanted their last birth and intend to have another in the future. Hispanic women of all socio-economic statuses are considerably more pronatal in their attitudes, particularly with respect to the births of first and second children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses research on wages earned by male and female African immigrants, White immigrants, and Black women based on U.S. Census data for 1980, 1990, and 2000. Several findings are discussed including perceived preferences for hiring White male immigrants in the U.S. labor market before Black male immigrants, White female immigrants, and Black women, in that order. Male immigrants were found to earn more than female immigrants. Also noted is a growing gap in the earnings of Black and White male immigrants. Women with college degrees were found to be earning greater wages over time.

This study was conducted to assess the relationship between political ideology and self-esteem among African American female college students. From a historically Black university, 164 women were sampled. A series of standard multiple regression were employed to assess the relationship between political ideology, age, and self-esteem. Results of the study indicated that Black Nationalism was a significant predictor of self-esteem and that age was not a significant predictor of Black Nationalism. The findings of this study suggest that a political ideology may be predictive of well-being in African American women. Future research needs to assess the impact of maturation in the development of political ideology across the lifespan. Furthermore, research on Black women's political ideas may contribute to the literature and broaden our understanding of what factors precede a strong Black identity and, subsequently, affect psychological health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although there has been much discussion about the persistence of poverty and welfare receipt among child-rearing women in the US, little is known about long-term patterns of poverty and welfare receipt or what differentiates those who remain on welfare from those who do not. Furthermore, are there distinctions between child-rearing women who are poor but not on welfare from those who do receive welfare? This study examined trajectories of welfare receipt and poverty among African-American women ( n = 680) followed from 1966 to 1997. A semiparametric group-based approach revealed four trajectories of welfare receipt: no welfare (64.2%), early leavers (12.7%), late leavers (10.1%), and persistent welfare recipients (10.1%). The “no welfare” group was further divided into a poverty group and a not poverty group to distinguish predictors of welfare from predictors of poverty. Multivariate analyses revealed differences in predictors of trajectory groups in terms of education, physical and psychological health, and social integration. In addition, earlier chronic illness and social integration were important predictors to differentiate between long-term users (i.e., late leavers, persistent recipients) and short-term users (i.e., early leavers). Trajectories did not differ in teenage motherhood, substance use, or family history of welfare receipt. Implications for public policy are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: African-American women have had higher rates of female sterilization compared to white women since its emergence as a contraceptive method. The reasons underlying this observed racial difference are unknown.Objectives: The goals of this study were to (1) explore what factors shape black and white women's decisions about tubal sterilization as a contraceptive method and (2) generate hypotheses about the relationship of race to the decision-making process.Design: We conducted six focus groups stratified by tubal sterilization status and race. During each of the audio-recorded sessions, participants were asked to discuss reasons that women choose sterilization as a contraceptive method.Participants: The participants of the study were 24 African-American women and 14 white women.Approach: Transcripts of the sessions were qualitatively analyzed with particular attention to factors that might be unique to each of the two racial groups.Results: Personal factors shaped black and white women's decisions regarding tubal sterilization. Preference for a convenient, highly effective contraceptive method was the main reason to get a tubal sterilization for women of both racial groups. We also identified socio-cultural differences that might explain why black women are more likely than white women to choose tubal sterilization over other contraceptive methods. An unanticipated, but clinically important, finding was that women often reported feeling that their doctors and the health-care system served as barriers to obtaining the desired procedure.Conclusion: Socio-cultural differences may help explain why black and white women choose different contraceptive methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides a brief overview of how African American women are situated in and around the thesis of the Moynihan Report. The authors take the lens of uncertainty and apply it to a post-Moynihan discussion of African American women and marriage. They discuss uncertainty in the temporal organization of poor women's lives and in the new terrains of gender relationships and how both influence African American women's thoughts and behaviors in their romantic relationships and marriages. They argue that much is to be learned from by focusing the lens in this way. It allows us to look at the contemporary romantic relationship and marriage behaviors of African American women in context and in ways that do not label them as having pathological behaviors that place them out of sync with broader societal trends. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]