Ada's Generation

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No longer static, marriage and family norms are rapidly changing in the United States. Over the last century, America has seen dramatic changes in its outlook on family, marriage and gender relations, with each generation liberalizing from the generation before it. In this paper I will examine historical patterns of family organization and practices in relation to the experiences of three generations of my family. I will do so by examining my paternal grandparents, my parents, and my own generation.
Generation 1 My grandparents, Robert Sr. and Ada Parish, were African Americans native to Shreveport, Louisiana. They met and married shortly before Robert left to serve in World War 2. They rushed into marrying one another because of the benefits …show more content…
When women had unplanned pregnancies, social pressure from their families and communities often forced young couples into “shotgun marriages,” a quick wedding to ensure their child wasn’t born out of wedlock. Though it was somewhat acceptable for men to have immoral sex, women were supposed to be subdued and conservative, so Ada’s pregnancy was particularly frowned upon. A wife who had a child with another man would lead to questions over the morals of the family, with such families being viewed as morally deficient (Coontz). It seemed natural that Robert would want Ada’s child out of their household to keep her “promiscuity” out of the public …show more content…
Though the pay wasn’t great, it allowed her to financial prepare for Robert’s return. This type of work was particularly common amongst African American women. When their financial situations required them to work, they often took domestic positions which paid substantially less than a job would for a male (or a white person). However, a wage was better than none at all, so poor women took substandard roles (Reed). Once Robert returned, Ada took a job as a store clerk to subsidize their earnings, and Robert took work with the railroad. Even though Ada’s employment was socially uncouth, black families were often unable to attain the same ideals as white ones. Although men were viewed as breadwinners and women were meant to maintain the household, black women were often prominent wage earners too (Furstenberg). Eventually their marriage resulted in the birth of four children; Robert Jr, Tommie (my father), Doris, and Elizabeth. Though her children kept her busy, Ada remained
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