ABSTRACT
The Chinese have been residing in the United States in significant numbers for over 130 years. In 1980, approximately 812,178 Chinese lived in the United States (U. S. Department of Commerce, 1983). By 1985, the Chinese population was estimated to have increased by approximately 33 percent to approximately 1,079,400 Chinese (Gardner, Robey, and Smith, 1985), and is expected to continue to increase, barring any major immigration reform. Although they comprise less than half of 1 percent of the total United States population, the Chinese are the largest of the various Asian groups in the United States. Despite their lengthy residence and their numbers, a review of the literature on the Chinese American family suggests that theories on their family life are almost nonexistent and empirical studies are sparse and lacking. With the exception of a few early studies (Hayner and Reynolds, 1937; Lee, 1956; Schwartz, 1951), it is only within the last two decades that there has been a proliferation of research on the Chinese American family (Glenn, 1983; Huang, 1981; Lyman, 1968), their intermarriage rate (Barnett, 1963; Beaudry, 1971; Burma, 1963; Kitano and Yeung, 1982; Sung, 1987; Wong, 1988; Yuan, 1980), or their child-rearing practices (Sollenberger, 1968). This paucity of literature on the Chinese American family may be the result of such factors as their small numbers and geographical concentration in major cities on the West and East Coasts. The underrepresentation of Chinese among social scientists— to develop theories and carry out research on the Chinese family and life-styles—may be another factor. Lastly, the perception that the Chinese American family is not a “problem” in American society but, instead, bears a close resemblance to the white middle-class model—a hardworking, conforming, cohesive family that is the carrier of a traditional culture —may be another reason for the dearth of research (Staples and Mirande, 1980; Sue and Kitano, 1973). For the most part, past and present research on the Chinese American family has focused on the traditional Chinese cultural values and how they are manifested and modified in the Chinese family in America (Glenn, 1983). In general, the portrayal of the Chinese American family includes such favorable characteristics as (1) a stable” family unit, as indicated by low rates of divorce and illegitimacy (Huang, 1981); (2) close ties between generations, as shown by the low rates of juvenile delinquency (Sollenberger, 1968); (3) economic self-sufficiency, as demonstrated by the avoidance of welfare dependency (Light, 1972); and, (4) conservatism, as expressed by the retention of the Chinese language and customs (Braun and Chao, 1978). This chapter will review, evaluate, extend, and synthesize the literature on the Chinese family in the United States.
