ABSTRACT
In the introduction to chapter 9, I noted that gender, class, and ethnicity/race shape family lives. They do so simultaneously. For an African American mother supporting her family on income from making beds in a hotel, both her life with her children and her relationship to her kin are influenced by the low wages she earns (class). At the same time, her life and relationships are also influenced by the jobs that are more available to her as a woman (gender), and by the history of her group (race). A rich white man’s family life is also shaped by his class, gender, and race; by his inherited wealth, privileges, and occupations open to him as a white male. The money, hours, prestige, and other conditions of his work and life will mold his family life in many ways.
