Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-1995

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Human Ecology

Major Professor

Greer Littton Fox

Committee Members

Priscilla Blanton, Delores Smith, Luther Kindall

Abstract

The past decade has seen a resurgence in research related to poverty, the underclass, and African-American men. Most of the inquiry has focused on joblessness and has relied on quantitative methodologies. This research examines poverty, the underclass, and African-American men, but it is a radical departure on two fronts. First, this study was concerned with those inner-city African-American men who chronically work for low wages and are a part of the population referred to as the working poor. Second, this study used qualitative data gathering techniques to describe processes, develop detailed descriptions, integrate multiple perspectives, bridge intersubjectivity, and identify variables for future investigation. William Julius Wilson's theory of the urban underclass and an overarching human ecological ecosystems framework guided this research. This investigation used case study methodology (ie, intensive interviews) to study contextual processes of success and failure in men who work for low wages. Data were collected from 12 participants on a three-interview schedule. Interviews were also conducted with members of two sponsoring organizations over the course of nine months. The sample consisted of African-American men between the ages of 22 and 58 who were raised in urban areas and were working in the low-wage sector of the economy. The interview questions were based on findings and trends derived from previous quantitative research. In this way, triangulation was used to combine quantitative and qualitative approaches. An issue-focused analysis was used to generalize the findings to Wilson's theory and to the ecosystems framework.

The results showed that the social psychology of the inner-city is a potent shaper of the experience of work for men who reside in underclass census tracts. Their motivation and their commitment to work is related to their high personal efficacy. These men characterized themselves as middle-class, rather than a lower class designation (ie, underclass) despite their meager wages. Because of their legitimate work in the face of constrained opportunities and the lure of the underground economy, these men consider themselves to be role models to whom other inner-city men can look as referents of success

The study provided implications for public policy considerations regarding why men continue to press for work despite earning "poverty" wages. It also provided some insight into conducting qualitative inquiry with research participants, like the men in this study, who historically have not been given a "voice" in social science.

The results indicated that additional research should be undertaken to explore ecological transitions (eg, going to school, finding a job, changing jobs, losing jobs,marrying) to better grasp developmental and contextual processes in the lives of inner-city African-American men. It is recommended that future research consider the relationship between personal efficacy judgments and modeled behavior, the dynamics of ecosystem trust/distrust as a predictor of labor market participation., and the meaning of latent functions of work for inner-city African-American men who are low-wage earners.

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