An Interview and Assessment

Introduction

    The transition into adulthood can be difficult, especially for late adolescence and young adults who face obstacles because of cultural, racial and/or socioeconomic factors. For an African American single mother, the transitions of adulthood, including completing education, seeking out employment, and retirement can produce significant challenges. The interview presented includes information about a 67 year old African American mother of 8, who shows the difficult challenges that individuals can face while attempting to raise children and develop personal autonomy in the midst of socioeconomic and racial divisions.
In understanding the complexities of development in adulthood for an African American single mother, it is valuable to consider some of the fundamental factors influencing educational completion, employment and retirement in the midst of stigmatization, including, but not limited to: cultural relativism, communications, social segmentation and familial pressures.

Young Adulthood

    The first transitions noted for “June,” a single mother born in 1938 and living in rural North Carolina, occurred when she was 16 years old. June’s mother had died when she was young, and June struggled to find acceptance and unconditional love from others. Though sexual activity in teenage years was frowned upon in the 1950s, June became pregnant and had to leave school in order to give birth to her first child. June’s choice to have the baby led to her leaving school; girls in the 1950s were not allowed to continue to attend traditional high schools during their pregnancies, even if they had outstanding grades (June was an honor roll student) prior to the pregnancy.
June’s grandmother, who had tried to be supportive, was unable to show June the kind of caring and affection that would have made this period easier for her. Instead, June left school as a young girl, bore her first child, and took on the social stigmatization of being an unwed mother.
June spoke very little of the father of her first child or of her subsequent children, suggesting that she felt some shame and social separation as a result of her choices. It is obvious that once this transition was made, once June had left her childhood behind by becoming a mother, she was going to continue on this path, constantly seeking ways of providing unconditional love to others as a means of meeting some of her own needs.

Education and Career

    June’s career choices as a young, single mother were limited, and June’s lack of a high school degree became problematic. June attempted to return to school after the birth of her child, only to find that there was opposition. It was not until much later in her life that she was able to focus on academic achievement again.
    The stigmatization and stereotypes that are often applied to African American single mothers were elements that influenced June’s sense of self and her belief in her abilities after the birth of her children. Stereotypes based on gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status and demographic determinants are the most common types in the modern culture, and tend to influence the factors that lead to economic and social change. Both gender and cultural (including ethnic) divisions are the most commonly noted components of stereotyping, and theorists have argued that stereotyping is a social component that defines segmentation and the power of one definable group over another (Pinderhughes, 2001). From June's perspective, this is what occurred when she when educational organizations refused to allow her to continue her education once she became a young single mother.
Stereotypes are inherently linked to the concept of relativism, which has been applied both in support for and in opposition of unity and tolerance among people of different cultures. Individuals have maintained that cultural relativism supports the notion that an individual's actions reflect those of a culture, and therefore supports the use of racial or cultural stereotyping that leads to generalized intolerance (Pinderhughes, 2001). Relativism maintains that there is a distinct view of one group, segment or component of society that is then applied to a comparative view of others, and defines the social directive for control of one group over others. The belief that pregnancy is morally objectionable or that young, poor mothers are uneducatable may have influenced June’s sense of self from an early age.
    June’s choice to go back to school at the age of 34 was a significant life decision, that had an impact on her future life and the lives of her children. Specifically, June set out to receive a diploma from a non-traditional high school called the New Careers Training Program. She completed her high school equivalency and received a diploma at the age of 34.
    This first step in educational achievement was significant for June because it reminded her of her abilities and gave her the opportunity to seek out a better life for herself and her children. At this time, June had 8 children and had just purchased a house after years of hard work, but receiving a diploma was a huge accomplishment. This opened the door for future learning, including the completion of a degree in social work, which reshaped her life, gave emphasis to her skills and supported career development for June’s future and the future of her children. June’s capacity to see past the social limits set upon her and achieve academically suggests that she was able to break out of some of constraints applied by the dominant culture on African American women (See Lopez, 1991; See also Swanson, 2001).

Retirement

    June’s career choice to work in social work was an important element of her development and her sense of success. June retired when she was 66 years old, a choice that was difficult and that still is somewhat unsettling in June’s life. June had worked either as a parent or as the sole breadwinner for her family for five decades, but made the decision out of the realization that she was exhausted and need some time for her family. The most difficult part of the transition for June was the realization that she did not have the financial means to retire comfortably. During her younger years, all of her funds went to taking care of her children; June had never saved for her retirement.
    Like many elderly, June found this transition difficult. June was unsure about how to fund her retirement, but was sure that she needed a break. Though her family had always relied on her, June also did not want to be a burden for her family. Instead, like many older women, June turned to her faith and her beliefs to support her choice, even when crunching the numbers did not seem to make it possible.
Perhaps the most significant lesson June learned from this transition in her later life is that she may have to trust in the actions and behaviors of others. Her children have provided her with the unconditional love she has sought, and will help her through her retirement. June must be able to take the same kind of support that she has given others for many years.


REFERENCES

Lopez, Isabel (1991, May). Cultural diversity will alter the workplace.   
     Colorado Business Magazine 18(5), 37(3).

Pinderhughes, Elaine. (2001). Significance of culture and power in the    
     human behavioral curriculum. In Human Behavior in the Social
     Environment. Manual of Readings, New York University School of
     Social Work. New York: Pearson Custom Publishing, 346-357.

Swanson, G. (2001, September). Management Observation and
    Communication Theory and Organizational Information. Systems
    Research and Behavioral Science 18(4), 429.

Tovey, Janice (1997, March). Addressing issues of cultural diversity in
     business communication. Business Communication Quarterly 60(1),
     19(12).

 

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