Quote:
Originally posted by Bajan_Delta
Several comments made in this thread are valid however the main topic was about the percentage of minority babies born to unwed mothers. Someone made mention of the situation of the mother at the time, the stats do not examine how many of these women were "cohabitating" which is what I look at. Just because the mother isn't married does not mean that a person was not raised in a two parent home.
Now I can only speak about what I know and alot of what I know is limited to the people in the Caribbean community. A large number of my friends (myself included) were raised in 2 parent home (whether it is biological father or "step-father") where the parents just never bothered to get married. My mother would be considered a statistic but she was with my stepdad 16 years before they got married. I have a male cousin who was not married to the mother of his two daughters but to see a man this involved, making a strong be fail attempt to braid hair and sitting at a pink table drinking tea out of a tiny cup is touching. Alot of these men are not just weekend dads, but are fully involved. Unfortunately these men may be an exception to the rule but there are no stats about them.
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That's the other thing I forgot, too. In other countries, there is the issue of marriage cost. In the United States, "certain folks" can get married relatively easily--if they just make it to Las Vegas and get thru the drive-thru wedding and marriage license...
But it is my understanding that in other countries, marriage licensing is a whole 'nother process which involved a lot of cost associated with it, and that does not include the required tradition that MUST happen for a wedding.
I could see why most folks would not bother with having to undergo the bureaucracy to just get a marriage certificate and license for solemnization... Then get cursed out for having lay down tons of money for a ceremony... That's just crazy... Like in some countries a wedding ceremony is a week to a month... And that doesn't include the planning activities...