Social Work, Marriage, and Ethnicity

Book excerpt: By looking at a variety of racial and ethnic groups in society, Social Work, Marriage and Ethnicity examines the conventional knowledge, theories and best practices relating to marriages. Contributors address marriage interventions, female empowerment, parenting, and cohabitation, as well as the variables which impact these situations, such as employment, housing, domestic violence and HIV/AIDS, within appropriate and meaningful cultural contexts. This book will be particularly useful for social workers working in many settings: clinical, community, research, policy implementation, faith-based, and other arenas that are available to couples in need of marital support. Marriage issues need to be addressed by social workers, given its status as a vital element in family strengthening and relationship stability. This book emboldens the case manager, community organizer, or immigration officer to address marital stresses and the demands faced by those couples most impacted by systemic inequality and barriers to cultural interventions. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment.