HOUSEHOLD ECONOMICS AND DECISION-MAKING AMONG AFRICAN MEN MARRIED TO AMERICAN WOMEN

African men and their American wives share at least one characteristic: they have "married out." Different in their social and cultural backgrounds, African/American couples are forever faced with household decisions. Although the couples in this study are currently living in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, this current residence may not be the final one. This study concerns itself with the household decision-making and economic organization among African men married to American women. Findings reveal that African/American couples defy many of the conventional patterns of behavior. The couples live in a relative isolation. Time is an important factor for these couples who are struggling to establish their own norms of behavior. Length of time in the United States and length of marriage create more harmony among the couples. However, cultural misunderstandings persist even among older couples. Spouses are willing to tolerate the lack of time they can allocate to each other for a short period of time. Husbands allocate more in household tasks than do men in other family arrangements. However, the African husbands are still concerned about the site of the tasks. Financial obligations to kin are common among the husbands, while among the wives obligations to kin are expressed through gifts and news exchanges. Unlike the typical African households, most African/American household expenses are shared by husbands and wives, even those who hold separate bank accounts. The African/American couple has separate social networks: the African deals with fellow Africans and the American deals with fellow Americans. The African complains about his inability to befriend both Black and White Americans. This results in his becoming very vocal in returning to Africa even though he is not ready to do so. Nevertheless, it appears that Africans share more in common with Black Americans in the forms of hospitality and diet. This, however, must be supported by further studies.