In Cohen's The Family: Diversity, Inequality, and Social Change is about the family and family life. In chapter 3, Cohen focuses on the impact of race and ethnicity on families and family life. As well as the influx of immigration, diversifying the different types of American families. The modern American family defines itself not only through the racial and ethnic communities with which it identifies, but also through their social and economic environments. But it is between these different American families that strong family relationships prove beneficial to their struggles. The importance of family exists in different forms across populations and has been reinforced by institutional and migratory burdens. Race and ethnicity are often terms used colloquially and interchangeably in today's society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay However, despite the undeniable similarities of these two terms, they do not actually harbor the exact same definition. Cohen (2015) defines race as “a group of people sharing common descent, based on perceived innate physical similarities.” While Cohen (2015) defines ethnicity as “a group of people with a common cultural identification, based on a combination of language, religion, ancestral origin or traditional practices”. Race is a social construct of perception created by humans to identify humans using biological characteristics. Whereas ethnicity is a social construct of identification created by humans to identify themselves using aspects of that individual's life. Ethnicity is not stagnant either. This may change due to the ever-changing aspects of the individual's life. As a Chinese adoptee, I like to think of myself as a good example of race versus ethnicity. I am of Chinese origin, because I have biological characteristics that link me to a Chinese origin. However, ethnically, I identify as American based on my spoken language, religion, and practices. In the 20th century, the United States experienced an influx of immigration, diversifying the racial and ethnic populations residing there. Cohen (2015) specifically notes the recent influx of Latino and Asian populations. The growth of these populations can be attributed to increased immigration and, for Latinos, increased birth rates for Latina women. Additionally, increased intermarriage and increased community isolations have drawn America's diversity to opposite ends of the spectrum. With the increase in intermarriage, diversity has increased as more cultures mix and evolve the melting pot of cultures. As community isolation has increased, diversity has diminished, with more and more immigrants deciding to stay in their own communities. African American families in the United States have struggled with racial inequality from the institution of slavery, after the abolition of slavery, to today and have still not been able to recover . Institutional racism and discrimination against the black population have increased its economic and social disparities. Cohen (2015) explains that due to these disparities, the Black population experiences increased poverty rates and increased socioeconomic barriers for men. He identifies these obstacles as higher unemployment rates, higher incarceration rates, and higher mortality rates. Which, in turn, is linked to the,.