America by the numbers : a field guide to the U.S. population / William H. Frey, Bill Abresch, and Jonathan Yeasting.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Frey, William H.

Contributor:

Abresch, Bill.

Yeasting, Jonathan.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--Population--Statistics.

United States.

Population.

Genre:

Statistics.

Physical Description:

xiv, 222 pages : illustrations, maps ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : New Press : Distributed by W.W. Norton, 2001.

Summary:

Three demographers offer an eye-opening, at-a-glance guide to the myths and realities of American demography. From the new immigration to the aging of the country, this book reveals how the ebb and flow of population shapes every public and private decision people make. Charts & graphs throughout.

Contents:

Is Demography Destiny? xiii

1. Generations: Popular Vanguards

1.1. Population Growth: Demography Is Destiny 2

1.2. The Architecture of Population 5

1.3. The Greatest Generation 6

1.4. The Lucky Generation 7

1.5. The Baby Boom's Demography: Strength in Numbers? 9

1.6. Generation X 10

1.7. Generation Y 13

2. Sexes: Gender and Sexuality

2.1. Glass Ceilings, Sticky Floors, Pink Collars 16

2.2. Sex x Race 18

2.3. Out of the Home: Into the House? 20

2.4. Women in Time 23

2.5. Feminist Values and the Fear of "Feminism" 24

2.6. Counting in the Closet: Does It Matter How Many Americans Are Gay? 27

2.7. Lavender Ghettos and the Rights Closet 28

2.8. From Mattachine to Stonewall to Queer 31

3. Peoples: Race, Ethnicity, and Identity

3.1. African Americans: Race, Racism, and the Census 34

3.2. A Revolution in White Attitudes 36

3.3. White People: Molding and Melting Nationalities 39

3.4. Native Americans: Demography and Decisions 40

3.5. What Is "Hispanic"? 43

3.6. Asian American Diversity 44

3.7. America's Developing Diversity 47

4. Immigrants: Crossing Borders

4.1. The History of Immigration: "Close the Door Behind You" 50

4.2. Origins: From North to South 53

4.3. Destinations: Gateway Cities and Immigrant Clusters 54

4.4. A Land of Many Tongues: The Politics of Speaking 56

4.5. Diaspora Politics 59

4.6. Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Yearning to Breathe Free 60

4.7. Illegal Immigration: American Fantasies of the South 62

4.8. Emigration: Migrant Laborers and Belabored Emigres 65

4.9. Getting Through the Door 66

5. Movers: Mixing and Division within America's Borders

5.1. Imagining the City 68

5.2. Contemporary Urban Growth and Demographic Balkanization 71

5.3. Sprawl and Suburban Desire 72

5.4. Beyond Black Cities and White Suburbs 75

5.5. Multiethnic Metros and the Diversity Myth 76

5.6. Today's Domestic Migrant Magnets 79

5.7. The Black Return South 80

5.8. The Young and the Restless 83

5.9. Technopolises: Today's Emerging Industry Towns 84

5.10. Elderly Movers and Stayers 86

6. Classes: Wealth and Poverty

6.1. How Americans Classify Themselves 90

6.2. The Rich-Poor Divide 93

6.3. Wealth and the Wealthy 94

6.4. Poverty and Policy 97

6.5. The Working Poor and the Production of Poverty 98

6.6. Poor Beginnings 100

7. Workers: Labor's Continuing Necessity

7.1. Changing Collars 102

7.2. Women at Work 104

7.3. From Field Hands to Harvesters 107

7.4. A Postindustrial Society with Factories 108

7.5. From Assembly Line to Sales Floor 111

7.6. A New Economy? 112

7.7. Fighting for a Piece of the Pie 114

7.8. The "Right-to-Work" South 116

8. Families: Renegotiating Norms

8.1. Whatever Happened to Marriage? 120

8.2. The Mythical Normal Family 122

8.3. Cohabitation as an Alternative to Marriage 125

8.4. Single-Parent Households 126

8.5. Interracial Marriage 129

8.6. Growing Up Is Different These Days 130

8.7. Abortion 133

8.8. Teen Pregnancy 134

9. Students: Schoolbooks and Skills

9.1. Is America Behind? 138

9.2. Staying In, Dropping Out 141

9.3. The Alternatives: Private Schooling and Learning at Home 142

9.4. Minorities and College 145

9.5. Enrollment Roller Coaster 146

10. The Elderly: Age and the Graying of America

10.1. What Is "Elderly"? 148

10.2. The Widow Gap 149

10.3. The Last White Majority? 151

10.4. Elderly Poverty and the Weight of History 152

10.5. From Work to Retirement and Back 155

10.6. Where the Boomers Will Retire 156

10.7. How to Stay Healthy 158

10.8. Neglected Violence 159

11. The Healthy: Illness and Well-Being

11.1. American Lives: Long and Healthy 162

11.2. Medicine's Charge 165

11.3. Infant Mortality: Wealth Brings Health 166

11.4. The Demography of Destiny: Genetic Diseases 168

11.5. People with AIDS 171

11.6. The Uninsured 172

11.7. Smoking: The Apolitical Consequences of Inhaling 174

11.8. Disabled America 177

11.9. Evading Death: New Threats, New Tactics 178

12. Criminals: Violence and Confinement

12.1. Guns and the American Dream 180

12.2. America the Violent? 182

12.3. Murder Rates Vary by Region 183

12.4. But Things Aren't Getting Worse 184

12.5. An Eye for an Eye: Capital Punishment in America 187

12.6. The Prison Boom 189

12.7. Punishment: Life Without the Vote 190

12.8. Justice and the Color Line 192

12.9. Prisons as Factories 193

12.10. Violence Against Women 195

12.11. The Violence of Hate 196

13. Voters: The Demography of Democracy

13.1. The Making of the American Electorate 198

13.2. Who Are the Democrats? 201

13.3. Who Are the Republicans? 203

13.4. Who Remains Independent? 204

13.5. Are We Growing Apart? 206

13.6. 90210 and the Buying of the Presidency 208

13.7. Voter Apathy 211

13.8. Class Participation: Grade: F 212.

Notes:

"Written in collaboration with Social Science Analysis Network associates: David Livshiz ... [et al.]."

Includes bibliographical references (pages 213-222).

ISBN:

1565846419

OCLC:

45556184