Data from the 2001 UK census (the first to include a ‘mixed’ category) showed that there were 661,034 people of mixed-parentage living in England and Wales — 1.3% of the population. The largest ‘mixed’ group in the 2001 census was made up of people from white and black Caribbean heritages. Although the mixed group remains relatively small as a proportion of the population as a whole, it is becoming increasingly significant as a proportion of the ‘minority ethnic’ population. The mixed ethnic group has a young age structure with nearly half being under 15 years of age (Owen 2005).
Vicki Harman explores the experiences of lone white mothers of children with an ethnically-mixed parentage. While the popular conception of ‘racism’ usually involves negative attitudes and/ or behaviour on the part of white people towards those of African or Asian descent, the author shows how these white mothers and their mixed-parentage children can be on the receiving end of racist attitudes from both white and black people. She explores how racism might be experienced in three key areas — within the family, the local community and the children’s school. Students should note the methods used to gain access to an appropriate group of mothers to interview. Note also the significance of these findings in the context of the growing number of people in the UK population of ‘mixed’ parentage. This article will be of use to students taking the topics of ‘Families and households’, ‘Culture and identity’ and ‘Stratification and differentiation’.
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