Eighth grade children in central Harlem have a median IQ of 87.7, which means that perhaps a third of the children are scoring at levels perilously near to those of retardation. IQ declines in the first decade of life, rising only slightly thereafter.
The effect of broken families on the performance of Negro youth has not been extensively measured, but studies that have been made show an unmistakable influence.
Martin Deutch and Bert Brown, investigating intelligence test differences between Negro and white 1st and 5th graders of different social classes, found that there is a direct relationship between social class and IQ. As the one rises so does the other: but more for whites than Negroes. This is surely a result of housing segregation, referred to earlier, which makes it difficult for middle-class Negro families to escape the slums.
The authors explain that "it is much more difficult for the Negro to attain identical middle- or upper-middle-class status with whites, and the social class gradations are less marked for Negroes because Negro life in a caste society is considerably more homogeneous than is life for the majority group."40
Therefore, the authors look for background variables other than social class which might explain the difference: "One of the most striking differences between the Negro and white groups is the consistently higher frequency of broken homes and resulting family disorganization in the Negro group."41
Father Absent From the Home
Lowest social class level
Middle social class level
Highest social class level
Percent of
Percent of
Percent of
White
Negro
White
Negro
White
Negro
15.4
43.9
10.3
27.9
0.0
13.7
(Adapted from authors' table)
Further, they found chat children from homes where fathers are present have significantly higher scores than children in homes without fathers.
Mean Intelligence Scores
Father Present
97.83
Father Absent
90.79
The influence of the father's presence was then tested within the social classes and school grades for Negroes alone. They found that "a consistent trend within both
Mean Intelligence Scores of Negro Children by School, Grade, Social Class, and by Presence of Father
