Final answer:
Sharon Hicks-Bartlett argued that female-headed African-American families result from enduring racial oppression and poverty, not the cause of it. Historical and economic factors, including the feminization of poverty and institutional racism, have perpetuated this problem. Despite advances in education, African American women have historically faced economic and social challenges distinct from those of white women.
Step-by-step explanation:
The individual who posited that African American female-headed families are the outcome of racial oppression and poverty rather than the cause was Sharon Hicks-Bartlett. Her observations in Meadow View revealed that African-American women were managing not only their families but also low-wage, part-time work with little to no public assistance. This circumstance is seen as a direct result of the historical context of racism and discrimination against African Americans. In support of African-American women's resilience and relentless effort to provide for their households, historical evidence points out that, even after the abolition of slavery, African-American families have continued to face substantial economic and social challenges.
Another contributing factor is the phenomenon known as the feminization of poverty, which indicates that women, particularly minority women, are disproportionately represented in poverty statistics, largely due to longstanding inequities in the labor market and the structure of social support systems. Despite advances in education for women and the prevalence of dual-income households, African American women often find themselves in a vastly different economic situation from their white counterparts, still struggling with the aftereffects of institutional racism and gender-based disparities in income.