Black men opinions

Black men opinions

Personal Relationships, 21 (2014), 88–109. Printed in the United States of America.
Copyright © 2013 IARR; DOI: 10.1111/pere.12019

Married Black men’s opinions as to why Black
women are disproportionately single: A qualitative
study
TERA R. HURT,a STACEY E. MCELROY,b KAMERON J. SHEATS,c
ANTOINETTE M. LANDOR,d AND CHALANDRA M. BRYANTe
a
Iowa State University; b Georgia State University; c Morehouse School of Medicine;
d
University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill; and e University of Georgia
Abstract
This study’s purpose was to explore the reasons Black women are disproportionately single according to the unique
viewpoint of married Black men. The sample comprises 52 married Black men who resided in northeast Georgia
(mean age = 43). Qualitative interviews were conducted in 2010 as part of the Pathways to Marriage study. The
authors analyzed the data in a collaborative fashion and utilized content analyses to explore the relationships in the
data, which were derived from qualitative interviews with the men. Findings on the reasons for the disproportionality
of singlehood among Black women reflected these four themes: gender relations, marriage education and
socialization, individual development, and a preference for gay/lesbian relationships. Recommendations for future
research are discussed.

Recent estimates highlight an important
trend—Black women are less likely to enter
into marriage or remarry than are Black

men or women from other racial and ethnic
groups (American Fact Finder, 2011; Banks,
2011; Taylor, Tucker, Chatters, & Jayakody,
1997; Wanzo, 2011). Furthermore, 7 of 10
Black women are unmarried and 3 of 10 may
never marry (Banks, 2011). Thus, the disproportionate number of Black women who
are single has been well documented. This
demographic pattern is so noticeable that it
has even received considerable attention from
popular media (e.g., CNN documentary titled,
“Black in America”; ABC News Nightline
special titled,...

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