Question: Why are there more black single parent families headed by women than white?
A: There has been a cultural phenonmenon since slavery that blacks don't believe in marriage as strongly as whites.
B: There aren't enough black men available for black women to marry as there are white men for white women to marry.
C: Black men are more committment phobic than white men and so black men avoid marriage.
D: Black men tend to be more poorly educated and have lower paying jobs and so don't have the financial resources to provide for a wife and kids and so don't marry.
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Answer is B: There aren't enough black men available for black women to marry as there are white men for white women to marry.
ReplyDeleteMark J. Penn points out in his book, Microtrends, that there are 109 million straight adult women in America for 98 million straight adult men for a straight sex ratio of 53-47.
However, this ratio is even worse in the black community where it starts out at 56 - 44 due to the high rates of death of black teenage boys, but due to the high incarceration rates of black men it moves the ratio to even greater disparity at 57 - 43.
It appears that the fact that so many black women are single mothers has as much to due with societal structural issues as it does with any moral failure to support the traditional family structure. The simple fact is that there are not enough males around who are available to black women to marry and to participate in family life.
I wonder that this makes an assumption about mixed race relationships? That we are restricted to make decisions regarding relationships by race? Maybe it is a difference in culture because here in the UK, a report was published a couple of weeks back which states that 1 in 10 children in the country are now growing up in families where the parents are of different 'races'.
ReplyDeleteHi Cb:
ReplyDeleteYou make an excellent point.
The U.S. Census is now gearing up for 2010. Prior to this in the last census in 2000 I don't think people were given the option of "inter-racial", but I think in the 2010 census they will be.
My granddaughter is inter racial and my daughter and I have had this discussion of whether it is an advantage to check the box for black or white? My granddaughter definitely looks black so in the U.S. she will be treated as black regardless of the box checked.
I appreciate your comment.
All the best,
David Markham
That's interesting because here in the UK we have numerous varieties of different race combinations that can be ticked in censuses etc. I am surprised that it hasn't been the case for longer in the US.
ReplyDeleteI have to say though, on the negative side, I hate having to even classify myself in the categories provided. I think they should just leave a blank space for self-definition but I don't think that works well with census forms!