Title: Why Has Marriage Declined among Black Americans? | Scholars Strategy Network
Headings: Why Has Marriage Declined among Black Americans?
Why Has Marriage Declined among Black Americans?
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Dawne Mouzon

Content: Half of black women said that financial stability should be an important precondition for marriage, but only a quarter of white women felt that way. Men with such ideal characteristics are especially hard to find in low-income minority communities. A highly acclaimed study by sociologists Kathryn Edin and Maria Kefalas found that low-income black and Latina mothers value marriage highly but see many financial barriers, because potential partners often have very low incomes and may be unemployed. Similarly, sociologists William Julius Wilson and Kathryn Neckerman found that high unemployment was associated with low rates of marriage; and another study using data from 1990 to 2009 found that a dearth of men with attractive social characteristics was, in fact, associated with high rates of families headed by women. Finally, a truly innovative study by Kristen Harknett and Sara McLanahan simultaneously tested cultural and socioeconomic explanations. Even though black women in this study had the strongest pro-marriage attitudes, the high ratio of black women to men and an undersupply of employed black men fully explained the lower likelihood of marriage for black women. To Boost Marriage, Help Black Men
Those who want to boost marriage rates among blacks should focus on improving job opportunities and education for black men. In 2010, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 18.4% of black men were jobless compared to 9.6% of white men. Black men also earn lower wages than similar white men.