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?
Connect with the author
Dawne Mouzon

Content: In 1960, 61% of blacks were married in 1960, but by 2008 it was only 32%. Blacks also get divorced more often and remarry less frequently than whites. Scholars and public observers worry because, after all, marriage has historically provided many benefits. Individuals who are married enjoy better physical and mental health, have more social ties and higher household incomes, accumulate more wealth, and raise children who do better in terms of health and social outcomes than the children of unmarried parents. Because the decline of marriage has been so sharp among blacks, this group has received close scrutiny. Some analysts argue that black women, in particular, place little value on marriage. But much evidence contradicts this argument and suggests, instead, that social deprivations make it hard for black women to find suitable partners. A Values Argument Meets Contrary Evidence
In his 1965 research report The Negro Family: The Case for National Action, Daniel Patrick Moynihan, a social scientist who later became a U.S. Senator, argued that high poverty rates among blacks were in significant part due to deformed cultural values. After difficult historical experiences, he argued, black women preferred matriarchal families and their values contributed to disproportionately high rates of childbearing outside of marriage.