![]() They are not turning away from marriage on the contrary, members of the Black community still respect the institution of marriage and its symbolic value ( Banks, 2011 Edin & Reed, 2005 Marks et al., 2008). For many Black adults who do wish to marry, marriage seems an elusive goal ( Allen & James, 1998 McLoyd, Cauce, Takeuchi, & Wilson, 2000 Taylor et al., 1997). Children raised in marriage-based households also exhibit more favorable developmental outcomes over time ( Blackman et al., 2005 Malone-Colon, 2007 Marks et al., 2010). Marriage uniquely offers benefits in physical, psychological, and financial well-being ( Blackman, Clayton, Glenn, Malone-Colon, & Roberts, 2005 Malone-Colon, 2007). Third, Black men’s opinions could help researchers better understand the factors that continue to challenge relationships between Black men and women. Second, as parents/caregivers and mentors, these men play an important role in teaching younger generations about relationships (author citation Elder, 1997 Furstenburg & Hughes, 1995). ![]() From this perspective, obtaining the opinions of married men is particularly important since men traditionally initiate marriage proposals. We obtained perspectives from men who value marriage, as evidenced by their commitment to enrolling in and completing a marriage enrichment program. To respond to our inquiry, the men in the present study offered opinions about relationships by reflecting on their own dating and marital histories, as well as their observations of intimate ties in their families and communities. The voices and perspectives of Black men who could provide in-depth accounts are largely absent from the literature ( Marks, 2005 Michael & Tuma, 1985). First, while previous research has examined union formation from the perspective of Black women, rarely is the perspective of married Black men reported in studies of marriage patterns in the Black community ( Marks, Hopkins-Williams, Chaney, Neseruk, & Sasser, 2010 Taylor, Chatters, Tucker, & Lewis, 1990). We focused on the opinions of these men for three reasons. ![]() Though prior work has sampled Black women to learn more about reasons for remaining single, very few studies consider the perspectives of married Black men. These contradictory statements have created situations in which either women do not form lasting intimate relationships with men or women experience difficulties in their intimate ties ( Boyd-Franklin & Franklin, 1998). The other is a message that a woman’s utmost goal is to find a Black man who will take care of her ( Boyd-Franklin & Franklin, 1998, p. One is a message of independence (e.g., ‘God bless the child who has her own.’), with its implication that Black men cannot be trusted to stay with and provide for women. They have noted that Black women are frequently provided with conflicting messages about intimate relationships by elders in their families and communities. Boyd-Franklin and Franklin (1998) have counseled Black women in clinical settings on these issues. Other work suggests that some women are happy to remain unmarried, given their uncertainties about the permanency of marriage or their desire to concentrate on their professional lives (e.g., education, jobs) and personal responsibilities (e.g., parenting) ( Banks, 2011 Collins, 2000 Holland, 2009 King, 1999). ![]() Among those desiring to marry, scholars have identified barriers related to economic instabilities, challenges that undermine long-term relationship success (e.g., difficulty trusting, current relationship problems, pain from past relationships, inequities in human capital between partners, fears of divorce) and concerns about readiness for marriage (e.g., lack of skills and preparedness for marriage) ( Banks, 2011 Bulcroft & Bulcroft, 1993 Edin & Reed, 2005 Gibson-Davis, Edin, & McLanahan, 2005 Hatchett, 1991 Holland, 2009 King, 1999 Marbley, 2003). Social scientists have found considerable heterogeneity in Black women’s reasons for remaining single. 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, “Why Can’t a Successful Black Woman Find a Man?”). Thus, the disproportionate number of Black women who are single has been well-documented. Furthermore, 7 out of 10 Black women are unmarried and 3 out of 10 may never marry ( Banks, 2011). 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).
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