Demographic Correlates of Relationship Status among Black Americans

Abstract

Data from the National Survey of Black Americans were analyzed to determine the extent of and the structural correlates of marriage, romantic involvement, and preference for romantic involvement. The study was conducted within a mate availability framework, and the findings, based on logistic regression analysis, led to the following conclusions: (a) marriage among blacks is in large part a function of male economic readiness and traditionality; (b) a differential marital opportunity structure translates into fewer marital options for less economically equipped males, older women, and the lesser educated in general; and (c) the decline in marriage among blacks has not signaled a decline in romantic involvement, but only that the environmental supports for marriage have changed.