Black Male-Black Female Relationships: The Perceptions of 155 Middle-Class Black Men

Abstract

One hundred and fifty-five middle-class black men were surveyed through questionnaires to obtain data on their perceptions of key issues related to problems affecting black male-black female relationships. A majority of these men reported that black women had more opportunity than black men, and a large minority felt that black women were, in part at least, responsible for the relative low status of black men. Those respondents who had a pessismistic view of black male-black female relationships also tended to feel that they had been affected little by racial discrimination, and preferred traditional gender roles for men and women. It was concluded that salient issues affecting black male-black female relationships may vary by socio-economic status, political and ideological orientations, and the overall social circumstances experienced by black men and black women during any given historical period.