“Hey there Ms. Jones!”: A qualitative study of professional African American males’ perceptions of the selection of African American females as partners

Abstract

JOURNAL OF AFRICAN AMERICAN STUDIES, 2003, 7(3): [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30] This study uses qualitative inquiry to investigate the perceptions and experiences of heterosexual professional African American men as to how their education impacts mate selection. Drawing from a previous study of African American women's perception of factors such as feeling intimidated, desired qualities, white women, evolutionary needs) that hindered their developing intimate relationships with professional African American men, this study explores further these themes with professional African American men's regarding their perception of African American men's dating behaviors.

Married Black men's opinions as to why Black women are disproportionately single: A qualitative study

“…The men, rather passionately, shared their opinions about the subject, reflecting on their personal experiences and observations of relationships in their families and communities. The tone of some comments was emotionally charged as has been noted in prior work (Marbley, ). The men's in‐depth responses obtained through qualitative inquiry offered context and meaning to these relational experiences.…”

“…Particularly among men, as incomes rise and jobs become more secure, the probability of marriage increases (Gibson-Davis et al, 2005;Hill, 2009;Smock, Manning, & Porter, 2005). Though marriage is delayed when Black men pursue postsecondary education, the probability of marriage increases (Marbley, 2003;Marks et al, 2008;Oppenheimer, 2003).…”

“…Social scientists have found considerable heterogeneity in Black women's reasons for remaining single. 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, ; Bulcroft & Bulcroft, ; Edin & Reed, ; Gibson‐Davis, Edin, & McLanahan, ; Hatchett, ; Holland, ; King, ; Marbley, ). 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, ; Collins, ; Holland, ; King, ).…”

“…Black women's upward social mobility may not always be celebrated by Black men, who may view themselves in competition with Black women for similar educational and employment opportunities or may have difficulty relating to women who might otherwise be viewed as intimidating (Cazenave, ; Collins, ; Marbley, ). Cazenave () documented a sentiment among Black men that Black women helped block social mobility for Black men; they attributed these women's efforts to Black women's low regard for their male peers.…”

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Patriarch

“…Men alluded to the fact that their own conceptions of masculinity changed over the course of their lives, while women acknowledged that there was no set standard from which men they encountered operated. Their responses reflected the position of scholars that have claimed Black masculinity is an ongoing, fluid process (Hammond & Mattis, 2005;Marbley, 2003).…”