Black marriage survives despite the statistics

Black marriage survives despite the statistics

New research indicates that fewer Americans are getting married than ever before. Results recently released by the Pew Research Center revealed that only "51 percent of adults in the United States are currently married.":http://pewresearch.org/pubs/2147/marriage-newly-weds-record-low For African-American women, the marriage rate is even lower. According to "the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies":http://www.jointcenter.org/about, by the age of thirty nearly 81 percent of white women and 77 percent of Hispanics and Asians will marry, but that only 52 percent of black women will marry by that age. In addition, black women are also the least likely to re-marry following divorce. Only 32 percent of black women will get married again within five years of divorce; that figure is 58 percent for white women and 44 percent for Hispanic women. However, for "Author and Life Coach LaKeshia Rivers Ekeigwe":http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/15/lakeshia-rivers-ekeigwe-neva-lockhart-unconditional-love_n_1152146.html, African-American women should stay positive despite these statistics. In her book, The Truth About Being Single, she professes her belief that marriage is a mind-game that can overcome even the most depressing circumstances: "In [my] book, the final chapter is called _Never Give Up on Love_. I have a lot of hope for those who would like to married-- without a doubt." For black woman hoping to overcome what seems like impossible odds, she says: "I have hope that those who want to get married, will." Positive thinking aside, the obstacles black women face are steep. Many believe that "black unemployment is an important factor in the lowering African-American marriage rates.":http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/20/marriage-rates-declining-_n_1011035.html "The demographics for African-Americans being unemployed is the highest out of all of the other races, which causes an immense amount of stress on the black male to maintain his family," "Relationship Coach and Author Roland Hinds":http://www.RolandHindsMedia.webs.com told theGrio. "Although this is not representative of the entire African-American community, many men tend to abandon the family commitment because they are not able to hold the family together. They are afraid of looking like a failure." There are also historical reasons as to why marriage is not a stable tradition in our community. "Judge Lynn Toler":http://www.divorcecourt.com/judge-lynn-bio/, star of Divorce Court, said that African-Americans have placed less emphasis on the institution of marriage, because it was impossible to maintain during slavery. However, today, Toler stresses the need for blacks to reassert importance of marriage. "I saw in criminal court the ways of the young 18 and 19 and 20-year-olds, and I would hear stories about unstable families," she told theGrio. "When I would ask them about what was going on at home, many times there was a mom who was vaguely there or a mom who had a rotating schedule of lovers that changed the rules every time they came by. This type of lifestyle is not conducive to pulling ourselves together."