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Title: African American Intimacy: The Racial Gap in Marriage

Citation Type: Journal Article

Publication Year: 2005

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Abstract: During the past half century, marriage has become a less universal and less stable family form. Marriage rates have declined, divorce rates have risen and, consequently, single parent families have become more common.Partly in response to these developments, some legislators, advocates and scholars recently have pushed for the establishment of government programs that promote marriage. In 2002, for example, President Bush proposed that $ 1.5 billion in federal funds be spent on marriage promotion efforts during a five year period. More than two dozen states have experimented with marriage promotion programs. Advocates of such programs rely on empirical evidence that children benefit from being raised by both their biological parents, a possibility whose likelihood is increased by the parents having married. Moreover, adults may benefit economically, psychologically, and physically from the long-term, interdependent relationship that marriage facilitates. Critics of marriage promotion policies counter these arguments by contending that efforts to reverse the decline in marriage are doomed to failure. Further, they note that the supposed benefits of marriage may depend largely on the lack of direct state investment in the welfare of children and adults. Thus, resources would be better spent directly promoting the welfare of children and adults.African Americans have a special stake in these debates, as the decline in marriage among them has been deeper and steeper than among other groups. African Americans are now substantially less likely ...

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Authors: Banks, R.Richard; Gatlin, Su Jin

Periodical (Full): Michigan Journal of Race & Law

Issue: 1

Volume: 11

Pages: 115-132

Data Collections: IPUMS USA

Topics: Family and Marriage, Race and Ethnicity

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