PERCEIVED HAPPINESS OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE AMONG BLACK-AND-WHITE SPOUSES

In this article, we explore two major questions that have been virtual ly ignored in the literature on Black and White families. First, do Bl ack and White couples perceive different levels of happiness when they are asked to consider what their lives would be like if separated? Se cond, what factors might explain any racial differences? In order to a nswer these two questions, we rely upon data from the National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH). Our results indicate that both Blac ks wives and husbands are considerably more likely to perceive that th eir happiness outside of marriage would be higher than their White cou nterparts. Part of the explanation for this effect is that Black wives and husbands perceive that other aspects of their lives would not be as damaged by a divorce as compared with their White counterparts. Ass uming that individuals are inclined to act in what they perceive to be in their own best interests, these findings are consistent with the h igher rates of marital dissolution and lower rates of marriage and rem arriage in the Black community.