MARRIAGE AND MARITAL DISSOLUTION AMONG BLACK-AMERICANS

Over the past few decades, the place of marriage in American family li fe has declined, and the decline has been sharper among Blacks than am ong Whites. This article describes the trends in marriage and marital dissolution among Black Americans, often making comparisons to White A mericans. Blacks are less likely to ever marry, more likely to separat e, and less likely to remarry. They are also more likely to bear and r ear children outside of marriage. In part, these differences are due t o the severity with which changes in the American economy have affecte d Blacks. In part, they are due to longstanding cultural patterns, suc h as a greater reliance on extended kin, which Blacks have drawn upon to subsist during worsening economic conditions.