A Shortage of Black Men

Here is a very sobering article in the Washington Post about how difficult it is for single black women to find mates:

For every 100 single black women, there are 70 single black men, according to recent U.S. Census Bureau figures, a number that does not take into account the prison population or men living in group homes.

To make matters worse:

According to the 2000 census, black men enter interracial marriages at a higher rate -- 9.7 percent -- than any other racial or gender group except Asian women. That's twice the rate of black women.

Between 1970 and 2001, the overall marriage rate in the United States declined by 17 percent; for black people, that drop was 34 percent.

Last year, the federal government reported that 44 percent of black men and 42 percent of black women had never been married.

And me and many of my single friends thought we had it bad!  My heart truly goes out to these women.  I used to be the director of one of the singles ministries at my church in Orlando and know first-hand what heart-ache many singles go through as they search for a spouse.  Women seem to feel this particularly intensely after they get into their 30s.  The thought of going through life alone haunts many.

Here is a video documenting the reactions of black women to this situation.  Some of the statistics mentioned in it include:

• 42.3% of black women have never married
• Black women in America are the most unpartnered group in America and possibly the world.
• Black women are 5 times more likely to be single at age 40 than a white woman
• 70% of all new cases of AIDS/HIV are black women

Also see this Washington Post interactive with many audio clips of black women speaking their minds about marriage and dating.

Something that stood out to me about all the video and audio clips is how frequently black women refer to their faith.  Black women are one of the most actively religious ethnic groups in the US and as these interviews demonstrate.  My prayers go out to all of them.

Question:  I used to always think that welfare was the cause of such high rates of out-of-wedlock births in the African-American community.  Could it be that the true culprit is the lack of eligible men?