Psychological Well-Being and Perceived Marital Opportunity among Single African American, Latina, and White Women

This article examines the relationship between perceived marital opportunity and indicators of psychological well-being among single women of different ethnic ancestry. The context of this study is the dramatic decline in marriage among African Americans, the declining availability of African American men for marriage, and the changing patterns of family formation that currently characterize the U.S. population generally. Previous investigations of these contextual factors have focused on the sociological implications of these changes, but have virtually ignored the potential psychological ramifications of such significant trends. We attempt to address this limitation by examining whether and how perceptions of constrained mate availability may contribute to specific aspects of subjective well-being, including depression, psychological anxiety, and life satisfaction. The centrality of marriage in African American culture is perhaps most evident by its persistence in the face of extraordinarily hostile conditions, including efforts during slavery to prevent and to sever marital bonds (Stevenson, 1990). Despite these inhospitable circumstances, the 1890 Census showed that 88 percent of Black men and 92 percent of Black women age 35 to 44 were currently married or widowed (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1979). This strong preference for matrimonial relationships endured well into the next century. Yet, several trends over the last quarter-century have resulted in a significant decline in the proportion of Black women and men who are married at any given moment (Tucker and Mitchell-Kernan, 1995c). Compared to previous times, African Americans marry later, have higher rates of divorce, and are less likely to ever marry (see Tucker and Mitchell-Kernan, 1995c for a detailed analysis of trends over the last fifty years). These changes have been particularly evident among women. It has been estimated that only 70 percent of Black females born in 1954 will ever marry, compared to 86 percent of Black men and 90 percent of Whites of both sexes (Rodgers and Thornton, 1985). Although these changes have not been limited to African Americans, and indeed are evident throughout most western societies (Popenoe, 1988), they have been especially pronounced among Blacks. Prior to 1950, African Americans displayed a long-established tendency to marry earlier than Whites. That pattern is now reversed (Cherlin, 1981; Tucker and Mitchell-Kernan, 1995c). In 1970, the proportion of women who had ever married was slightly higher among Black women (82.6 percent) than among Whites (78.7 percent) and Latinas (73.5 percent). By 1990, less than two-thirds (63.1 percent) of Black women had ever married, while marital prevalence among the other two groups remained unchanged. There is increasing evidence that contextual factors have contributed to the reduction in marriage among African Americans. In particular, the differential mortality rate between Black men and women has been cited as a key determinant of marital decline. Due primarily to an expanding gender difference, with proportionately higher male deaths, the Black sex ratio has been steadily declining since 1920. By 1990, the national Black sex ratio (defined as the number of males per 100 females) was 88.2. Another contextual factor implicated in Black marital decline has been the financial wherewithal of Black men. In recent decades, urban African American men, particularly the young, have become increasingly marginalized economically (e.g., Darity and Myers, 1995). A number of studies provides evidence that both imbalanced sex ratios (i.e., fewer males relative to women) and decreased male economic viability are related to the declining marital rates of Blacks (see Tucker and Mitchell-Kernan, 1995e for review). For example, Kiecolt and Fossett (1995) show in analyses of national data that the sex ratio affects the likelihood that Black women will have ever been married and that ever-married Black women will be separated or divorced. …