8 Important Black Marriage and Divorce Metrics

Marriage has been on the decline across the board in the United States. That being the case, it is no surprise that the general trends affect African Americans in many of the same ways that it affected other ethnic groups. However, a “racial marriage gap” is apparent in many instances. This is why I think it’s important to take a look at Black marriage and divorce statistical data. Often, the racial gap is an indicator of some hidden or unpopular problem within the black “community.”

In some cases, the black man and the black woman are fairing as well as their counterparts from other demographics. But, in many cases, we are fairing much worse. Obviously, the rate of marriage (as well as the rate of divorce) is heavily influenced by education, economic factors, mental health, and other common factors.

In this post, we’ll note that Black Americans and Black families are experiencing something different than their White counterparts or members of a different race. The black marriage and divorce numbers seem to support that.

Black Marriage and Divorce

Black marriage rates have been on the decline over the years. We know, this is not just true for black people. However, marriage patterns in black communities may be an indicator of something amiss in the black racial group that either exceeds the same problem in other groups or doesn’t exist there at all. The number of legal marital relationships blacks are forming is much lower than in other groups based on percentages. The Pew Research Center echoed the data when they highlighted the fact that black newlyweds are the smallest percentage based on population of newlyweds over all.

Divorce statistics yield some interesting data as well. In this post, we’ll talk about those numbers when dealing with the rates of divorce for both first and second marriages. In another post, will take a deeper look at why marriages end focusing on the black family specifically. Divorce rates are an important factor when it comes to the outcomes our youth experience as they grow.

Marriage and Divorce Metrics

The data that we used in this post came from a National Longitudinal Study of Youth of 1979 (NLSY79).

Longitudinal Studies

In a longitudinal study, researchers examine the same individuals at different time periods. The purpose of these examinations is to detect any changes as they occur over time. Through this type of study, researchers gain the ability to observe correlations as they collect data on a number of variables. As a rule, they do so without trying to influence those variables.

NLSY79

This particular study, NLSY79 is a nationally representative sample of 12,686 young men and women. Survey participants were born between the years of 1957 and 1964. They also lived in the United States the time the survey started. From there, the respondents were interviewed at intervals beginning when they were between the ages of 14 and 22. As the name suggests, researchers first interviewed them in 1979.

Why Measure?

At the core, the goal of measurement is to get reliable data. That data serves two important research functions; it helps us to answer research questions and it helps us to assess theories of change. Well formulated research questions begin the process of understanding and ensure the data is useful. Meanwhile, that useful data ensures the theories of change we develop are both insightful and useful.

It is often said that the things we measure are the things that we improve. Peter Drucker was quoted as saying, “What gets measured gets improved.”

One thing that is important is that we understand the value of data. Another, is that we measure the right things. And, ultimately, that we make sense of it all to make informed decisions.

The Importance of Accuracy

Another huge factor is the accuracy of our measurements. When measurement isn’t accurate, it leads to unreliable data. It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to draw valid conclusions from inaccurate data. Of course, when data of this nature is accurate, we can use it to better understand what is going on around us and how it might impact us on a personal level.

The Data on Black Marriage and Divorce

There are different segments of data pertaining to marriage and divorce that we address in this post. The data provided includes 3 racial categories; Black, Hispanic, and All Others. Because of this, were are able to see how the numbers pertaining to African Americans in the United States both resembles and contrasts the same numbers pertaining to other racial categories.

The 8 marriage and divorce statistics from the study that we’ll look at are;

• Average Age
• Percent Married
• 1st Divorce
• Years Married (1st Marriage)
• Percent Remarried
• Time to Remarry
• 2nd Divorce
• Years Married (2nd Marriage)

An important thing to note is that these figures aren’t divided based on sex or gender. For instance, black males and black females fall under “Black” with a combined percentage. Likewise, hispanic males and females do as well. The “All Others” includes everyone else that does not fit into either of those categories. For example, White women and White men fall into the “All Others” category along with Asian men and Asian women.

Average Age at First Marriage

Different people have their reasons for what an appropriate marrying age is. More than likely, that opinion will vary depending on whether you are talking about a male or a female. There is a noticeable difference in attitude about it when comparing the black community with White Americans, Native Americans, etc. However, every demographic experience lower rates of marriage ant younger ages due to some newlyweds choosing to postpone the nuptials. Obviously that equates to a higher rate of marriage at a later age.

Education is also an important factor. It affects the number in two ways. In one way, educational attainment influences the belief in whether potential partners are even “needed” and when, especially among black women. And in another way, the desire to get the college degree causes some to postpone the decision to begin family life as if it is detrimental to achieving that aim.

In terms of the numbers we saw in the survey, The average age for African American men and African American women combined was 26.2 years. The next closest category was the “All Others” category with an average age of 24.2 years. With that we see that, on average, members of this group marry 2 years earlier than Blacks. And, last we have the category comprised of Hispanic men and Hispanic women with an average age of 23.8 years making them the youngest to marry, on average.

Percentage of Blacks Ever Married

Age doesn’t always matter, especially when we consider that some people never get married at all. But, in the study we focused on those that did and asked, “What percentage of survey respondents ever get married?” For black people, 68.3% get married at some point. Meanwhile, those in the Hispanic category boast a higher average at 84.6%. The highest percentage of those ever married belongs to the “All Others” category at 90.4%.

Those numbers represents a huge difference in the categories of the NLSY79 cohort respondents. For one, there are 22.1 percentage points between the lowest category (Blacks) and the highest rating category (All Others) of those ever married. And another post we’ ll dig into the phenomenon a little deeper to see if we can uncover some of the reasons for the difference. Most people think of things like incarceration rates and family structure at first thought. But, there is a lot more to it than that.

Percentage of First Marriages Ending in Divorce

So, how many of those that did marry for the first time ended up getting divorced? At first thought, considering the national divorce rate today you might think “most” of them. And, you would be right. However, most is such a vague indicator and our goal here is to get a bit more specific. So, to get to the point, Black Americans have the highest rates of divorce. Obviously, there are strong links to changes in cultural values and the the messages that we’re sending to our black children that are having a huge effect. For the sake of brevity, we won’t get into it in this post.

The percentages of black marriages ending in divorce for the survey respondents was 47.9%. Again, this was the highest among the respondents. Next, was the Hispanic category at 45.5% of first marriages ending in divorce. Last, we have the All Other with the lowest percentage of first marriages ending in divorce. The percentage for “All Others” was 43.7%.

Average Length of First Marriages

With a divorce rate of first-time marriages near 50% how long you think these marriages are lasting? Ethnic differences, or at least black-white differences, don’t seem to play as much of a role in this area as in others. In fact, the average length of marriage is very similar here. The Hispanic category appears to be the outlier.

The average length of marriage in the black category is 9.3 years. Similarly, the length in the “All Others” category is 9.1 years. Again, these numbers are pretty close to each other. The number for the Hispanic category is 10.9 years.

Percentage of Blacks Married a Second Time

As one might guess, many couples see remarriage as a second chance at happiness. They site many different reasons as to why it is a good idea. Some say that you are apt to have more in common with your second spouse than with the first. Others say that having been married in the past, those who chose to remarry have learned the value of compromise. Regardless of the reason, most seem to think that they will have better luck the second time around.

The “All Others” category, made up mostly of White American leads the way in remarriage after a divorce. 68.6% of the divorcees in this category will eventually remarry. They are followed by the members of the Hispanic category who remarry at a rate of 54.8%. Finally, the Black population at 52.4% is the least likely to remarry after a first marriage ending in divorce.

Average Time to Remarriage

As we see with remarriage percentages, much of the time, when a person gets divorced it’s not the end. Many of them decide to give it another try. However, there are differences in the length of time that occurs, on average, between the racial categories of the study. It’s not exactly clear what factors are influencing the differences in the average time to remarriage. Even still, racial, ethnic, or cultural differences do seem to be a factor.

For instance, African-Americans, on average, have a longer time period between their first and second marriages than do members of other racial categories. The average length of time to remarriage for Blacks is 4.6 years or 54 months. The next closest group, in comparison, was the “All Others” group at 4.3 years or 51 months. And lastly, the group with the shortest period of time between marriages is the Hispanic Category. Members of the Hispanic category average 4.2 years or 50 months between marriages.

Percentage of Second Marriages Ending in Divorce

Research has shown that, in many cases, 2nd marriages suffer a similar fate as 1st marriages. In other words, a large portion of them end up in divorce. The reasoning behind the hope of success of these marriages doesn’t appear to override that fact. Even with more supposedly in common, many end in divorce. With many claiming to have learned to compromise, divorce is still rampant. Ultimately, this second chance at happiness, in most cases, has a dismal result.

In this area, the Hispanic category of the survey respondents lead the way at 37.3%. Whites and others come in second in this category with a surveyed divorce rate of 36.6%. Blacks, however have the lowest divorce rate among those who marry a second time at 33.2%. So, fortunately, it appears that Blacks who give marriage a second shot have the greatest chance of making it work. There is still a high divorce rate across the segment but black Americans have the lowest.

Average Length of Second Marriages

In this last area, researchers manages to reveal another interesting trend. Namely, it illustrates the fact that although second marriages between blacks seem to have the highest success rates, those ending in divorce seem to end more quickly than those in the other racial categories. For instance, 2nd marriages ending in divorce between blacks lasted an average of 6 years. Meanwhile, those between those in the All Others category averaged six months longer (6.6 years) in length. The Hispanic category survey respondents had the longest average length marriages on average.

Across the spectrum, in all racial categories, second marriages ending in divorce lasted a shorter amount of time than first marriages ending in divorce. An important thing to remember here is the words “ending in divorce”. For that reason, it’s important to keep in mind that these numbers only pertain specifically to the marriages that end in divorce. That excludes those that were “successful” (at least throughout the survey period) and those that ended due to the death of one or both of the survey participants (widow/widower).

The Recap

As a recap, let’s take a look at what all of these numbers tells us about the Black survey population and their marital status changes.

• Blacks tended to be the oldest when marrying for the first time at 26.2 years of age.
• In first marriages, Blacks had the highest percentage of their marriages lead to divorce at 47.9%.
• Of 1st marriages leading to divorce, Black marriages lasted an average 9.3 years.
• Of Black 1st marriage divorcees, 52.4% remarried.
• Blacks had the lowest remarriage rate of all categories.
• The average length of time until Black remarriage was 4.6 years.
• Blacks waited the longest to remarry.
• Black 2nd marriages resulted in divorce at the lowest percentage
• 33.2% of Black 2nd marriages ended in divorce.
• Of 2nd marriages leading to divorce, Black marriages lasted an average 6 years.
• When divorce is the result, 2nd marriages among Blacks lasted and average 3.3 years shorter than 1st marriages.

Family

Although some might disagree, marriage is the cornerstone of the family. Nowadays, many don’t see the value of the institution. In fact, some even say that marriage isn’t necessary to create positive outcomes for families. However, that is to dismiss the intent and obscure the benefits behind a mesh of unrelated (or poorly related) issues. Black marriage and divorce numbers are clear indicators of black family health in America.

Children

At it’s core, the institution is designed to ensure that everyone involves gets what they need from it. And, most often, the people that need the most from the parties involved are the children that they produce. There is plenty of evidence to prove that children from two parent homes, on average, have better outcomes. If you argue that it doesn’t take marriage for two parents to work together you are merely offering a distraction.

Finance

There is an old saying that says that two heads are better than one. It makes just as much sense that two incomes are better than one. However, the most important thing about both of the statements is that the “two” must be able to act as “one”. In other words, without friction and conflict. If two people can do that, they can make their lives exponentially better in terms of finance.

Think about this; you are able to drastically increase the amount of money that you have to work with to meed your needs. And, in contrast, you essentially cut your expenses in half. You have one house, one utility bill, etc. And, in addition to that, there are quite a few tax benefits that go along with all of that. But, again, it only works if “it works”.

That’s why black marriage and divorce matters.

So, hopefully you can see why black marriage and divorce information is so important.