Looking Beyond the Black Marriage Decline
Identifying What Black Males Prefer in a Wife (Mating) and Dating Partner
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19215005 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Chaka T McAlpin (0009-0006-5689-8229, Alliant University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 57 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 671-700 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-30 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Black Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0021-9347 • E-ISSN: 1552-4566 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/00219347261447313 |
| OpenAlex | W7162847106 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 47 |
Literature revealed a decline among all marriages, with a noticeably higher decrease within Black populations. While research has explored contributing factors to the Black marital decline and examined mating and dating preferences among college students, few have amplified the voices of Black heterosexual cis-gender males to acknowledge what is preferred in a partner. The aims of this study were to explore Black males’ preference in a long-term and short-term partner. A total of 246 self-identified heterosexual Black males were asked to evaluate 36 characteristics/traits from the Romantic Partner Preferences Scales (RPP) and 18 additional preferences developed from the Black Scholars’ Partner Preferences items (BSPP) to comprise the mating and dating preferences of heterosexual Black males over the age of 25. Paired sample t -tests denoted greater importance was given to 43 of the 54 preference items for a long-term partner as compared to a short-term partner. Loyal, faithful, understanding, and responsible were highly valued characteristics in a long-term partner, while sex appeal, physically attractive, healthy, and sexually available were valued in a short-term partner. Honesty and stable personality were highly valued irrespective of relationship type. Black males who identified as Christian valued the domains of status and wealth, good parenting, and spiritual values regardless of relationship type. This study demonstrated Black heterosexual males preferred internal characteristics in a long-term partner. Understanding Black males’ partner preferences based on relationship types may offer insight into Black males desires despite a marital decline among the Black population
Black female · Black male · Black women · Honesty · Mate choice · Personality · Preference · Wife · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics · Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior · Family Dynamics and Relationships
Evolution and Sex Differences in Preferences for Short-Term Mates Results from a Policy Capturing Study
The Sources of Four Commonly Reported Cutoff Criteria
Partner Preferences
The Growing Racial and Ethnic Divide in U.S. Marriage Patterns
Sexual Strategies Theory
Sex differences in human mate preferences
Shared Christian Religious Identity, Religiousness, and Marital Satisfaction
Can an Agentic Black Woman Get Ahead? The Impact of Race and Interpersonal Dominance on Perceptions of Female Leaders
Personal Characteristics of the Ideal African American Marriage Partner
Mate Selection Preferences Among African American College Students
Campus Values in Mate Selection
Value Consensus in Mate Selection among Negroes
Dating Values and Norms on a Negro College Campus
A Value Profile in Mate Selection among Negroes
Personal Characteristics Important in Mate Preference Among College Students
Hey there Ms. Jones!”
Marriage Among African Americans
Exploring Partner Scarcity
Changing psychiatric perception of African Americans with psychosis
Child protection as surveillance of African American families
Socializing Singlehood
The Gendered Effects of Divorce on Mothers’ and Fathers’ Time with Children and Children’s Developmental Activities
But I Live Here Too”
Are Contemporary Patterns of Black Male Joblessness Unique? Cohort Replacement, Intracohort Change, and the Diverging Structures of Black and White Men’s Employment
Unequally Yoked? Religion and Spirituality in Couples in Which One Believes in God and the Other Does Not
No One Sees Me Romantically
Assortative Mating and Marital Quality in Newlyweds
Marital loss and risk of dementia
Campus Values in Mate Selection
Free but Still Walking the Yard
Toward a Deeper Understanding of the Meaning of Marriage Among Black Men
Gender Differences in the Dating Experiences of African American Young Adults
Marital Biography and Health at Mid-Life
Nonmarital Relationships and Changing Perceptions of Marriage Among African American Young Adults
A Half Century of Mate Preferences
Race-ethnic differences in marital quality and divorce
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |