Why Are Black Women Disproportionately Single?

Over the last few decades the media and Hollywood have had an obsession with the singleness of black women. The unlovability, attractiveness, and overall character of the black woman is constantly being debated. Interestingly enough, everyone seems to have a voice in the conversation except for the black woman herself.

I am a single black woman. Recently, I was in a room on Clubhouse titled, ‘Why Are Black Women Disproportionately Single’? I’m smart enough to know that the headline was meant to be controversial. As a relationship expert, with 10+ years of experience in the dating industry, I’m also smart enough to know that it’s not true.

Accurate or not, it got me to thinking about the commonly mentioned statistics concerning the black woman’s singleness. The popular doom and gloom keywords that people often Google when making a case against that black women will be single forever are:

• Black women are the least likely to be swiped on according to OkCupid
• Black women are least likely to be married according to Pew Research
• Black women are the least desirable according to research.

As a single black woman I take these misrepresented statistics personally. None more so than the often quoted statistic that 42% of black women are single.