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Marriage mostly a "white thing"?

by SouthernFriedInfidel | Published on July 24th, 2008, 2:52 am | Life
Here's an odd little story: According to statistics, 45% of black women have never been married... compared with 23% of white women. That's quite a surprising disparity, I should think.
 
 
I showed the article to my co-worker (yes, she's a black woman). Her response was, "I didn't know it was THAT high!" as if she already knew it was a higher percent. So I asked her if she thought the statistic was at least in the right ballpark. She thought about it and said she knows at least 5 women in her church (AME) who are in their 40s and have never been married.

I don't know if I missed it, but was there anywhere in the article that said whether the women included in the percentage of never been married were over a specific age?
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July 24th, 2008, 8:44 am
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Serendipitous
This is my world and I am the world leader...pretend.
 
Location: in the now
The article mentions this American Community Survey. If you can look that up and get at the information a bit more directly, it might help. But the statement from the article seems to imply "ever," meaning no age limit.
July 24th, 2008, 8:53 am
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SouthernFriedInfidel
 
Location: 5th circle of hell -- actually not very crowded at the moment.
SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:But the statement from the article seems to imply "ever," meaning no age limit.


Well, my point is really that if a female human being is considered a woman when she turns 18, then 43% is not "alarming." Now, if you told me that 43% of black women over the age of 30 had never been married, I'd say, "No big deal." But if you said the same for black women over the age of 60, I'd say, "Whaaat???"
July 24th, 2008, 9:42 am
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Serendipitous
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The man/woman ratio for blacks starts off even but at age 25 or so the balance starts to swing heavily on favour of women. I.e. black men have a greater tendency to die young. Which might explain part of it.
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July 24th, 2008, 10:59 am
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A Person
 
Location: Slightly west of the Great White North
A Person wrote:The man/woman ratio for blacks starts off even but at age 25 or so the balance starts to swing heavily on favour of women. I.e. black men have a greater tendency to die young. Which might explain part of it.

I imagine the high rate of incarceration also has its effect.
July 24th, 2008, 11:32 am
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SouthernFriedInfidel
 
Location: 5th circle of hell -- actually not very crowded at the moment.
You'd be stunned at the percentage of gays and lesbians who aren't married... Shocked I tell ya.
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July 24th, 2008, 1:41 pm
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Liv
I show you something fantastic and you find fault.
 
Location: Greensboro, NC
Liv wrote:You'd be stunned at the percentage of gays and lesbians who aren't married... Shocked I tell ya.

I was talking with a gay couple a few years ago, and they said that they wouldn't bother with it if marriage was legalized for them. They'd been together for so many years, and had already set up the legal issues that mattered to them... it just didn't make any sense, really.
July 24th, 2008, 1:50 pm
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SouthernFriedInfidel
 
Location: 5th circle of hell -- actually not very crowded at the moment.
Well it depends on what we're talking about.... If we're talking about true-honest-to-god marriage... then it would benefit them highly especially if you work for a company and get health care.

If we're talking about domestic-partnership and domestic marriage.... so to speak, then yes you can arrange alternate means of legal protection that may suffice.

It's the taxation between the two classifications that blow me away. A married man and woman don't have to pay for taxes on their $20g of health care (and other benefits), while a gay couple do. Also tax deductions, etc....

Remember this...
July 24th, 2008, 2:08 pm
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Liv
I show you something fantastic and you find fault.
 
Location: Greensboro, NC
SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:
A Person wrote:The man/woman ratio for blacks starts off even but at age 25 or so the balance starts to swing heavily on favour of women. I.e. black men have a greater tendency to die young. Which might explain part of it.

I imagine the high rate of incarceration also has its effect.

Is the death rate in prison better or worse than the death rate on the street? it might be safer...
July 24th, 2008, 2:13 pm
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A Person
 
Location: Slightly west of the Great White North
A Person wrote:
SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:
A Person wrote:The man/woman ratio for blacks starts off even but at age 25 or so the balance starts to swing heavily on favour of women. I.e. black men have a greater tendency to die young. Which might explain part of it.

I imagine the high rate of incarceration also has its effect.

Is the death rate in prison better or worse than the death rate on the street? it might be safer...

Doesn't matter, really. A man in prison isn't a likely candidate for marriage, generally.
July 24th, 2008, 2:20 pm
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SouthernFriedInfidel
 
Location: 5th circle of hell -- actually not very crowded at the moment.
SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:
A Person wrote:Is the death rate in prison better or worse than the death rate on the street? it might be safer...

Doesn't matter, really. A man in prison isn't a likely candidate for marriage, generally.


Y'know, I've heard (though I don't know if it's true) about inmates meeting partners and getting married while in prison. I guess it may be unlikely, but isn't impossible.

Hey, remember the episode of Seinfeld when George dated that girl in prison? He liked that she wasn't around to ask him to take her on dates and stuff, and tt was great until she escaped.
July 24th, 2008, 2:25 pm
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Serendipitous
This is my world and I am the world leader...pretend.
 
Location: in the now
Serendipitous wrote:
SouthernFriedInfidel wrote:
A Person wrote:Is the death rate in prison better or worse than the death rate on the street? it might be safer...

Doesn't matter, really. A man in prison isn't a likely candidate for marriage, generally.


Y'know, I've heard (though I don't know if it's true) about inmates meeting partners and getting married while in prison. I guess it may be unlikely, but isn't impossible.

Yeah, you hear about this sort of thing happening once in a while, but I doubt the occurrences like this would be significant statistically.
July 24th, 2008, 2:52 pm
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SouthernFriedInfidel
 
Location: 5th circle of hell -- actually not very crowded at the moment.
Liv wrote:Well it depends on what we're talking about.... If we're talking about true-honest-to-god marriage... then it would benefit them highly especially if you work for a company and get health care.

If we're talking about domestic-partnership and domestic marriage.... so to speak, then yes you can arrange alternate means of legal protection that may suffice.

It's the taxation between the two classifications that blow me away. A married man and woman don't have to pay for taxes on their $20g of health care (and other benefits), while a gay couple do. Also tax deductions, etc....

Remember this...


I've always thought that it should be legal for a gay couple to have a formal legal "domestic partnership" to recieve the tax and other bennies that "married" couples get. I know that one advantage that we have is that we have different insurance companies and pay for each other to be covered, it gives us LOTS better benefits, I also carry the max on hubby on my life insurance through my company. It never hurts to have the power of "the group." I also feel that if someone has gone through the trouble of making "domestic arrangements" or a "legal partnership" they should be offered the same rights as "married" couples. Agreed on the tax issues, that truly sucks. I think it is totally unfair and undeserving.
July 24th, 2008, 9:05 pm
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Bessa1
 
Location: Greensboro, NC

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