Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-g8jcs Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-26T14:53:54.110Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

11 - Black Women’s Romantic and Intimate Relationships

from Part III - Core Themes in Black Women’s Stress and Distress

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2023

Donna Baptiste
Affiliation:
Northwestern University, Illinois
Adia Gooden
Affiliation:
Unconditionally Worthy, Co.
Get access

Summary

Black women’s romantic and intimate relationships are explored in both heterosexual and queer unions. We discuss the strengths of Black women’s romantic unions and examine conditions that create stress and distress for Black women in marriage, cohabitation, and sexual and dating relationships. We discuss cultural, structural, and historical dynamics that drive Black women’s relationship stereotypes and challenges. We also address conditions that create unusual relational risks for Black women, including sexually transmitted infections and intimate partner violence.

Type
Chapter
Information
Promoting Black Women's Mental Health
What Practitioners Should Know and Do
, pp. 263 - 287
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Books

Angelou, M. (1994). Phenomenal woman: Four poems celebrating women. Random House.Google Scholar
McMillan, T. (1996). Waiting to exhale. Black Sawn.Google Scholar
Stewart, D. M. (2020). Black women, black love: America’s war on African American marriage. Seal Press.Google Scholar

TV Series and Films

Despres, E. B., Kriegman, J., Steinberg, E., & Malhotra, V. (Executive Producers). (2019-present). Couples therapy [TV series]. Edgeline Films; Loveless; Showtime Networks.Google Scholar
Oliver, C. E., Oliver, T., & Mulligan, B. (Executive Producers). (2017-present). Black love [TV Series]. Confluential Films; OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network.Google Scholar
Whitaker, F. (Director). (1995). Waiting to exhale [Film]. New Line Home Entertainment.Google Scholar

Scholarly Articles

Brooks, S. (2017). Black on black love: Black lesbian and bisexual women, marriage, and symbolic meaning. The Black Scholar, 47(4), 3246.Google Scholar
Dunham, S. M., & Dermer, S. B. (2020). Cinematherapy with African American couples. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 76(8), 14721482.Google Scholar
Phillips, T. M., Wilmoth, J. D., & Marks, L. D. (2012). Challenges and conflicts… strengths and supports: A study of enduring African American marriages. Journal of Black Studies, 43(8), 936952.Google Scholar

Media Resources

Raphael, R. (2019, March 7). What women want: Love, marriage and dating. Ebony. https://www.ebony.com/what-women-want-love-marriage-and-dating/Google Scholar

References

Acevedo, B. P., & Aron, A. (2009). Does a long-term relationship kill romantic love? Review of General Psychology, 13(1), 5965.Google Scholar
Adeyinka-Skold, S. (2020). Dating in the digital age: Race, gender, and inequality [Doctoral dissertation, University of Pennsylvania]. ProQuest.Google Scholar
Angelou, M. (1994). Phenomenal woman: Four poems celebrating women. Random House.Google Scholar
Baldwin, J. (1974). If Beale Street could talk. Dial Press.Google Scholar
Banks, R. R. (2012). Is marriage for white people?: How the African American marriage decline affects everyone. Plume.Google Scholar
Barnes, R. J. D. (2015). Raising the race: Black career women redefine marriage. Rutgers University Press.Google Scholar
Bowen, A. (2021). Calling the question: Is womanism feminism? by Angela Bowen. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 22(8), 179.Google Scholar
Boyd, B., Stephens, D. P., Eaton, A., & Bruk-Lee, V. (2021). Exploring partner scarcity: Highly educated black women and dating compromise. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 18, 702714. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13178-020-00493-3Google Scholar
Brooks, S. (2017). Black on Black love: Black lesbian and bisexual women, marriage, and symbolic meaning. The Black Scholar, 47(4), 3246.Google Scholar
Burton, L. M., & Tucker, M. B. (2009). Romantic unions in an era of uncertainty: A post-Moynihan perspective on African American women and marriage. Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 621, 131148.Google Scholar
Capodilupo, C. M., & Kim, S. (2014). Gender and race matter: The importance of considering intersections in Black women’s body image. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 61(1), 3749.Google Scholar
Chambers, A. L., & Kravitz, A. (2011). Understanding the disproportionately low marriage rate among African Americans: An amalgam of sociological and psychological constraints. Family Relations, 60(5), 648660.Google Scholar
Chaney, C. (2010). “Like Siamese twins”: Relationship meaning among married African-American couples. Marriage & Family Review, 46(8), 510537.Google Scholar
Chaney, C. (2014). “No matter what, good or bad, love is still there”: Motivations for romantic commitment among Black cohabiting couples. Marriage & Family Review, 50(3), 216245. https://doi.org/10.1080/01494929.2013.851056Google Scholar
Chiang, H., & Aronekar, A. (Eds.). (2019). Global encyclopedia of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) history. Charles Scribner’s Sons.Google Scholar
Childs, E. C. (2005). Looking behind the stereotypes of the “angry Black woman”: An exploration of Black women’s responses to interracial relationships. Gender & Society, 19(4), 544561.Google Scholar
Donovan, C., & Hester, M. (2014). Domestic violence and sexuality: What’s love got to do with it? Policy Press.Google Scholar
Fleishman, J. M., Crane, B., & Koch, P. B. (2019). Correlates and predictors of sexual satisfaction for older adults in same-sex relationships. Journal of Homosexuality, 67(14), 19741998.Google Scholar
Ford, L. (2018).That’s the way love goes: An examination of the romantic partnering experiences of Black middle class women [Doctoral dissertation, Duke University]. ProQuest.Google Scholar
Gainous, J., & Rhodebeck, L. (2016). Is same-sex marriage an equality issue? Framing effects among African Americans. Journal of Black Studies, 47(7), 682700. https://doi.org/10.1177/0021934716642590Google Scholar
Gibson, B. (Director). (1993). What’s love got to do with it [Film]. Touchstone Home Video.Google Scholar
Gooden, A., & Chambers, A. (2016). Black men in couples and families. In Lebow, J., Chambers, A., & Breunlin, D. (Eds.), Encyclopedia of couple and family therapy (pp. 281285). Springer.Google Scholar
Hargons, C. N., Mosley, D. V., Meiller, C., Stuck, J., Kirkpatrick, B., Adams, C., & Angyal, B. (2018). “It feels so good”: Pleasure in last sexual encounter narratives of Black university students. Journal of Black Psychology, 44(2), 103127.Google Scholar
Heiman, J. R., Rupp, H., Janssen, E., Newhouse, S. K., Brauer, M., & Laan, E. (2011). Sexual desire, sexual arousal and hormonal differences in premenopausal US and Dutch women with and without low sexual desire. Hormones and Behavior, 59(5), 772779.Google Scholar
Herbenick, D., Bowling, J., Fu, T. C., Dodge, B., Guerra-Reyes, L., & Sanders, S. (2017). Sexual diversity in the United States: Results from a nationally representative probability sample of adult women and men. PLoS ONE, 12(7), e0181198. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0181198Google Scholar
Hill, S. A. (2005). Black intimacies: A gender perspective on families and relationships. Rowman Alta Mira Press.Google Scholar
Horowitz, J. M., Graf, N., & Livingston, G. (2019, November 6). Marriage and cohabitation in the US. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/11/06/marriage-and-cohabitation-in-the-u-s/Google Scholar
Jackson, L. C., & Greene, B. (Eds.). (2000). Psychotherapy with African American women: Innovations in psychodynamic perspectives and practice. Guilford Press.Google Scholar
Jenkins, B. (Director). (2018). If Beale Street could talk [Film]. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment.Google Scholar
Kennedy, E. L., & Davis, M. D. (2019). Boots of leather, slippers of gold: The history of a lesbian community. Routledge.Google Scholar
Lee, S. (Director). (1991). Jungle fever [Film]. Universal Pictures.Google Scholar
Levitt, H. M., & Hiestand, K. R. (2005). Gender within lesbian sexuality: Butch and femme perspectives. Journal of Constructivist Psychology, 18(1), 3951.Google Scholar
Lorde, A. (1982). Zami: A new spelling of my name. Crossing Press.Google Scholar
Ludema, C., Doherty, I. A., White, B. L., Villar-Loubet, O., McLellan-Lemal, E., O’Daniels, C. M., & Adimora, A. A. (2015). Characteristics of African American women and their partners with perceived concurrent partnerships in 4 rural counties in the southeastern U.S. Sexually Transmitted Diseases, 42(9), 498504. https://doi.org/10.1097/olq.0000000000000325Google Scholar
Mark, K. P., & Herbenick, D. (2014). The influence of attraction to partner on heterosexual women’s sexual and relationship satisfaction in long-term relationships. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 43(3), 563570.Google Scholar
Mark, K. P., & Murray, S. H. (2012). Gender differences in desire discrepancy as a predictor of sexual and relationship satisfaction in a college sample of heterosexual romantic relationships. Journal of Sex & Marital Therapy, 38(2), 198215.Google Scholar
Marks, L., Hopkins, K., Chaney, C., Monroe, P., Nesteruk, O., & Sasser, D. (2008). “Together, we are strong”: A qualitative study of happy, enduring African American marriages. Family Relations, 57(2), 172185.Google Scholar
McClintock, E. (2020). Occupational sex composition and marriage: The romantic cost of gender‐atypical jobs. Journal of Marriage and Family, 82(3), 911933. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12657Google Scholar
McMillan, T. (1992). Waiting to exhale. Viking.Google Scholar
McQueeney, K. (2009). “We are God’s children, y’all:” Race, gender, and sexuality in lesbian- and gay-affirming congregations. Social Problems, 56(1), 151173. https://doi.org/10.1525/sp.2009.56.1.151Google Scholar
Mendelsohn, G., Shaw Taylor, L., Fiore, A., & Cheshire, C. (2014). Black/white dating online: Interracial courtship in the 21st century. Psychology of Popular Media Culture, 3(1), 218.Google Scholar
Milhausen, R. R., Buchholz, A. C., Opperman, E. A., & Benson, L. E. (2015). Relationships between body image, body composition, sexual functioning, and sexual satisfaction among heterosexual young adults. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 44(6), 16211633.Google Scholar
Montique, C. S. (2017). The struggle is real: the dating dilemma for educated Black women interested in educated Black men [Doctoral dissertation, American University]. ProQuest.Google Scholar
Osborne, C., Manning, W. D., & Smock, P. J. (2007). Married and cohabiting parents’ relationship stability: A focus on race and ethnicity. Journal of Marriage & Family, 69, 13451366.Google Scholar
Phillips, T. M., Wilmoth, J. D., & Marks, L. D. (2012). Challenges and conflicts… strengths and supports: A study of enduring African American marriages. Journal of Black Studies, 43(8), 936952.Google Scholar
Raley, R. K., & Bumpass, L. (2003). The topography of the divorce plateau: Levels and trends in union stability in the United States after 1980. Demographic Research, 8, 245260.Google Scholar
Raley, R., Sweeney, M., & Wondra, D. (2015). The growing racial and ethnic divide in U.S. marriage patterns. The Future of Children, 25(2), 89109.Google Scholar
Rao, D., Andrasik, M. P., & Lipira, L. (2018). HIV stigma among Black women in the United States: Intersectionality, support, resilience. American Journal of Public Health, 108, 446448.Google Scholar
Rees, D. (Director). (2011). Pariah [Film]. Focus Features.Google Scholar
Reviere, S. L., Farber, E. W., Twomey, H., Okun, A., Jackson, E., Zanville, H., & Kaslow, N. J. (2007). Intimate partner violence and suicidality in low-income African American women. Violence Against Women, 13(11), 11131129. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077801207307798Google Scholar
Romano, R. (2018). Something old, something new: Black women, interracial dating, and the Black marriage crisis. Differences, 29(2), 126153. https://doi.org/10.1215/10407391-6999802Google Scholar
Singleton, J. (Director). (1993). Poetic justice [Film]. Columbia Pictures Corporation.Google Scholar
Stanik, C. E., McHale, S. M., & Crouter, A. C. (2013). Gender dynamics predict changes in marital love among African American couples. Journal of Marriage and Family, 75(4), 795807. https://doi.org/10.1111/jomf.12037Google Scholar
Stephens, D. & Philips, L. (2005) Integrating Black feminist thought into conceptual frameworks of African American adolescent women’s sexual scripting processes. Sexualities, Evolution, and Gender, 7(1), 3755.Google Scholar
Sternberg, R. J. (1987). Liking versus loving: A comparative evaluation of theories. Psychological Bulletin, 102(3), 331345.Google Scholar
Taft, C. T., Bryant-Davis, T., Woodward, H. E., Tillman, S., & Torres, S. E. (2009). Intimate partner violence against African American women: An examination of the socio-cultural context. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 14(1), 5058. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2008.10.001Google Scholar
Turner, T. (1984). What’s love got to do with it [Song]. On Private dancer [Album]. Capitol Records.Google Scholar
Whitaker, F. (Director). (1995). Waiting to exhale [Film]. New Line Home Entertainment.Google Scholar
Wilson, B. D. (2009). Black lesbian gender and sexual culture: Celebration and resistance. Culture, Health & Sexuality, 11(3), 297313.Google Scholar
Witcher, T. (Director). (1997). Love Jones [Film]. New Line Cinema.Google Scholar
Wyatt, G. (1997). Stolen women: Reclaiming our sexuality, taking back our lives. Wiley.Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×