A new study identifies key factors in successful #Blackmarriages. Those factors include the ability to communicate openly, remain flexible about each person’s role in the relationship as challenges arise, and find agreement in how to manage income and assets, according to the study in the journal Family Relations. Antonius Skipper, assistant professor of gerontology and lead author of the paper, says much of the past research on Black families has focused on divorce and single-family households. His research team and others have been working to put a greater emphasis on understanding the factors involved in successful Black families and how to nurture them. The researchers noted only 29% of African Americans are married, making them the “most unmarried racial/ethnic group in the United States,” though the majority of #AfricanAmericans want to be married. “The historical emphasis on the deficits of #Blackfamilies have contributed to a very limited understanding of strong Black couples,” Skipper says. “When paired with systemic barriers to marriage and sometimes unrealistic desires in a marital partner, many young Blacks have grown to see marriage as unattainable. “The lessons from the couples we’ve interviewed teach us that many #Blackcouples overcome the same issues that have torn others apart. In overcoming, these Black couples grow closer to the marital benefits that were denied to Blacks for centuries, such as generational wealth and escaping poverty.” The study is based on in-depth interviews with 35 happily married couples from several states who were already taking part in a longer-term research project. The researchers conclude that cultivating open communication, including the ability to have uncomfortable conversations, was an important skill for successful couples. Strong couples also tended to have a flexible view of the role they needed to play at different points in their relationship. For example, the researchers found that in the couples they studied, husbands and wives might shift the balance of household duties and breadwinner status over time, depending on health or job-market challenges. #SWIPE Source: futurity.org/black-marriages https://www.instagram.com/p/CTVxFzVjcg7/?utm_medium=tumblr