Am I man Enough?: A Qualitative Study of African American Heterosexual Men’s Attitudes Toward Marriage

This study utilized a social constructivist lens to explore African American heterosexual men’s attitudes toward marriage and provide an understanding of how African American heterosexual men conceptualize themselves in the context of marriage. Focus groups were conducted with African American heterosexual men aged 24–34 years old from a large, metropolitan midwestern city (N = 17). Participants were asked how they felt about marriage, how they thought their peers feel about marriage, and the positive and negative attributes of marriage. Thematic analysis revealed several themes including struggles of Black masculinity, dilemmas within the Black male-female dynamic, and role confusion; resulting in personal ambivalence about their decision to enter into marriage. Findings suggest that their conceptions of manhood in the context of American racism is the pretext that plays a significant role in the decision to take on important roles such as husband. Using Powell and Mattis (2005) Relational Framework of Masculinity, I discuss how African American men’s conceptualization of manhood may contribute to how these men engage with significant life transitions, such as marriage. Suggestions for future research and practice implications for work with African American heterosexual men is also discussed.