MY BABY`S DADDY: Why African-American Mothers aren`t Choosing Marriage
by Janice Robinson

The bottom line is . . . I can do bad all by myself. In the United States, 84% of African-American families have single mothers as the heads of household. It's no secret that unemployment rates for Black men are disproportionately higher than whites. Statistics show that Black women have a better chance of securing a well paying job than Black men. Employment provides security for families. If on family member is consistently out of a job, the stress of financial problems can plague a relationship, making it difficult to stay together. When a young Caucasian couple is faced with and early pregnancy, marriage gives them a better chance of survival but for an African-American couple in the same situation, marriage is a disadvantage.

Not only does the Black woman realize this, she also knows that more services and benefits are available to her when the father is absent. Even with Welfare cuts, there are still other services available for mothers with children such as WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) food supplements, low-cost childcare, free or reduced health care, and housing. Having the father`s mouth to feed and him to care for, in addition to her children, isn`t always the best option for many young African-American women.

In a 1984 research project, Dr. Lorraine P. Mayfield found there are three basic reasons why African-American don`t necessarily marry at a young age:

· There are more role models of single-headed households than whites, which reduces the urgency of an early marriage. · They receive greater family support than Caucasian mothers because of strong kinship ties to the African-American community. · They marry later because they aspire to higher upward mobility aspirations than young Caucasian mothers do. Studies show that young African-American women who become pregnant are more likely to stay in school and attend college. Caucasian women dropout at a higher rate.

However, all is not lost. Statistics show that when income-levels rise for the African-American male, so does the marriage rate. As African-American moms get older and reach their goals they move into a higher income bracket and many marry later in life. "Young Black mothers are willing to postpone marriage and accept the communitys' understanding that the role of mother is more important than the wife, particularly when an unstable marriage is foreseen", states Mayfield.

Just because a large percentage of young fathers aren't saying "I do", doesn't mean they are not being responsible daddies. "I watch my son at night while his mother works. I see him all of the time", says a twenty -three year old father from Mobile, Alabama. More and more African-American fathers are realizing the importance of their role in their children`s lives. So the song`s title, That's Just My Baby's Daddy may just be saying more than 'I am not married with a baby'. Today's young mothers may be telling us, although my baby's father is around, I can do better alone.