What will happen to successful black women who graduate from
UCLA?
Will they date and marry black men who might be on a lower
educational and financial level? Might empowered black women be
CEOs in the boardroom only to be alone in the bedroom? Or will
black female students begin to date outside their race to truly
find a compatible mate?
These problems fall under what many have called the black gender
gap.
Recently, Newsweek issued an article, “The Black Gender
Gap,” describing black women making strides on campuses and
in the workplace. However, these women are unable to find black men
on their level, or at all. The gap is widened by the prevalence of
black men in prison and the lack of them in higher education. And
so black women have been forced to rethink issues of class, race
and compatibility.
As the rates are going now, black women at UCLA will pass black
men in education and the work force. Nationally, 65 percent more
young black women go to college than black men. Although black men
still have a higher income overall than black women, black women
are already earning more than the median for all black working men.
These strides are reflected in prominent titles as well. At UCLA,
black women are not only the majority of black students but hold
most of the prominent leadership posts here on campus.
Many men in the black community claim women are rising into the
professional and managerial class because black women seemed to be
embraced more, whereas black men are seen as threatening. But black
men should not complain and fight over the accomplishments of black
women. Black women have a right to hold the positions they occupy
now and they have supported black men for generations; black men
need to support black women in this same way.
Another problem resulting from the gender gap is that black
women who attend and graduate from UCLA or any institution will
have difficulty finding black men who are on their
“level.” According to the census, 47 percent of black
women in the 30-34 age range have never been married, compared to
10 percent of white women. The numbers of black men at UCLA are
incredibly low, lower than what most black women expect when they
enter campus.
Life is not like the movie “Brown Sugar.” However,
it is possible to find black men who might be college graduates.
“Good black men” are out there ““ in the
workforce, at church and in places that many women have failed to
look. There are good black men not only off this campus but also on
campus if you give brothers a chance.
Black women at UCLA need not fall into the interracial dating
myths. Yes, black men do date outside of their race in larger
numbers than black women. However, this can be exaggerated,
especially among athletes and professionals. There are many
professional men who chose to date black women. Where, you say? It
is not highly known, but most athletes in the NBA are married to
black women.
But the most important question regarding the gender gap is
about marital compatibility. The most important question is why
black men are not achieving the same type of success that black
women are. There are reasons why. For starters, more black men go
to jail and not Yale, “the pen” and not Penn State and
get locked out of education instead of coming here to UCLA.
Since black women become empowered through numerous channels,
it’s up to them and the entire community to look at why this
gender gap occurs and to help prevent it. Let’s not separate
over issues like this but look toward goals at empowering all,
whether male or female.
Can black women thrive if their brothers are left behind?
It’s up to UCLA students to ask difficult questions and truly
tackle a complex issue.
Smith is a fourth-year political science student. E-mail him
your comments at rsmith@media.ucla.edu.