Black Women And Late Marriage

To this I say, people are different.. different environments, differnt states, differnt social standards for different people. Who/what is consideered marrying well doesnt mean the same thing everywhere.

Frozen eggs and fertility treatments undesirable failures to some folks but common place and borderline a status symbol in others. But for most women that want children the babies usually come regardless. Harder or requires more effort for some but produces the same quality children. I *personally* can only think of maybe one or two women chidlessness wasnt a choince. They wanted children but for whatever reason could never have them. But for both age and time of marriage had nothing to do with it.

What some folks consider married well or ideal where they are from makes me happy for them. bless your heart. :look:

That's' all I got. :look:
I don't know anywhere where being infertile is a goal. :lol: Fertility treatments don't improve your chances by that much anyway. But this article is talking about the average black woman which by definition includes most black women. I doubt these black women are all imagining that they are unicorns and acting accordingly. They are just older and single middle and upper middle class black women.
 
The article is depressing and judgemental. Not everyone has the same opportunities and the white man/woman ways are not always right and ideal. If you are blessed to have a good mate after grad school, then good for you. Those who may not have had the same experiences. should not be punished, chastised or made to feel doomed.
 
Oh, this is literally christelyn? I thought yall were joking :rofl:

No!! I don't read Christelyn. :lol: She's quoted here.
You guys should read the article linked in the blog. Beyond fertility issues is the increased likelihood of the children conceived having serious developmental/health issues.
I'm about to start a spin off thread.
 
Just the majority I personally know or encounter or are associates of friends.

After college my facebook feed was overwhelmed with white weddings. Sweet, cute, quaint weddings. Now at the beginning of my thirties vacay trips to India or overseas for destination weddings have been everywhere. I cant think of a single Indian or Asian wedding I attended during my twenties now folks just seem to be coming out of nowhere. Brown and ethnic weddings everywhere. lol Those cute quaint weddings and picnic engagements on my fb feed seem to be replaced by private jet proposals and ritzy galas where the bride and groom arent getting blenders and toaster ovens they're getting thick white envelopes.:look:

Maybe being in a college town changes things but I see them marrying just as young and broke as white people. Having more anchor babies than the Mexicans. But the living standard between here and Baltimore is bound to be drastically different.
 
I like her blog despite the "black men are all damaged so run" angle because she makes a lot of sense in general. i was hoping for good discussion. I really should've taken the time to cut out the snark. :lol:

I like her blog too. She goes hard and I don't agree with everything she posts but I love her focus on black women putting themselves and their needs above those of the larger "black community."
 
I like her blog despite the "black men are all damaged so run" angle because she makes a lot of sense in general. i was hoping for good discussion. I really should've taken the time to cut out the snark. :lol:

Yea this particular post with all the snark will perhaps not fare well :spinning:. But I agree with her age 24-28 is a good prime marrying age. I personally believe unless you are pursuing a high profile job and/or pursuing a degree like your masters or phd marrying before your 30s is good family planning. An exception does not negate the entire rule and I don't know why everyone tries to become the exception.

SN: I really appreciate her blog and I just sift through the snark. But then again I read a lot of other forums and blogs that appear 10x more sharply critical than her blog and I still listen for advice. This thread could go well it just depends who reads and comments.
 
Google"the grayest generation" and it should show up.
For myself I'm grateful my mom had me in her twenties and that I had mine in my twenties.
I can't imagine being in my forties with little kids, dealing with the last few years of my parent's lives. Or my kids losing their grandparents before they are old enough to remember them.
My first grandparent to die left when I was in college. I lost the last in my thirties. My older kids remember them and there are photos of them together.
 
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Google"the grayest generation" and it should show up.
For myself I'm grateful my mom had me in her twenties and that I had mine in my twenties.
I can't imagine being in my forties with little kids, dealing with the last few years of my parent's lives. Or my kids losing their grandparents before they are old enough to remember them.
My first grandparent to die left when I was in college. I lost the last in my thirties. My older kids remember them and there are photos of them together.
My kids get to hear stories of what I and my siblings were like as kids, from the folks who raised us. They have the experience of years of holidays and visits with grandparents. Being spoiled with their favorite desserts and presents.
Grandparents bring something to a child's life that even its parents can't.
 
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I think I should say this before more comments come in:

MuslimBushido is a blog run by Khadijia Nassif and she is a Black Women Empowerment (BWE) writer. BeyondBlackWhite is a website run by Christelyn and she is a pro-interracial (Swirler) writer. They are two different bloggers/writers with two different agendas that occasionally cross paths.
 
Google"the grayest generation" and it should show up.
For myself I'm grateful my mom had me in her twenties and that I had mine in my twenties.
I can't imagine being in my forties with little kids, dealing with the last few years of my parent's lives. Or my kids losing their grandparents before they are old enough to remember them.
My first grandparent to die left when I was in high school. I lost the last in my thirties. My older kids remember them and there are photos of them together.

I agree with this. There are pros and cons to both but I feel this way about my decision to have mine in my 20s. I also agree with the author about the prime age although I do think black women have a wider window.
 
Meh, norms shift, and they have shifted for a while. Women used to get married in their mid teens, then as social norms shifted the age increased. So these so called time tested norms are sketchy. There are pros and cons to each side of this argument, from my perspective I don't see a huge win on either side.
 
I don't want to be an older mom. I've been thinking about this a lot for the past year because it seems like this is the time to find someone if I want to start my family in my late twenties/early thirties.
 
Meh, norms shift, and they have shifted for a while. Women used to get married in their mid teens, then as social norms shifted the age increased. So these so called time tested norms are sketchy. There are pros and cons to each side of this argument, from my perspective I don't see a huge win on either side.

Getting married in the midteenas hasn't been the norm since people died really young. Even in the 1800's early twenties was normal. Waiting until you are 30 something to marry and have your first child has never been widely done, and there are a lot of negative consequences for those who do it now. Even with IVF there is a good chance that these women won't be able to have kids and even those who do have an increased risk of birth defects.

mg22730324.100-2_800.jpg


This chart is from this article which is worth reading. IVF doesn't help much and doesn't give you a lot of extra time to have children. People act like its some kind of fail safe and really it doesn't do much.
 
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I am so tired of people putting expiration dates on women. Live your life and when you find love and it's right for you, go for it. I don't care if you're 20 or 60. We have to learn how to take life as it comes, and stop letting other people's perceptions of where we are supposed to be at a certain age, define us. Especially us, black women. We already know we have it a little harder than the others, we don't need reminders.

I guess with regard to the childbearing aspect of this thread, I'll just say that if you are older and you want to have a child, you have to be prepared to a.) spend a lot of money on fertility treatments and/or b.) consider adoption.
 
Maybe being in a college town changes things but I see them marrying just as young and broke as white people. Having more anchor babies than the Mexicans. But the living standard between here and Baltimore is bound to be drastically different.

This is true.

The DMV is a special place. I like it. Marital expecations and norms are very much a reflection of socioeconomic extremes that exist here. Most of he people I went to high school with or raised in similar social environments dont get married and have kids until their late thirties. The white girls that got married fresh out of college are far from my ideal. Shouldla waited til at least grad school. Even most of my folks in law/grad/med school hold off on weddings until late twenties with people they met in college. And for peoplle like my bff and cousin whi married young at 25 dont start having kids til 30. Until last year only one of my girlfriends had a kid. But more than half are married, one is divorced, a few are engaged and he others just don't seem interested. Ain't nobody encouraging young mommies round here. Lol. Folks are tryna get dem coins up first because its not enough just to have a kid. That's wack. Lol. No ones patting anyone in the back or encouraging babies for the sake of. Ish looks bad if you're having kids but cant provide a higher standard and lifestyle requirement of quality in which to raise them in. You know what looks worse than having being unmarried with no kids? Working full time, not owning a house to raise a family in and sending your kids to public school. :look: but some folks think that ish is a good idea and really would want to settle for that as the foundation and quality of life for building a family. Harsh but I'd rather have an abortion and freeze my eggs opting to wait til I can provide my kids with a higher quality of life. Fertility treatments or public school? I'll take fertility treatments. :look:

The only other cities Ive experienced with similar marital dynamics are NYC and Chicago.


Eta: I'm not surprised Kevin Hart popped the question when his fiance turned 30. She rolls with my kinds of folks. Chicks don't start having babies and getting married til about that time. I'll have to check her IG but you should see and Kevin start attending a lot more weddings and baby showers all of sudden over the next 2 years. :yep:
 
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I am so tired of people putting expiration dates on women. Live your life and when you find love and it's right for you, go for it. I don't care if you're 20 or 60. We have to learn how to take life as it comes, and stop letting other people's perceptions of where we are supposed to be at a certain age, define us. Especially us, black women. We already know we have it a little harder than the others, we don't need reminders.

I guess with regard to the childbearing aspect of this thread, I'll just say that if you are older and you want to have a child, you have to be prepared to a.) spend a lot of money on fertility treatments and/or b.) consider adoption.

Mother nature put the expiration date on folks. People are just pointing it out. :lol: I think that people do need reminders because even in this thread folks are like "just have IVF or freeze your eggs!" In medical and biological reality that isn't an effective solution. The OP may be offensive in some ways, but I like that she doesn't lie to women, or sell them false dreams.
 
Mother nature put the expiration date on folks. People are just pointing it out. :lol: I think that people do need reminders because even in this thread folks are like "just have IVF or freeze your eggs!" In medical and biological reality that isn't an effective solution. The OP may be offensive in some ways, but I like that she doesn't lie to women, or sell them false dreams.

That's not necessarily true ... there are women who have children into their 40's and many times, with no issue. I am specifically talking about marriage in and of itself. Sometimes you don't find the right guy in your 20's and 30's. I don't think that we as black women need to beat ourselves up about that. It's hard enough out here.
 


Remeber the white couple on Arranged marriage show.

They were like 28 but the husband almost had went into panic mode when he realized their could be a risk his wife was pregnant. Some folks dont care bc they believe ever baby is a blessing but by his standards and quality of life he knew he wasnt in the position to provide the life he wants his kids & wife to have. They really want children too. Now is not the time. But in a year or two it will likely be. Theyll be around 30, stable and settled.:yep:
 
Fertility isn't really set in stone. There are many Afro-Latinas and Africans walking around with oops babies at 50. Know a Kenyan couple who live in Sweden. Their baby was a 21 yr old college student about to graduate and Mom turned up pregnant at 50. She was so embarrassed to tell her husband. Eventually they got over it and the kid is almost 10 and thriving. Know a Brazilian lady who turned up pregnant at 46. Had never had kids before and totally given up and stopped trying for over 10 yrs.

People often assume that once you hit 50 that's it. If you haven't gone through the full menopause cycle and you are of good health, expect the unexpected. You have to be diligent until the very last egg has totally dried up and turned into powder. The human body is weird.
 
It can also be extremely dangerous to the mother long term. Idk why ppl dont talk about the risk of cardiovascular events down the line.

As for the OP, what ppl supposed to do? Many are victims of circumstances etc. You get hitched and impregnated when its time for you to do so. And not everyone should be having kids anyway :look:

Mother nature put the expiration date on folks. People are just pointing it out. :lol: I think that people do need reminders because even in this thread folks are like "just have IVF or freeze your eggs!" In medical and biological reality that isn't an effective solution. The OP may be offensive in some ways, but I like that she doesn't lie to women, or sell them false dreams.
 
Getting married in the midteenas hasn't been the norm since people died really young. Even in the 1800's early twenties was normal. Waiting until you are 30 something to marry and have your first child has never been widely done, and there are a lot of negative consequences for those who do it now. Even with IVF there is a good chance that these women won't be able to have kids and even those who do have an increased risk of birth defects.

mg22730324.100-2_800.jpg


This chart is from this article which is worth reading. IVF doesn't help much and doesn't give you a lot of extra time to have children. People act like its some kind of fail safe and really it doesn't do much.

I am not seeing the huge panic with these numbers, maybe if you want 3+ children. Not to mention the number of people who have children prior to getting married so this may or may not be an issue.
 
I agree with this. There are pros and cons to both but I feel this way about my decision to have mine in my 20s. I also agree with the author about the prime age although I do think black women have a wider window.

The other part of that is finding a man in your 20s who is husband material and to actually become married before having those children. Like the author mentioned, I doubt most black women are turning down proposals willy nilly from eligible black men. It doesn't mean they don't desire to have children in their 20s. Hell, I fully planned to have kids at 28 ... ain't looking good. :lol:
 
What annoys me is that Black women are in a real bind and we refuse to move the conversation forward because we either deny that it's happening or blame BW for it. BW need to have viable and fulfilling options. Black men, according to the research and anecdotally are slower to commit and marry BW. They also have the highest rates of any group to date and marry outside of their group, which seems to be growing with younger generations. Moreover, highly educated BW tend to have more difficulty finding a mate. Therefore, outside of luck, prayers and abject thirst, what can BW really do? Interracial dating is an option, but again, statistics show that BW are perceived as the least desirable by other groups. Should Black women IF they want children and it doesn't happen for them look to adoption or insemination? I want real solutions that BW are in control of. We can't control BM or other groups of men. How can we empower Black women to get the most out of their lives without compromising themselves?

Disclaimer: I think Black women are awesome and that all of these stats can be problematic, but I can't deny that anecdotally I can see and have heard Black women struggle in the marriage market. I have to step outside of my own bubble and acknowledge that the struggle is real for many Black women from 16 up.
 
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