The Black family is under assault from within and with out. Among the factors contributing to this situation is the declining sex ratio. It has become necessary to evalu ate various family lifestyles since it is impossible for every Black woman to enter into a "monogamous" re lationship (with a Black man). This situation worsens as her educational and income level increases. To assess the relative evaluation of some options, the Male-Fe male Relationship Survey was administered to 90 Black women and men whose mean age and level of education was 25.3 years and 15.0 years, respectively. Men and women ranked monogamy the most desirable option, but overt sharing was second. Both sexes ranked as least desirable women being lesbians, giving up, or finding a White mate. Other significant findings were due to age, marital status, and education. These findings suggest that overt sharing relationships may be a viable option augmenting monogamy among Black families.
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