The decline and low success rate of Black marriages is crucial for study .
Many African Americans achieve a middle - class status through marriage and the likelihood of children growing up in poverty is tripled for those in single - parent rather than two - parent homes .
The decline and low success rate of Black marriages is crucial for study because many African Americans achieve a middle - class status through marriage and the likelihood of children growing up in poverty is tripled for those in single - parent rather than two - parent homes .