Misogynoir and Black Women’s Relationship Initiation

Black Americans face persistent disparities in romantic relationship outcomes, including lower rates of marriage and higher rates of divorce and nonmarital childbearing. Existing scholarship on this topic has largely explained these patterns by emphasizing the role of systemic racism and discrimination in shaping the life chances of Black men or the functioning of established Black relationships. Comparatively less attention has been paid to how the intersecting oppressions uniquely experienced by Black women – referred to as misogynoir – shape relationship processes, particularly during the earliest stages of relationships. This review reframes relationship initiation as a process of constrained judgment under misogynoir, demonstrating how gendered racism reshapes the meanings, risks, and consequences of early relational behavior for Black women. Drawing on six enduring stereotypes and controlling images of Black womanhood, we examine how misogynoir impacts self-protection, self-presentation, and partner evaluation, thereby offering a more comprehensive account of Black relationships.