Being a single mother is not an easy task. Raising children alone and in broken homes has proven difficult for women around the world. These difficulties seem to multiply when single motherhood occurs in an African American household. Why does this happen? Is it self-inflicted or is there something deeper going on in the minds of black women that unconsciously leads some to become single black mothers? I seek to better understand the dynamics of single Black motherhood from a psychological and sociological perspective. By examining the work of womanist theologians, we hope that a solution to these difficulties will emerge. Sociological statistics show that: In 1950, 17 percent of African American children lived in a home with their mothers but not their fathers. By 2010, this figure had increased to 50 percent. In 1965, only eight percent of births in the black community took place outside of marriage. In 2010, this figure was 41 percent; and today, the rate of out-of-wedlock births in the black community stands at an astonishing 72 percent. The number of African American women married and living with their spouse was 53 percent in 1950. By 2010, it had fallen to 25 percent” (Lloyd). Sociological data clearly shows that the black family is slowly but surely deteriorating, especially in America. terms of broken homes. From 1950 to today, the number of black children living only with their mothers has almost tripled. This phenomenon can be attributed to many factors. Father absence, coupled with the independence we see in black women, are two main reasons that contribute to this problem. Both of these ideas date back to before the 20th century, when slavery was in full force. “Social theorists argue that slavery led to disorganization... middle of paper... a process of internalized oppression and multigenerational transmission in African American families. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 12, 230-242. Phelps, Jamie T. “Joy Came in the Morning… Confronting the Evil of Social Sin and Socially Sinful Structures.” » In A Trouble in My Soul: Feminine Perspectives on Evil and Suffering, p. 48-50. Edited by Emilie M. Townes. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1993. Pyke, Karen D. "What Is Internalized Racial Oppression and Why Don't We Study It?" Recognize the hidden wounds of racism. » Sociological Perspectives 53.4 (2010): 553. Print. Ruggles, Steve. “The Origins of African-American Family Structure.” American Sociological Review 59.1 (1994): 136. Print. Thomas, Linda E. Living Stones in the Household of God: The Legacy and Future of Black Theology. Minneapolis, MN: Fortress, 2004. 39. Print.