ABSTRACT

The complexities of older Black women’s dating behaviors and preferences were uncovered in this phenomenology study with 14 older Black single and/or widowed women. The participants recognized that, as older Black women, their sexuality did not simply pertain to whether they were dating, it encompassed various factors that influenced their decisions about whether to date. These factors were categorized into three major themes: pursuing intimacy, dating preferences, and barriers to dating. The adoption of the Black feminist standpoint theory helped to understand their dating experiences in the context of the participants’ Blackness. The women’s subjective experiences with dating and the challenges that they face as older Black women demonstrated the complexities and intersections of race, gender, class, and age within this contextual analysis. These findings hold important practical implications for understanding the influence of the older women’s Blackness on their experiences and how it shapes their dating behavior. These understandings will help social workers and gerontologists better appreciate and validate older Black women’s self-determination in their dating choices and the need to support them.

摘要

这项现象学研究揭示了老年黑人女性约会行为和偏好的复杂性，研究对象为 14 名老年黑人单身和/或丧偶女性。参与者认识到，作为年长的黑人女性，她们的性取向不仅仅与是否约会有关，还包括影响她们决定是否约会的各种因素。这些因素分为三大主题：追求亲密关系、约会偏好和约会障碍。采用黑人女权主义立场理论有助于在参与者的黑人背景下了解他们的约会经历。女性在约会方面的主观经历以及她们作为老年黑人女性所面临的挑战，在这种背景分析中展示了种族、性别、阶级和年龄的复杂性和交叉点。这些发现对于理解老年女性的黑度对她们的经历的影响以及它如何塑造她们的约会行为具有重要的实际意义。这些理解将帮助社会工作者和老年学家更好地欣赏和验证老年黑人女性在约会选择中的自主权以及支持她们的必要性。