How Do I View My Sister? Stereotypic Views of African American Women and Their Potential to Impact Intimate Partnerships

Abstract Little research to date has focused on what factors interfere with the process of African American women and men developing and maintaining healthy relationships. A better understanding of these factors can help to improve relationships between these individuals and create stronger families within the African American community. Research has documented that prevailing stereotypes of African American women impact the lives of African American women and that stereotypes have the potential to impact interpersonal relationships. The purpose of the current study was to assess whether African American men endorsed stereotypic views of African American women, and to discuss the potential of these views to negatively impact the quality of relationships between African American women and men. Results indicate that 71% of men surveyed endorsed stereotypic views of African American women. Implications of these findings and future directions for research are presented.