Coloniality, Capitalism, and Patriarchy: Childfree, Never-Married Black Women and Women of Color on the Rise

Abstract: “Coloniality, Capitalism, and Patriarchy: Childfree, Never-Married Black Women and Women of Color on the Rise” analyzes patriarchal and heteronormative institutions and practices that compel women to be wives and mothers. However, not all women marry or have children. This creates a space for childfree and never-married women of color (WOC) to redefine their social roles and their purpose to other members of society. My qualitative research, in which I interviewed 40 child-free, never-married single Black women and WOC, demonstrates how Black women and WOC’s lived experiences and agency challenge the expectations of heteronormative marriage and conventional motherhood and how these women have created a workaround through their choices to lead self-determining lives.