For decades, there has been a stigma attached to remaining unmarried and childless in the Black community, particularly for women. But a growing part of the Black middle class is single, childfree adults. Does the trend threaten the future of the Black family, or is it time to recognize a different model for family life? On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by sociologist Kris Marsh, author of “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1316612910/?tag=slatmaga-20">The Love Jones Cohort: Single and Living Alone in the Black Middle Class</a>.” Guest: Kris Marsh, University of Maryland Sociology Professor and author of “<a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/1316612910/?tag=slatmaga-20">The Love Jones Cohort: Single and Living Alone in the Black Middle Class</a>.” Podcast production by Ahiyana Angel You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at <a href="http://slate.com/awordplus">slate.com/awordplus</a> for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit <a href="https://megaphone.fm/adchoices">megaphone.fm/adchoices</a>

Slate Gender and Society

A Word: No More “Black Picket Fence”

A feed drawing from Slate’s podcast network, including The Waves and Outward, featuring episodes that take a critical eye to the world around us, how we define ourselves, and how gender itself is defined.