Experiences of single African-American women professors : with this Ph.D., I thee wed

Experiences of Single African-American Women Professors: With this Ph.D., I Thee Wed, edited by Eletra S. Gilchrist, explores the unique lived experiences of single African-American women professors. Gilchrist's contributors are comprised of never-before-married and doctorate degree-holding African-American women professors. The authors and research participants speak candidly about their experiences, exploring a myriad of topics including dating costs and rewards, relationship challenges, work/life balance, multiple intersecting identities, negative perceptions, and identity negotiation.

This volume is designed by and for an academic audience. It addresses the dating and mating complexities of the population under study by combining autoethnographic accounts with empirical research and theoretical concepts. As one of the few works to address the intricate interpersonal dynamics surrounding African-American women in the professorate from a scholarly perspective, Eletra S. Gilchrist's Experiences of Single African-American Women Professors: With this Ph.D., I Thee Wed seeks to not only dispel myths and stereotypes, but serve as an instructional tool for other professor hopefuls.

• Foreword p. ix Tina M. Harris, Ph.D.
• Acknowledgements p. xi
• Introduction p. xiii Eletra S. Gilchrist, Ph.D.
• Precursors to the Nonmarital Status of African-American Women Professors
• Sexy: The First Reason I Married My Ph.D p. 3 Robin M. Boylorn, Ph.D.
• 1 Black, Educated, and Female: A Perspective on Contemporary Courtship and the Professoriate p. 5 Celeste Walls, Ph.D.
• 2 This House is Not a Home: Parents' Rhetoric and Perceptions of Marriage among Single African-American Women Academics from Single and Two-Parent Households p. 23 Jonita Henry, Ph.D.
• 3 "Acting Like a Lady and Doing Me": Rejecting the "Strong Black Woman" Stereotype, Sexism, and Settling p. 35 Kandace L. Harris, Ph.D.
• Demands of the Professoriate: Balancing Pedagogical and Relational Pursuits
• Self-Conscious: The Second Reason I Married My Ph.D. p. 57 Robin M. Boylorn, Ph.D.
• 4 The Myth and Mismatch of Balance: Black Female Professors' Constructions of Balance, Integration, and Negotiation of Work and Life p. 59 Natalie T. J. Tindall, Ph.D. and Markesha S. McWilliams
• 5 Jumping the Broom: Challenges of Relational and Academic Pursuits p. 83 Joanne A. Sutherland, Ph.D.
• 6 It Costs to be the Boss: Negotiating the Rewards and Costs of Marriage when Professional Obligations are Great p. 101 Monica L. Dillihunt, Ph.D. and Cheryl D. Jenkins, Ph.D.
• Multi-Layered Relational Challenges of Single African-American Women Professors
• Sanctified: The Third Reason I Married My Ph.D. p. 119 Robin M. Boylorn, Ph.D.
• 7 "I'm in the Middle of Nowhere!": The Dating Experiences of Black, Female Doctoral Students and Faculty at Predominantly White Environments p. 121 Mounira Morris, Ed.D.
• 8 Spirituality, Singleness, and Scholarship: Single Black Women Ph.D.s and the Christian HBCU p. 141 Janice Y. Watson, Ph.D. and R. Rennae Elliott, Ph.D.
• 9 Breaking the Silence: An Autoethnography of a Single, Black, Lesbian's Interpersonal Relationships at an HBCU p. 159 Sheena C. Howard, Ph.D.
• Identity Negotiation: Perceptions of Single African-American Women Professors
• Sassy: The Fourth Reason I Married My Ph.D. p. 175 Robin M. Boylorn, Ph.D.
• 10 Neither an "Old Maid" nor a "Miss Independent": Deflating the Negative Perceptions of Single African-American Women Professors p. 177 Eletra S. Gilchrist, Ph.D.
• 11 Searching for the New Black Woman: One Single, African-American Professor's Experience with the Strong Black Woman Myth p. 201 Kimberly J. Chandler, Ph.D.
• 12 You Can Have a Man Or a Career: Professional and Personal Identity Negotiation of Aspiring African-American Female Professors p. 221 Cerise L. Glenn, Ph.D.
• Single: The Fifth Reason I Married My Ph.D. p. 235 Robin M. Boylorn, Ph.D.
• Epilogue p. 237 Eletra S. Gilchrist, Ph.D.
• Index p. 241
• About the Editor p. 245
• About the Contributors p. 247