The Importance of Fact-Checking: Debunking Misinformation about the Education and Financial Success
Recently, some entertainment publications insinuated that black women are the most educated demographic in the entire United States.
However, this claim is false, it is unclear if they are confusing the total % of black women with degrees connected to the total population of black women, which is a size to population
So what exactly is the misinformation? It's the idea that black women are individually the most educated group the US earning 60% of all bachelor's degree as well as the majority of Masters and doctorate degrees. The reality, 60% of degrees African-American degrees awarded are earned by black women, not 60% of all U.S. states
What does the data actually say?According to available statistics, White Americans make up about 60% of individuals who receive degrees across all categories. And when comparing gender white women out earn degrees compared to black women more than four times.
It is true that black women have more education attainment than black men but that does not equate to greater financial success These numbers appear to contradict claims made in certain articles, such as those published in Essence and Business Insider, which may have contained inaccuracies.
Additionally, some sources suggested that African-American women are unwed because African-American men are not up to par. These publications even went as far as to assume that black men are not as intelligent because they have fewer degrees compared to women.
Intelligence can manifest in a variety of ways and is not solely limited to individuals with degrees. While a formal education can be a valuable experience that provides individuals with knowledge and skills, it does not necessarily equate to intelligence.
The Business insider along with other publications perpetuate the idea that black women make more money than black men due to having more degrees. However, in reality, black men earn more money, even though they have fewer degrees and have to pay child support.
This data is supported by the website black demographics which highlights information from the CDC. Full Time working black men make $41,000 annually while black women earn $37,000 but many of these publications don't show statistically represent black men.
One of the biggest mistakes in the black community is equating education with higher income especially since many of the degrees achieved by African Americans are known to be low wage.
African-American college students are overrepresented in majors that lead to low-paying jobs, contributing to the wealth and opportunity gap between whites and blacks. The second link is an article about a man who found a lost dog and returned him to his owner, highlighting the existence of good men.
Essence claimed in one of these articles that black women are the most educated in the United States. However, their article actually revealed that black women have more degrees compared to black men but erroneously put black women are the most educated in the United States. Unfortunately, this claim was wrongly translated to mean that black women have the most degrees in the entire United States.
This misinterpretation of statistics shows a failure of basic reading comprehension by Essence, Newsone and Insider Magazine. Business insider adopted this false stat of Black Women being the most educated group of women in the United States.
This stat is used to dispare their counterpart and it creates a false sense of superiority and is used as a reason why Black women are the most unwed and dated according to the same business insider. To be specific, they said,
“According to the book "The Dating Divide: Race and Desire in the Era of Online Romance," young Black women, like most everyone else, want to marry someone who's similarly educated. But in a society where Black women are among the highest educated female demographic in America (in terms of post-secondary education) and only 36% of Black male students complete a bachelor's degree within six years, the dating pool drastically decreases for college Black women seeking an equal on campus.”
The Essence article highlights the author's attempt to combat the statement "all the good men are either taken, gay, or don't like Black women" is not true. The author argues that she knows plenty of single, heterosexual men who like Black women, and that this statement can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, but remember this publication also insinuated that black women are more educated than any other group of women which contributes to their low marriage rates.
It's crucial for publications to be consistent and honest with the information they share, especially when it comes to topics that can impact readers' lives in significant ways.
