Four hypotheses to explain why black men in the United States and Britain earn less than black women are examined. These are (1) Sowell's thesis black males have lower average intelligence than black females; this hypothesis is rejected; (2) black males have lower educational attainment than black females; new American evidence on the educational attainment of 8th grade students in reading, mathematics and science is presented that disconfirms this hypothesis; (3) black males have lower work motivation than black females; evidence on the amount of homework disconfirms this hypothesis; (4) employers are reluctant to employ black males; it is proposed that this is the most plausible explanation for the low earnings of black males compared with black females.