Interracial Marriage In The United States

Interracial relationships have become more and more frequent as racial and ethnic groups are now closer and mixed in modern society. Although the number of interracial relationships is increasing, couples are still thought to be different than intra-racial couples. Interracial couples are less stable than intra-racial couples and 1.21 more times the risk of divorce (Zhang and Van Hook, 2009). This is due to a number of factors, strongly associated with societies’ pressure to maintain homogamy within racial and ethnic groups

After going through the literature given in Gallagher's compilation related to racism and romance, one can easily understand the shift observed in racist attitude over last few decades. Considering the statistics given, it is visible that Black-White marriages and Asian-American marriages were a taboo in the early twentieth century however this trend has gain familiarity and fame in the masses reflecting that individuals from Black and Asian ethic groups are becoming more acceptable to Whites.

Using the 2008 Cooperative Congressional Election Study (CCES), Whites’ attitudes towards dating, cohabiting with, marrying, and having children with African Americans and Asian Americans was studied. It was found that 29% of White respondents reject all kinds of relationships with African Americans and Asian Americans, while 31% endorse them. Second, Whites are less willing to marry and start a family within an interracial relationship than to date interracially. These attitudes and behaviors are related to political conservatism, age, gender, education, and region. Third, White women are likely to approve of interracial relationships for other people but not for themselves. White men however, express more willingness to engage in such relationships

In the article “Interracial Intimacy: The Regulation of Race & Romance, Antimiscegenation Laws and the Enforcement of Racial Boundaries,” Rachael E. Moran writes about the problems blacks and Asians experienced in regards to sex, marriage, and family. Laws were created addressing interracial sex and marriage with the goal of keeping whites superior to all other races. Blacks and Asians encountered many restrictions regarding whom they could marry and have sexual relations with. Meanwhile white males were allowed to associate with black females, black males were punished for having any relationship with white females. Restrictions on sex and marriage were also evident for Asians. From all the Asians, Chinese were the ones who suffered the most as a result of these laws. Since many Chinese men were not able to bring in their wives or marry women from different races, they had no other choice than to live lonely lives. The results that these laws generated left both blacks and Asians to have undesirable personal lives.

In May 2005 ‘Navigating Interracial Borders’ was published by Erica Chito Childs. The article offers a refined and understanding analysis of the social and political context of interracial relationships in America. Childs explores the world of interracial couples and examines the ways that group attitudes shape relationships. Using her own personal experiences, interviews, group responses, as well as media sources, she provides compelling evidence which verifies that disapproval still exists toward black/white unions. However it is merely being shown in a more subtle manor.

In each generation, it seems as if there is always a very controversial issue. It usually varies from the legalization of marijuana or the lowering of the drinking age all the way to the views on abortions. However, one thing is clear, the issue on interracial relationships is still as controversial today as it was nearly fifty years ago. While times may have changed and society has gotten used to these interracial relationships, it’s still something that is being talked about regularly. Starting in the 1960’s, the issue on interracial relationships became more relevant. It sparked much controversy after a couple from Virginia was arrested for participating in an interracial relationship. The case, Loving versus Virginia, was taken to the

While writing my paper the words of Martin Luther King stayed in my mind and I wondered if my father ever heard them. My father didn't believe in interracial relationships yet faith dealt him another hand. My step brother married an African American women and my father thought he would die. He yelled and

The first black president, the world’s best golfer, or twins that we grew up watching; Barack Obama, Tiger Woods, Tia and Tamera Mowry, besides from being in the light of superstardom, they are each a child of a interracial marriage. In the 21st century there are approximately 1.6 million interracial relationships or interethnic marriages, with the marriages making up 3% (Troy, Lewis-Smith, & Laurenceau, 2006). Interracial relationships over generations have changed from the way society has viewed them. As early as the 1600’s legislation has been banning black and white interracial marriages, and this law has stayed in place until 1967, and Alabama being the last place to maintain the law until 2000 (Troy, Lewis-Smith, & Laurenceau, 2006).Years ago white women and black men were severely punished for engaging in sexual relations, however the white male power was not threatened by exploiting black women nor by a black woman having their baby (Childs, 2005). In contrast, a white woman who gave birth to a black man’s baby, would be considered polluting the purity of the white race; thereby including racial boundaries and the power of white man (Childs, 2005). Irony as times progressed in 1993, there were 246,000 black-white marriages an 163,000 of these were between black men and white women (Childs, 2005).

According to the U. S. Census Reports, interracial marriages have more than tripled between 1980 and today. There are currently 1.6 million interracial marriages in the United States, and that figure is continuing to grow (Duru, 2012). Statistics show that over 70% of American society has no problem with mixed race relationships, and 40% of Americans have already dated someone of another ethnicity. For the most part relationships between people of different races are no different from the interactions between people of the same race (Duru, 2012).

Interracial marriage can be defined as the union of two people of different racial or ethical background. Historically interracial marriage has been deemed as an issue in America. With the European powers in charge and a slave based economy, it was important to the early Americans to maintain control over their slaves by whatever means needed. Poor treatment of slaves was a common practice, which included miscegenation or interracial sexual activity, typically by rape. This continued all through US history even after the freeing of their slaves, a result of the US Civil War. Issues of interracial relationships and marriages were not brought to light until the African-American civil rights movements began to take place in the 1950s. (International Encyclopedia)

Diversity in cultures throughout the world can often create obstacles when developing relationships. However, despite years of desegregation, social and cultural differences still exist. One of the differences that still exist is the institution of marriage. This is especially true when it comes to the topic of interracial marriages. Which has been described as a marriage between members of two different races. Even though, it has not been that long ago since interracial marriage has been made legal throughout the entire United States. It continues to be one of the biggest conflicts in society today, considering everyone has their different viewpoints on the topic. Since these types of marriages are considered to be an exception rather than a norm, many couples continue to encounter various issues.

While sitting in a small circle eating lunch, my friends and I somehow got onto the topic of dating. We all confessed who may or may not have our current attention and amongst my very diverse group of friends, one of them, a Hispanic, said she was interested in dating a white male. In response, another friend asked, “you like those white boys don’t you?”. It was a simple joke as all of my friends are open into interracial dating, but there are many people in American society who do not feel the same way. In fact, there are quite a lot of people who oppose interracial dating. This paper will discuss the topic of interracial dating amongst Whites (Caucasians), Blacks (anyone of African American descent), Asians (anyone of Asian descent),

Within this group they were interested in determining what factors influence young people’s attitudes towards interracial relationships. This experimenters felt that this question was interesting to ask because it would probably reflect a mass variety of different issues that have been brought up throughout the semester, including family communication and functioning, gender roles, the importance of education level and socioeconomic status in choosing a mate, etc. the research group hypothesized that individuals could or would relate to they felt about interracial dating and/or marriage there view was effected by: the opinions of their parents and the pressures or restrictions that were placed on them regarding interracial relationships, the age of the individual (the group assumed that younger people would be more open to interracial relationships than older participants), their race (as was reflected in our literature review, it appears as though some races are more likely to integrate than others), their religion (the group theorized that deeply religious people would be less likely to engage in interracial dating because it may contradict the teachings of their religion), their political affiliation (the group

The two articles used were “Understanding the Occurrence of Interracial Marriage in the United States through Differential Assimilation” (Lewis, Ford- Robinson, 2010) and “Marital Dissolution among Interracial Couples” (Zhang, Van Hook, 2009). The first article “Understanding the Occurrence of Interracial Marriage in the United States through Differential Assimilation”, spoke about the unprecedented changes that our society is going though in the 21st century.

The law forbidding interracial marriage was terminated in 1967, and in the midst of rapid racial change, one fact is unmistakable: A growing number of Americans are showing that we all can get along by forming relationships and families that cross all color lines. In the past couple decades, the number of interracial marriages has increased dramatically. Interracial dating and marrying is described as the dating or marrying of two people of different races, and it is becoming much more common to do so. Thirty years ago, only one in every 100 children born in the United States was of mixed race. Today, the number is one in 19. In some states, such as California and Washington, the number is closer to one in 10 (Melting Pot).