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Interracial Marriage: Who Is More Likely to Wed Outside Their Race?
June 8, 2010
Interracial marriages are on the rise in the U.S., although they’ve slowed somewhat over the past decade. The latest census figures show that interracial marriages in America now account for 8% of all marriages, up from 7% in 2000. During the decade from 1990 until 2000, there was a very sharp rise in mixed-race marriages, with such couplings growing by 65%. Since the year 2000, however, mixed-raced marriages have grown by just 20% to a present level of about 4.5 million couples.
Looking at the data over the past three decades, which groups are more likely to marry outside their race? According to federal statistics, African Americans are three times more likely to marry whites than they did back in 1980. Some attribute this to an increase in African American educational attainment and more professional interaction among black and whites.
Other findings from the census data include:
*14.5% of black men and 6.5% of black women now marry whites
*38% of U.S. born Hispanics marry whites, compared with 30% in 1980
*40% of U.S. born Asians marry whites, a number unchanged since 1980
It would have been interesting to see other data that looked at interracial couples of all kinds, not just a look at which “minority” groups marry whites. In this sense, this data is skewed and rather limited when talking about the full scope of interracial marriages.
We all know that the world is fast-becoming multicultural, global in nature and interdependent in numerous ways. From the adventurous traveler who meets and marries someone of a different race and culture in another country to the investor who buys stocks and bonds from companies all around the globe, the world is at once becoming smaller, yet bigger with more possibilities.
The challenge going forward will be: How do we deal with the social, economic and political realities of living in an increasingly multi-ethnic, interracial society? And will we ever get to a point where race will simply cease to matter — all matters personal, professional and otherwise?
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