Interracial Marriages in the United States

Interracial/inter-ethnic marriages are marriages involving spouses from different racial or
ethnic groups. For much of America’s history, interracial/inter-ethnic marriages were both illegal
and frowned upon. The 1967 Supreme Court ruling in Loving v. Virginia ended all laws
prohibiting interracial marriages (Coontz 34). The ruling reflected changing views among
Americans regarding such marriages, which were to become even more liberal in the coming
decades. For instance, while just 4% of Americans approved white-black marriages in 1958, this
figure had risen to 87% by 2013 (Benokraitis 109). Actual interracial marriages have also
increased, though at a slower rate. In 2010, interracial marriages represented 9% of all-American
marriages compared to just 0.7% in 1970 (Benokraitis 109). This rise in interracial marriages and
the variation of acceptance of interracial marriages among different races can be attributed to
factors such as spouse availability, improvement of socioeconomic status of people from
different races, and different races living in the same neighborhoods.
People tend to date and marry other individuals with whom they have regular interaction.
Thus, ethnic/racial groups that live in racially mixed neighborhoods are more likely to marry
partners from a different racial group than those that largely live in neighborhoods whose
inhabitants are mainly from their own racial or ethnic group (Benokraitis 109). Asian Americans,
for instance, tend to have higher rates of interracial marriages because they are likely to live in

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neighborhoods that are racially mixed (Benokraitis 109). In general, the more people from
different races live together, the more likely they are to intermarry.
Generally, people tend to marry within their racial groups. When availability of spouses
is lacking within their racial group, individuals marry partners from other racial groups
(Benokraitis 110). Thus, groups whose members are few in the U.S. tend to marry more from
outside their racial group compared to those with large numbers. This factor explains why in the
1990s, Latinos tended to marry more from other racial groups than in more recent times. In the
1990s, Latinos were few in the U.S. However, recent migrations have significantly increased the
number of Latinos in the U.S. and thus reduced rates of interracial marriages within this group
(Benokraitis 110). Arab Americans are also more likely to marry non-Arabs for the same reason

• they are very few in the U.S (Benokraitis 110). Based on the trends of Latinos, it can be
  predicted that as minority groups such as Arab-Americans increase in numbers, they are likely to
  have fewer interracial marriages because of increasing ease of getting a spouse from their racial
  group.
  Improving socioeconomic status has also contributed to increasing interracial marriages.
  Generally, people with more income and social prestige are more ready to marry across racial
  lines than those with low income and less social prestige (Benokraitis 110). In the past, whites
  made up most of high income individuals with high levels of education and social prestige.
  Recent decades have seen individuals from other racial groups such as Asian Americans and
  African Americans also become high earning with high levels of education and social prestige
  (Benokraitis 110). This improving socioeconomic status across racial groups has also contributed
  to increasing interracial marriages.

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Increasing interracial/inter-ethnic marriages is not just a matter of convenience and
changing attitudes, they also present partners involved in the marriages with many benefits. One
of them is providing an opportunity for the partners to learn about different cultures (Schwartz &
Scott 12). For instance, when a Japanese American marries an Arab American both partners
learn from each other about their cultures and religions. Without such marriage, it is unlikely that
they would have had the opportunity to understand their spouse’s cultures in a more in-depth
manner.
Another benefit is learning new languages (Schwartz & Scott 12). Granted, English is the
main language of interracial families in the U.S. This is particularly the case for interracial
marriages involving partners whose groups have been in the U.S. for many generations, such as
white and African Americans. However, new arrivals from non-English speaking countries are
likely to be more comfortable communicating in their native language. The partner is, therefore,
likely to have a strong incentive to learn one of the spouse’s languages.
Another potential benefit of interracial/inter-ethnic marriage is exposure to the country of
the spouse. Even though they may live most of their marriage lives in the U.S., the marriage
partners are likely to get exposed to each partner’s country through sharing of experiences,
visiting their countries of origin, and interacting with relatives from those countries. Thus, thanks
to the marriage they manage to learn a lot about the country of their spouse.
While having many benefits, interracial marriages also have many challenges. One of
these challenges is discrimination of one of the spouses by friends and family members of the
other spouses (Brown 28). This is especially the case when friends and family members of the
other spouse do not approve of the marriage. In such cases, a partner is likely to suffer

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discrimination and even humiliation. These factors may put stress on the marriage, resulting in
not just marital problems, but also collapse of the marriage itself.
Interracial/inter-ethnic couples may experience a sense of isolation (Brown 28). Marriage
does not just involve staying with a partner from a different racial and cultural group, but also
being part of a new culture. If the cultures of the spouses are completely different, one of the
spouses may feel a sense of isolation because they will have to live with a totally new culture and
adopt new cultural practices with which they are not familiar.
Raising children in such marriages may also be problematic, as the mixed identities of the
children must be considered (Brown 28). For instance, if an Arab Muslim man marries a Hindu
woman from India, both parents may struggle to raise their children in their own culture and
religion. Such differences in perspectives on how to raise the children may have a negative effect
on the marriage itself.
The U.S. is a multiracial country where people from different races can live and work
together. However, for much of its history, Americans could only marry from their races. Recent
decades have seen a change in both laws and attitudes related to interracial marriages. Many
individuals are now marrying spouses they do not share a race or religion with. Certainly, this
trend is likely to continue for the foreseeable future as more Americans from different racial
groups continue to live, work, and study together.

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Works Cited

Benokraitis, Nijole Vaicaitis. Marriages and families: Changes, choices, and constraints. Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2014.
Brown, Stephanie “Families in America”. University of California Press, 2017.
Coontz, Stephanie. “The evolution of American families.” Families as they really are (2010): 30-
47.
Schwartz, Mary Ann, and BarBara Scott. Marriages and families: Diversity and change.
Pearson, 2017.