Praxis Habitus - On Race Religion & Culture

The U.S. Census shows that while interracial marriages overall have increased, the rate of Hispanics and Asians marrying partners of other "races" declined in the past two decades.

The Washington Post reports from a study by Ohio State Sociologist Zhenchao Qianthat the much expected increase in cross-ethnic marriages has actually declined.

From the article:

Image by Made Underground via Flickr

Sociologists and demographers are just beginning to study how the children of immigrants who have flowed into the country in recent years will date and marry.

The generation that is coming of age is the most open-minded in history and living in the Obama era -- where hues mingle in classrooms, nightclubs and the White House. Conventional wisdom has it that they will begin choosing spouses of other ethnicities as the number of interracial marriages rises.

But scholars delving into the U.S. Census have found a surprising converse trend. Although interracial marriages overall have increased, the rate of Hispanics and Asians marrying partners of other races declined in the past two decades. This suggests that the growing number of immigrants is having a profound effect on coupling.

The number of native- and foreign-born people marrying outside their race fell from 27 to 20 percent for Hispanics and 42 to 33 percent for Asians from 1990 to 2000. The downward trend continued through last year.

Increasingly, singles are turning to a growing number of niche dating sites on the Internet, such as http://Shaadi.com and http://Persiansingles.com.

Social networking groups like Professionals in the City have expanded its repertoire of lectures and wine-tastings to include "speed dating" nights for people of Asian, Latino or South Asian descent.

Image by Made Underground via Flickr

The 20- and 30-somethings drawn to these events say they have a deep yearning to connect with someone who shares their roots, yet they are conflicted about it. As children, they felt divided loyalties, growing up with one foot in their parents' home country, the other in the United States. Now, as adults, they wonder: Would I be happy with someone as American as I am, or a recent immigrant?

Researchers found that their subjects were constantly struggling with the desire to be open to people of all backgrounds vs. family expectations, and their own desires to sustain their culture. Most paired with others who shared similar racial or language backgrounds.