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Attitudes Toward Interracial Marriage and
Factors Which Influence the Choice to Enter an
Interracial Relationship
Sociology 30.4
April 29, 2005
Melinda Honeycutt
Randi Lane
Ursula Pea
Amanda Taylor
Jenna Vande Guchte
Introduction
To see a white woman and a black man walking down the street holding hands
used to be unheard of. It was a relationship that, for the few who engaged in it, was kept
as quiet as possible. During the fifties and sixties, interracial dating was not socially
acceptable and there were repercussions for those who were involved in such behaviors
because various laws, such as the Jim Crow laws, kept the different races/ethnicities
separate and it was seen as extremely socially deviant to go against these rules.
Interracial dating and marriage are fairly new socially acceptable concepts that have been
introduced into our society, but as time has progressed, more of these types of
relationships are being seen.
For many individuals there are multiple factors that play a significant role in
determining the types of people they will date or consider marrying, such as the other
person’s attractiveness, personality or personal preferences. The purpose of this study
was to see which factors, in particular, influence how a person feels towards interracial
relationships and whether or not certain factors influence a person’s decision to enter an
interracial relationship. Specifically, the research group felt that there were certain
factors that would be important in a person’s willingness to engage in an interracial
relationship. These factors consisted of parent/family input, age, race, gender, religion,
political affiliation, personal background and education level, with some of these factors
weighing more heavily than others.
The groups also examined the attitudes towards interracial dating, especially with
respect to how each individual perceived society’s view on interracial relationships, and
whether or not the views of society impacted each person’s individual dating behavior.
The purpose of the study was to get a better understanding of how college-aged students
felt about interracial dating and to see whether or not their opinions reflected many of the
general societal assumptions. At the conclusion of the study, the group hopes to
contribute to the existing literature regarding interracial dating and marriage. In addition
the literature will discuss more ways how people choose or do not choose to date/marry
interracially rather than just the patterns that are seen in marriage licenses, as in the
previous research. Overall, the research group hopes that the findings from this research
project will provide more diverse information than what is presently cited in the research
literature today, as they plan to investigate the factors that influence a person's
willingness to engage in an interracial relationship and not just the trends that have been
seen in interracial relationships.
Research Question/Hypotheses
The group was interested in determining what factors influence young people’s
attitudes towards interracial relationships. The experimenters felt that this question was
compelling because it would probably reflect a variety of different issues that have been
addressed 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 would relate that the way
they felt about interracial dating and/or marriage 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 interdate 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 thought liberals may be more open to
interracial dating than conservatives would be), their educational level (due to the
progressive ideas and environment experienced at most colleges, the group assumed that
those with a higher educational level would be more willing to interracially date), and
finally, their personal background. For this last factor the experimenters wanted to look at
a number of details, such as their hometown, the racial content of that setting, their
history of racial interactions (either positive or negative), and also the degree to which
they may have felt limited by social pressures in regards to who they should and should
not date.
Data and Methods
Initially, the research group thought it would be best to each interview one person
who had interracially dated and one who had not, in order to compare the two on these
dimensions and look for key distinctions. However, after the first few interviews, it was
decided that a broader ethnic sample might be more beneficial in helping the group
achieve our goals of determining areas of dissimilarity. So instead, the experimenters
tried to construct a sample population that was racially varied. In the end the group had a
reasonably varied sample, consisting of Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics and
Native Americans. There is an admitted flaw in the research in that the group was unable
to speak with either an Asian individual or an Indian individual, but nevertheless the
group feels that our attempt to modify the set of participants was largely successful.
The table below contains the most relevant demographic information from each of
our participants. The sample was dominantly female (80%, males 20%) and white (50%).
All participants were either attending college or had graduated already. Questioning on
political affiliation revealed a large percentage of democrats (60%), as well as individuals
who were born in North Carolina (70%, as opposed to 30% born out of state). The mean
age of the respondents was 21.
Table 1
#
Gender
Race
1
2
3
Male
Female
Female
4
5
6
7
Female
Female
Female
Female
8
9
10
Female
Female
Male
Black
White
Native
American
White
Hispanic
White
Native
American
White
Black
White
Age
Religion
20
25
21
Baptist
None
Baptist
Political
BirthAffiliation place
None
NC
Democrat
NC
Democrat
NC
Education
Status
20
22
21
20
Catholic
Catholic
Christian
Christian
None
Republican
None
Democrat
NC
NC
TX
NC
Junior
Senior
Junior
Junior
Dating
Dating
Single
Single
21
21
23
Jewish
Baptist
Catholic
Democrat
Democrat
Democrat
MA
NC
NY
Junior
Senior
BS
Single
Dating
Dating
Sophomore Dating
BA
Married
Junior
Single
The interviews were conducted either in person and recorded, or in an online
format. Most occurred in fairly public meeting places, such as the Student Union or
library, or in private residences. Early afternoon was the most common time for the
interviews to take place, although some were scheduled for later in the evening to best
accommodate the participants. The interview guide was quite structured, including
general questions as well as sets of questions for individuals who either had or had not
interracially dated in the past. While each question typically had a number of probes to
encourage participation, each interviewer also took the liberty to ask additional questions
that may have been more relevant to the conversation. Also, in the context of some
interviews, a number of the questions outlined on the interview guide came across as
somewhat redundant, so they were skipped to avoid annoying the respondent. The
average length of the interviews was 45 minutes.
To analyze the research results, a group meeting was held to review the completed
transcriptions and search for overall themes. The experimenters identified four key
concepts: family viewpoint, societal pressure/stereotyping of interracial couples, level of
experience with interracial relationships, and lastly the combined impact of a variety of
factors (including education, religion, political views, age and socioeconomic status).
After agreeing on these themes as our basic dimensions for examination, four group
members were each assigned a particular theme and were responsible for researching
previous literature that may help illuminate our findings in this area, and going through
each transcript and highlighting passages that pertained to our area of analysis. The group
felt this method of dividing responsibility would be helpful in making sure each group
member had a thorough understanding of the most significant results of the project. Also,
it relieved undue stress since one member did not become solely responsible for
conducting a broad literature review. The quotes each group member found can be seen
in the following sections of this paper.
Background and Past Research
With respect to the topic of interracial marriages, various researchers have
conducted investigations into the many facets of this type of relationship and have
concluded that as time has progressed, an increase in interracial marriages has occurred.
This increase may be the result of numerous factors, including the Supreme Court lifting
of the legal restrictions on racial intermarriage in 1967, the decrease in White prejudice
against Blacks, and the narrowing of the racial gap in education, income, and occupation
(Kalmijn, 1993). However, Kalmijn (1993) states that although these aforementioned
factors may have resulted in an increase in interracial marriages, other factors may
counter this effect. For instance, there has been an increase in Black unemployment, a
rise in the racial gap of college enrollment, and part of the Black income gain of 19601970 has been lost (Kalmijn, 1993). In the end, because of the greater opportunities for
groups of different races to meet and interact with each other, there are more chances for
interracial relationships to develop. As a result of this heterogeneity in groups,
individuals are more likely to initiate contact with members of other racial groups, thus
causing them to consider out group members as potential mates (Blau et. al, 1982). In
addition, Blau et. al (1982) found that the smaller the group size, the more likely the
members would engage in relationships with out group members because of the limit of
potential mates. In the end, the phenomenon of interracial marriages has become more
present in American society today, mainly as a result of the closer interactions between
groups of different races/ethnicities and the assimilation that has occurred between these
groups.
Interracial marriages, in general, result from the involvement of two people of
different races/ethnicities who actively choose to begin a relationship together. Although
many people of different races/ethnicities decide to initiate a relationship, evidence has
shown that some combinations of races/ethnicities occur more often than others. For
example, Kalmijn (1993) found that in most cases of marriages with a Black spouse and a
White spouse, the husband was usually Black and the wife was usually White, rather than
the husband being White and the wife being Black. Kalmijn (1993) explained this finding
by stating that White women were engaged in a system of “status hypergamy”, where
they tended to marry up in status when choosing to marry a Black man. In fact, South
(1991) used similar reasoning in his study in which he used Exchange Theory to argue
that men tend to exchange their socioeconomic resources for women’s sexual and
domestic services. In effect, it is presumed that women are concerned with the
socioeconomic status of their potential mate, while men are concerned with the physical
attractiveness of their future spouse. Overall, men have been found to be more willing to
intermarry than women and along with this finding, another interesting relationship is
present: Blacks and Hispanics are found to be more willing than Whites to marry
someone of another race/ethnicity (South, 1991). Thus, within the discussion of
interracial marriage, both gender and race/ethnicity are important factors to consider
when investigating this topic as they both affect the dynamic of interracial relationships.
As stated in the introduction, the purpose of the current study was to investigate
the attitudes on interracial marriage of college-aged individuals and the factors which
influence the decision to initiate an interracial relationship. Factors such as amount of
education or income, society, place of living, and personal experience of interracial
relationships may all influence the choice to become involved with a person of another
race/ethnicity, and each one has a separate, unique effect on a person’s decisions. For
instance, in the context of Black Americans and the relationships they engage in, some
Black males choose to marry a White female, perhaps because of the “status hypergamy”
theory discussed earlier where Black males tend to choose a White female as their mate
because of the higher racial status that White females possess. However, this choice of
Black males with a high amount of education and socioeconomic resources to date
outside their race results in a reduction of potential mates for Black females. In fact,
interracial marriage of Black males is extremely detrimental for highly educated Black
females as they no longer have as large of a marriage market from which to choose their
mate; consequently, Black females tend to either postpone marriage or not marry at all,
especially if they live in urban areas (Crowder & Tolnay, 2000).
Another interesting finding concerning the influence of education on the decision
to intermarry is that Black college graduates are less likely to intermarry than Blacks with
some college, presumably because they interact in settings where opportunities to meet
people within their own group is limited (Kalmijn, 1993). In addition, for Whites, the
rates of interracial marriages decrease with an increase in educational attainment
(Kalmijn, 1993) and with respect to Exchange Theory, individuals with a large income
and more education are less willing to marry a person with undesirable traits as they tend
to initiate relationships with others who are similar to them (South, 1991). Therefore,
education is a major factor which influences people of different race/ethnicities to interact
with each other because it concerns the resources and goal achievement of each
individual involved.
In addition to education being a central factor impacting the ways in which people
of different races/ethnicities interact with each other, the social support a person receives
while in an interracial relationship can be either beneficial or detrimental. For those in
interracial marriages, most state that other individuals of the same race and gender of
either themselves or their spouse is usually the most supportive of the interracial
relationship, and those people who are of the same race, but of a different gender than
themselves or their spouse are usually the most opposed to the relationship (Zebroski,
1999). These findings emphasize the tremendous impact that other people have on a
person’s relationship with a significant other, as individual’s support of or opposition to a
relationship can produce either content or stress for the people involved. Along with the
factor of social support, the location of residence for an individual may also influence the
ways in which people of different races/ethnicities interact with each other. For instance,
the lowest proportion of Blacks with White spouses exists in the South, while the highest
proportion of this type of interracial marriage is in the West. However, the place in which
a person lives and the incidence of interracial marriage in that place are contingent upon
two things: the person must have been raised in an environment where either race
relationships were permissive or where he or she did not retain knowledge or American
race relations, and the intermarrying Black is more likely to move away from his or her
place of birth (Tucker & Mitchell-Kernan, 1990). Thus, despite the fact that racial
tensions have remained relatively higher in the South than in the Northern, Central, or
Western part of the United States, the main deciding factor on whether or not different
races feel more freedom in choosing a spouse of another race is not where they were live,
but where they were born and how they were reared.
Despite the vast amount of research conducted concerning the aforementioned
factors of education, income, social support, and location, even more information is
available with respect to how a person chooses his or her potential mate. In essence, a
person utilizes his or her own personal opinion on which qualities or traits he or she
believes is the most important for a significant other to possess, and in the context of
interracial marriages, this specific way of choosing a mate involves both racial and
nonracial factors. In research conducted with couples in which individuals were of a
different race than their spouse, Lewis et. al (1997) hypothesized that nonracial factors
such as similarities in socioeconomic status, social interests, personal evaluation or
attractiveness, and entertainment interests were important factors with regard to spousal
selection and that racial factors were not as influential. For instance, Lewis et. al (1997)
discovered that 70% of respondents believed common interests and attractiveness of the
other person, irregardless of the race/ethnicity of the other person, were the most
important factors in choosing a spouse, and that 53% of those people who stated that
most of their dating involved people of a different race than them believed that the ease
of the ability to talk to another person was important. In fact, Lewis et. al (1997) also
found that for those individuals with a history of dating interracially, there was a higher
emphasis on racial factors rather than nonracial factors. All in all, past research shows
that many factors influence how a person chooses a potential mate, with many people
deciding to marry interracially choosing to base their decision on factors that do not
involve race/ethnicity.
Although much research has been conducted on the topic of interracial marriage,
most of it concerns the patterns or trends that are present in society with respect to the
number of people that have chosen to marry interracially. Each one of the research
findings presented above provides a tremendous amount of insight into the phenomenon
of interracial marriage and allows people to begin to understand how society has changed
from being intent on separating people based on race/ethnicity to one emphasizing the
importance of respecting and tolerating people of different cultures. Furthermore, these
research findings help in the overall goal of interpreting the ways in which the institution
of marriage has changed over time. However, the main criticisms of these studies are that
they do not investigate the rates of interracial relationships between groups such as
Asians, Hispanics, Native Americans or Indians. In addition, these studies only focus on
actual marriages between people of different races, and not the reasons that may underlie
how a person feels about interracial marriage and whether or not he or she would initiate
that type of relationship. In effect, the purpose of the current research study was to
examine how attitudes on interracial marriage are formed, and which factors impact a
person’s decision to potentially marry interracially. Perhaps by understanding the
underlying factors behind a person’s choice to marry interracially or not marry
interracially, a more complete analysis can be made concerning the complex issue of
interracial unions in general.
Findings
As stated earlier, four main ideas influencing one’s opinion on interracial dating
or choice to interracially date became clear in the interviews. It was determined that two
of these ideas - societal views and pressures and personal experience - could be
considered experience mechanisms/effects because it may be that the experience of being
in an interracial relationship or knowing someone who is and societal views on interracial
relationships affect whether or not a person is willing to enter this type of relationship. In
addition, it was concluded that two other factors - demographic factors and family of the
subject - could be considered selection mechanisms/effects because they may influence
the feelings that an individual has toward interracial relationships and their willingness to
enter this type of relationship. Moreover, these selection factors may influence a person’s
choice to enter this type of relationship in the first place. Thus, the findings from this
research project were divided into selection and experience mechanisms as the research
group decided that these four factors may all be influential in how willing a person is to
enter an interracial relationship. Essentially, it is not only the experience of having an
interracial relationship, knowing someone who has one, or society’s views on this type of
relationship that influence a person’s dating/marriage choices, but family and
demographic factors may also play a role.
Selection Mechanisms
Demographic Factors
One central theme that we examined was what influences who the individuals
dated or pursued as a potential mate. The study focused on education, socioeconomic
status, age, race, religion, location and politics.
The most common factor proved to be religious affiliation. Six of the ten subjects
mentioned that someone whose religious beliefs were the same as theirs or their family’s
was ideal. Not all of them stated that if a person they were interested in did not have
similar beliefs that it would stop them from pursuing that person. Two of the four
Catholics that we interviewed, one male and one female, stated that their families
expected them to marry a Catholic. Another Catholic female that we interviewed stated
that, “If you marry someone non-Catholic you have to promise that your children will be
raised Catholic.” Religion was important for the parents of two subjects, as these
families were both Catholic and desired for their children, one subject being male and
one being female, to marry within their faith.
Of the factors focused on, education was the second most frequently mentioned
factor that people considered when pursuing a mate. It is possible that the importance of
this factor may be skewed, as the majority of the subjects are students at the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill. There was not a general consensus on what education
level was important just a general feeling of, “I couldn’t be with someone who like, you
know, is like stupid…(4)”
Location was a factor analyzed to examine its possible impact on people’s opinion
of interracial relationships. Seven of the ten people we interviewed were from North
Carolina, one was from Texas, one from New York and one from Maryland. All three
people who lived outside of North Carolina were open to interracial relationships; the
families of those who lived in North Carolina tended to have more issues with interracial
relationships. Most interviewees believed that the South had the hardest time accepting
interracial relationships more so then any other region of the country. One subject, who
was from Maryland, reported a situation her friend faced in Morehead City, NC:
I was working in Morehead City and there was this friend of mine who was
looking for a house for her and her boyfriend who was living in California at the
time and the woman pulled her aside and asked if her boyfriend was black
because otherwise she couldn’t sell her the apartment…(8).
This subject expressed her shock at learning that prejudice was still so common. Another
subject stated that her father did not care if other people had interracial relationships, but
he cared greatly if his children did. She stated that her father’s family was not accepting
of it and described them simply as “Southern” (5). What is interesting to note is this
subject’s family is Hispanic; most of the subjects seemed to view Caucasians having
issues with interracial relationships. Our research also found that Blacks and Hispanics
are more open to interracial relationships then Caucasians. More so than any other
region, people perceive the southern United States as less accepting of interracial
relationships.
Socioeconomic status was mentioned by a couple of subjects, mainly in reference
to their families’ opinions. Most parents only had concerns in reference to their
daughters being provided for and not having a mate that was dependent on them. Political
views were a factor for only one person who stated that it was important for her partner to
be in agreement with her. Furthermore, none of the subjects mentioned age as a factor in
the people they choose to date.
Only one person of the ten we interviewed stated that he would not date
interracially. He did not have any problem with interracial dating, but he personally did
not think that he would ever pursue an interracial relationship. He also stated however
that his mother would most likely not support an interracial relationship.
After analyzing our interview results, it was apparent that the most important
aspect that influences people’s opinion on dating and marriage is one’s family’s opinion
on the matter. In seven out the ten interviews the subjects knew of at least one family
member, mainly parents and/or grandparents, to whom race was considered important.
Some stated that their family member would prefer that they date and marry within their
race, but their personal happiness was also important to the family member. This factor
proved to have the most impact on a person’s decision to pursue interracial relationships.
It is important to note that most people did not let their family’s opinion define their
opinion on this matter.
Despite most subjects’ parents or other family members’ unfavorable opinion of
interracial dating, all subjects stated they had no issue with people dating interracially. In
addition, all but one subject stated that they were personally open to interracial dating.
Most expressed the opinion that interracial relationships were still viewed as politically
incorrect and that in many people’s eyes interracial dating and marriage was challenging
the social norm. All subjects felt that interracial relationships were viewed negatively by
what many of them termed “the older generation”. Many of the subjects think that
interracial couples still stick out more so than normal, especially older interracial couples:
“I would be surprised if there were older people interracially dating (5).” All of the
subjects felt that interracial relationships were becoming more accepted over time, mainly
due to the openness of the younger generation to this practice. The feelings of the
subjects’ families and the impact of these feelings on the subjects will be explored later in
the paper.
The Influence of Family
As stated earlier, one’s family has a very large influence on a person’s feelings
and decisions about interracial dating. There were a number of patterns which appeared
when the interviews were examined relating to what influenced the family’s feelings
about interracial relationships and how these feelings affected the feelings of their child.
There were several factors which influenced how respondents’ families’ felt about
interracial relationships. The interviews showed that families with a history of interracial
dating and marriage were more open to interracial relationships. For example, one
respondent who comes from a very diverse hometown stated, “…we have a lot of
interracial relationships in my family, so they’re pretty accepting (8),” while another, a
Native American female, said, “Well…my mother and father are very pro-Native. They
would rather me date a Native American, that shares the same ideals as myself…they feel
that the Native American community is losing presence more and more everyday…they
want to preserve our culture (7).” In a community lacking diversity and valuing the
promotion of culture, interracial dating is quite uncommon. The influence of a
background of interracial relationships can be seen by another respondent’s comment that
“…my grandmother doesn’t care, especially within the relationship that I am in now, just
because she tells me my great great grandmother was Polynesian, Dutch, and Black or
something to that nature… (9)”
This leads to the next pattern that appeared: the influence of culture on a family’s
ideas about interracial relationships. As stated by the respondent above, Native American
families have a strong cultural heritage and hope to preserve their culture. Another
example of the influence of culture came from a Caucasian respondent who is married to
an Arabic man. Speaking of her family’s opinions of her husband, she said, “…they were
concerned about him being Arabic and the stereotype of like the man being dominant…
(2)” One more example came from a Hispanic family who actually hoped their daughter
would not enter a relationship with a Hispanic man:
Respondent: I’ve actually been told not to date Hispanics.
Interviewer: Why?
Respondent: Because Hispanic men have issues with women, like everything I’ve
been told, spousal abuse is very common and very acceptable. A lot of women are
expected to do certain things, and that’s just not me (5).
Thus, a family’s culture has a very large degree of influence on how they feel about
interracial relationships, especially between certain races. These examples show that
some races prefer to date within their race, some prefer to avoid certain races, and others
even prefer interracial relationships to non-interracial relationships.
Our research showed that the educational level and character of someone’s
significant other tended to override their race, even in less accepting families. For
example, the Native American respondent described above said, “They [her parents]
would…rather see me with a successful Caucasian with a bright future than they would
with a no goal no drive Native American.(7)” Another respondent said, “They [her
parents] want me to date someone who is going to treat me right and wants to do
something with his life, they don’t care who (6).” Several other respondents also stated
that their parents would rather see them with someone successful of a different race than
someone unsuccessful from their own race.
It was also stated by a couple subjects that their parents would be okay with them
dating interracially, but they may not allow them to marry interracially. For example, one
subject said, “My parents are like fine with me dating Mark (her interracial boyfriend). I
don’t know if I came home and was like guess what we are getting married, I don’t know
what they would say about that. They might be a little more like, ‘Are you sure you want
to do that?’” Obviously interracial relationships are a serious subject for many families.
The interviews showed that the opinion of the subjects’ families affected them in
two major ways. First, the approval or disapproval of interracial dating by someone’s
family could determine how comfortable a person was in his/her interracial relationship.
One of our subjects, who came from a very accepting family, said: “…I’m not afraid to
bring anyone home. I know they’d be accepting of anyone I brought (8).” Another one of
our subjects, in contrast, told a story of an acquaintance who came from a family who
was not open to interracial relationships:
…during the summer I work at a restaurant…I see sometimes that one of the girls
I work with, she was interested in this Black guy and she was terrified to bring
him home. Like, they’ve been together for the longest, and he’s like, “Why
haven’t I met your parents?” and then, she has been hiding him for the longest and
she was like, “I just couldn’t do it. My parents would disown me”(9).
These examples show that it may be true that those who come from an accepting home
would be very comfortable being in an interracial relationship, while those who do not
may be afraid to stay in an interracial relationship or may be uncomfortable with their
relationship.
It was very common among interviewees to say that while they valued the opinion
of their family, they would not let it decide who they will date or marry. This is shown by
this correspondence:
Interviewer: How much do you value other peoples’ (family, friends,
acquaintances, etc) opinions of who you marry or date?
Respondent: I am very family oriented, so naturally I’m inclined to take to heart
my family’s opinions. But at the same time, I have to do what’s best for me (7).
Several other subjects made similar comments regarding their family’s opinion. Thus, the
opinion of one’s family cannot be used as a determinant in whether they will choose to
interracially date or not. It can however, be very influential, as shown by this
correspondence:
Respondent: I probably value my family’s opinion the most, but I mean my
friends’ opinions are pretty important.
Interviewer: So if your parents, for instance, said that you couldn’t marry Mark
(her boyfriend) or wouldn’t approve of it, would you still marry him?
Respondent: I don’t know, but it would make it a lot harder (4).
Family can have a very big influence on one’s views on interracial relationships, but in
most cases, it will not be the determining factor.
Experience Mechanisms
Societal Views and Pressures
Another topic this study examined was society’s overall opinion on interracial
relationships. Subjects were asked about the media’s influence on societal views of
interracial marriage. Some people thought that the media places a negative impact on
society’s view of this topic:
They [the media] focus so much on, I guess, the hardships of it and I think that
sort of gives off a negative perspective that it’s just so hard, you know, and I think
that people might get the impression that it’s almost too hard to kind of go
through that…I think when they put an interracially married couple in a movie,
they do it on purpose, you know, and I think that they [the media] need to get past
that and just, you know, the same as it would if it were two white people
married…I think that sort of gives it a negative…negative feeling (10).
Media attention on interracial relationships was viewed as an “agenda”. Several subjects
felt that the media had motivations for the different ways interracial relationships are
portrayed. Common movies like “Hitch” and “Save the Last Dance” were mentioned in
media portrayal, but other than those two movies no other media source was specifically
mentioned. The general consensus of this opinion of media coverage can be summed up
in this quote made by one of our subjects: “They’re [the media] kind of irritating to me
because whenever they portray an interracial relationship, I understand there’s going to
be issues, but they never portray it as just another relationship (2).”
A couple of our subjects thought the media played a positive role in relation to the
public opinion of interracial relationships. There were also a few subjects who had
mixed feelings about the media’s portrayal of interracial relationships.
Finally, an interesting stigma that was referenced by several of the subjects was
the fact that they feel black women have the hardest time accepting interracial
relationships between black men and non-black females. This stigma was referenced
mainly as, “white women are taking all the good men.” This opinion seems to follow the
research of recent studies into why black women tend to marry later and at lower levels
then other races. Some people feel the black women have a lower marriage rate due in
part to interracial dating. It is more common for black men to pursue interracial
relationships then for black women to do so. Also, black men who interracially date and
marry tend to be the higher educated, upper class men. With stating that fact, black
women are less open to interracial dating according to our research and the research of
many other studies.
Most reactions to interracial relations in society today reflect an overall growing
acceptance. Interracial couples do tend to draw more attention, but not necessarily
negative attention anymore. Only one of our subjects stated being in a situation where
she was directly discriminated against because she was white and her boyfriend was
black. This insult, which came from her roommate, was the only discrimination that had
been vocalized to her about dating interracially. The situation was a traumatic one for
her, but has had no negative impact on her relationship or view of interracial
relationships. This subject, along with many others, simply ignores people who have
issues with interracial relationships. It is seen now as ignorance, instead of the
commonality to be against interracial relationships. Most of our subjects felt that the
majority of negative attitudes they have experienced as a result of their interracial
relationships were mainly from their parent’s generation and non-vocally expressed—
through stares, gawking, etc. Overall the general opinion was that interracial
relationships are becoming more accepted in society through time.
The Personal Experience Factor
Our research found that experience with interracial relationships made a large
difference in how people felt about interracial dating and marriage. A person with
experience was defined as someone who has been in an interracial relationship, or who
knows someone well who is or has been in an interracial relationship. The subjects
conveyed three general ways in which experience affected their feelings on interracial
dating and marriage. First, they realized that an interracial relationship is essentially just
another relationship. Second, they wanted others to be more accepting of interracial
dating and marriage. Finally, they realized that interracial relationships are very possible,
but can also be quite challenging. It became apparent throughout our interviews that the
more exposed one is or becomes to interracial relationships, the more accepting he or she
is.
Many of the respondents commented that they saw their interracial relationship or
that of their friend no differently than any other relationship. One respondent commented,
“I just think of it as a relationship with the person and not necessarily anything else. (5)”
This correspondence took place with one respondent when he was asked about someone
he knew in an interracial relationship:
Interviewer: What was the relationship like?
Respondent: I mean, it seemed like they had a pretty good relationship, and I
mean, both of them were happy so…it was not different than a relationship
between two people of the same race (1).
While interracial couples do experience different challenges than non-interracial couples,
the basis of the relationship – the interactions and emotions between the two individuals
involved – is essentially the same.
Another feeling expressed by subjects who have experienced interracial
relationships is the desire for interracial dating and marriage to be more acceptable. Once
a person has experienced the scrutiny that can be felt by an interracial couple, he or she
desires approval instead of judgment. One respondent commented:
“I feel that, well I’ve noticed that a lot of people have trouble with it and I hope
that it becomes something that is more accepted in society as a whole. I think that
we should push towards it, if that’s something you want to do, go for it. Go for it
wholeheartedly and eventually, I honestly feel like if people do decide to
interracially date…eventually we will be what my grandmother said, mutts, and it
will erase a lot of the stereotypes or the classifications that people are place in just
on a daily basis and I think it will make everyone, make life a whole lot easier…
(9).”
These words sum up feelings that were expressed by many other respondents as well.
People want to be free from the scrutiny that society places on interracial relationships.
Many of the people interviewed during our research process expressed the
challenges that come with an interracial relationship. None, however, said that it could
not or should not be done. Most made it quite clear, in fact, that it was a very positive
experience. One respondent’s roommate is in an interracial relationship.
Interviewer: How has this influenced your views on interracial marriage?
Respondent: Um…I guess…I was impressed at how well they got along, but she’s
also had a lot of problems with his family, who is Greek, kind of accepting her.
So…and that’s a big obstacle for her, not being able to feel like she’s accepted. So
I see that interracial marriages definitely have challenges (8).
When asked the same question about her own interracial relationship, she said, “…it
made me see that they are possible… (8)”
Through these common themes, it became apparent that the more experience a
person had with interracial relationships, the more open they were to them. For many,
this meant a greater degree of exposure once they came to college. Says one respondent,
“I’m probably more accepting of it just because I see more of it now than I used
to…I would probably say that with more people that I meet now that are of a
different race, I’m more accepting of it just because I’m sort of exposed to more
of it (10).”
Those who have been in interracial relationships were also more accepting, as seen by
one respondent who said, “I definitely would say I’m more for it, just because I’ve
experienced culture and ways of life that I did not know existed (9).” Experience with
interracial relationships generally encouraged people to be more open to interracial dating
and marriage, made them desire more tolerance of interracial relationships, and helped
them to realize the possibility and the normality of interracial relationships.
Conclusion
The information obtained throughout the entire research project corresponded
with the experimenters’ initial theory. The research group had hoped to find similarities
with individuals who had previously interracially dated or who currently interracially
date in addition to those who chose to date within their same race. Between all of the
people the group interviewed only one person said that they would not interracially date,
but they found no problem with other people’s engagement in interracial relationships.
Many of the factors that influenced individuals who have or would consider interracially
dating were comparable to one another. Religion and education ranked the highest
among the group as the two factors that were most likely to influence a person’s decision
to date interracially. It was also interesting to see the type of societal views that made
concrete assumptions about interracial dating. The experimenters viewed that older
generations had a stronger opinion and perhaps disapproval. Furthermore, the idea of the
“Race Card” being mentioned within and outside of the relationship also played a role.
The research group also found that the location had a significant part in influencing the
decision. The findings at the conclusion of the study suggest that families do play a
crucial role on a person’s decision to engage in an interracial relationship. The study also
suggests that the more experience an individual has with interracial dating, whether it be
their own personal experience, or dealings with someone else’s, they are more open to the
idea in general. The experimenters then separated the findings into two specific groups;
the selection effects and the experience effects. A person’s background and family
experience fell into the selection effects category while society and personal experience
fell into the experience effects group.
There were also some limitations involved in the study. Although the
experimenters attempted to have a diverse group of interviewees, they were still limited
in selection. All of the interviewees were college-age students and he majority were from
North Carolina. Finally, the participants may have only given socially acceptable
answers rather than truthful ones. With these few restraints the research group still
attempted to gather as much beneficial information as possible. The research group
believes that future research on this particular topic should include a more diverse group
of people, rather than just Blacks and Whites. Many other ethnicities engage in
interracial dating outside of these two groups. In addition to the diversity that needs to be
supplemented into future research, the influence of location should also be added because
the researchers believe that the place where a person was born and his or her current
residence may have profound implications for which type of people they would like to
date and their preferences for certain groups of people. Finally, the researchers also
believe that the various factors seen in the research project should be investigated further
because present research only discusses the trends that have been seen in interracial
marriages and not the individual factors that may contribute to a person’s decision to
intermarry or interdate.
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