As time goes on, we’re learning as a species to be a lot more tolerant of our differences and work together to make a better future for ourselves and later generations. One such stigma that has eroded significantly in recent years is that around interracial relationships.
These types of relationships have been the butt of various jokes for some time now, simply because of old bigoted and prejudiced thinking seeping through. The current generation, however, has little time for putting people down based on their race – something that’s completely out of their control. As a result, there’s a much higher incidence of interracial relationships and marriages as people realize their soulmate might not be someone who looks exactly the same as them on the outside.
Here are a few statistics that might surprise you about interracial relationships in America:
Caucasians are marrying across racial lines much more.
As the majority ethnicity in America, Caucasian individuals are often seen as the benchmark for racial views throughout the country. In 1980, some 4% of white individuals were involved in an interracial relationship compared to about 11% as of 2018. That’s a significant increase, even accounting for population differences.
Who’s most likely to marry a different race?
Out of all races, people of Asian descent are most likely to marry someone from a different race. For those so inclined, the rise of Asian women dating site U.S.A. has made it very easy for Asians to connect with people from just about any ethnicity to make for a loving relationship that can stand the test of time. This figure might be surprising for some, seeing as how Asian communities tend to create enclaves in major cities, but they are, in fact, most likely to date someone from outside their own racial group, with 29% of Asian people choosing to marry a non-Asian.
What’s the most common interracial pair?
In the U.S.A., it isn’t surprising that the most common interracial couple is between a Hispanic spouse and a Caucasian spouse. This is to be expected purely because of the close proximity of Latin America to the continental U.S.A. Some 42% of interracial relationships today are between a person of Hispanic descent with someone of Caucasian descent.
How long has interracial marriage been legal?
While not illegal across all states, state laws barring interracial marriages were struck down in 1967 in the Loving v. Virginia case. For those who are curious about the math, that means interracial relationships have only been legal from coast to coast in the U.S. for about 52 years, hardly a significant amount of time. Thankfully, both civil rights movements and the average disposition of the American population have made interracial relationships a much more normal phenomenon, instead of one that turns heads.
Conclusion
Ultimately, interracial relationships aren’t hugely different from relationships between two people of the same race. There are, of course, the physical differences as well as some differences in tradition and social norms. But then, if two individuals are both born and raised in the U.S.A., there’s a good chance they are very similar to one another regardless of their race. It isn’t about “not seeing race.” It’s instead about embracing our differences for the benefits they can bring.
