Only 11 percent of 2008 intermarriages were between black and white Americans, reflecting the persistent cultural resistance against relationships between these races. Most common were marriages between a white and a Hispanic (41 percent), followed by marriage between a white and an Asian American (15 percent).
Percentage Who Married Someone of a Different Race/Ethnicity, 1980 and 2010
Interestingly, although younger people were more accepting of intermarriage, the Pew report found little difference in actual intermarriage rates by age—newlyweds age 50 or older were about as likely to marry out as younger newlyweds.
White Men and Women Who "Married Out" in 2008 by Race/Ethnicity of Spouse
These 2008 marriages follow similar patterns by sex as interracial marriages of previous decades. For whites, men and women are about as likely to marry a Hispanic, but differ in their rates of marriage to blacks and Asians (see Figure 2).
In general, marriages between blacks and whites overwhelmingly involve a white wife and a black husband, just as the Dunham/Obama marriage did in 1961. Unions between Asians and whites are also very sex-selective, with most marriages occurring between white men and Asian women.
Although Asian men are much less likely to marry out than Asian women, they are much more likely than whites to intermarry. Twenty percent of Asian men married a non-Asian in 2008, compared with 40 percent of Asian women. Likewise, black women are much less likely to intermarry than black men. More than one-fifth of black men intermarried in 2008, while just 9 percent of black women did. There has been much speculation about why these gender preferences exist—reasons that delve into racial stereotypes and politics.7
Hispanic men and women are about as likely to marry outside their ethnic group, and they tend to marry non-Hispanic whites more than other groups.
Percentage Who Married Someone of a Different Race/Ethnicity, 1980 and 2010
Interestingly, although younger people were more accepting of intermarriage, the Pew report found little difference in actual intermarriage rates by age—newlyweds age 50 or older were about as likely to marry out as younger newlyweds.
White Men and Women Who "Married Out" in 2008 by Race/Ethnicity of Spouse
These 2008 marriages follow similar patterns by sex as interracial marriages of previous decades. For whites, men and women are about as likely to marry a Hispanic, but differ in their rates of marriage to blacks and Asians (see Figure 2).
In general, marriages between blacks and whites overwhelmingly involve a white wife and a black husband, just as the Dunham/Obama marriage did in 1961. Unions between Asians and whites are also very sex-selective, with most marriages occurring between white men and Asian women.
Although Asian men are much less likely to marry out than Asian women, they are much more likely than whites to intermarry. Twenty percent of Asian men married a non-Asian in 2008, compared with 40 percent of Asian women. Likewise, black women are much less likely to intermarry than black men. More than one-fifth of black men intermarried in 2008, while just 9 percent of black women did. There has been much speculation about why these gender preferences exist—reasons that delve into racial stereotypes and politics.7
Hispanic men and women are about as likely to marry outside their ethnic group, and they tend to marry non-Hispanic whites more than other groups.
