Hispanic Intermarriage in New York City: New Evidence from 1991

Abstract

"This study [uses] 1991 marriage records from New York City [to examine] trends in marital assimilation among Puerto Ricans and the non-Puerto Rican Hispanic population. The prevalence of intermarriage varies among the six Hispanic national-origin groups. Changes in intermarriage patterns since 1975 are documented. Results show very high rates of intermarriage with non-Hispanics among Cubans, Mexicans, Central Americans, and South Americans. Considerable intermarriage among Hispanics of different national origins is characteristic of all Hispanics. Finally, Puerto Ricans and Dominicans have distinct patterns of intermarriage...."

We are all Americans!: the Latin Americanization of racial stratification in the USA

“…Hence, whereas only 22 percent of the children of Black fathers and White mothers are classified as White, the children of similar unions among Asians are twice as likely to be classified as White (Waters, 1999). For Latinos, the data fits even closer our thesis as Latinos of Cuban, Mexican, and South American origin have high rates of exogamy compared to Puerto Ricans and Dominicans (Gilbertson et al, 1996). I concur with Moran's (2001) speculation that this may reflect the fact that because Puerto Ricans and Dominicans have far more dark-skinned members, they have restricted chances for outmarriage to Whites in a highly racialized marriage market.…”

“…More significantly, when one disentangles the generic terms "Asians" and "Latinos," the data fits even more closely my thesis. For example, among "Latinos," Cubans, Mexicans, Central Americans, and South Americans have higher rates of outmarriage than Puerto Ricans and Dominicans (Gilbertson, Fitzpatrick, & Yang, 1996). Although interpreting the Asian American outmarriage patterns is very complex (groups such as Filipinos and Vietnamese have higher than expected rates in part due to the Vietnam War and the military bases in the Philippines), it is worth to point out that the highest rate belongs to Japanese Americans and Chinese (the Asian overclass) (Kitano & Daniels, 1995) and the lowest to Southeast Asians.…”

Household formation behavior: An analysis of relative education and exogamy for descendants of immigrants in Sweden

“…The structuralist approach is concerned with social heterogeneity and group cohesion especially among groups small in size relative to the total population. Limited marriage markets via unbalanced sex ratios within immigrant groups in the host country and small group sizes may therefore induce those with immigrant backgrounds to seek mates outside the relevant local marriage market in the form of interethnic spouses or transnational spouses from origin countries (Angrist, 2002;Becker, 1974Becker, , 1991Ç elikaksoy, 2006;Ç elikaksoy et al, 2006;Gilbertson et al, 1996;GrossbardSchechtman, 1993). I therefore expect sex ratio and relative group size to be positively associated with the likelihood of endogamous marriages, since these variables indicate the availability of potential spouses from the same ethnic origin within Sweden.…”

Immigration and the Black-White Color Line in the United States

“…The ruling had an enormous impact on the rise in interracial marriage, which increased tenfold within a thirty-year period from 150,000 in 1960 to 1.6 million in 1990 (Jacoby 2001 ;Waters 2000b), far beyond what would be predicted by population growth alone. Trends in exogamy are significant because social scientists conceive of racial/ethnic intermarriage as a measure of decreasing social distance, declining prejudice, and changing group boundaries (Davis 1941;Fu 2001;Gilbertson, Fitzpatrick, and Yang 1996;Gordon 1964;Kalmijn 1993;Lee and Fernandez 1998;Lieberson and Waters 1988;Merton 1941;Rosenfeld 2002;Tucker and Mitchell-Kernan 1990). Given its theoretical significance, we review recent findings on intermarriage between whites and nonwhites and explore their implications for America's color lines.…”