Inter-ethnic Partnerships: Remaking Urban Ethnic Diversity

Abstract

Inter-ethnic couples are a growing population with unique and understudied residential geographies. Using customised 2006 Census data for the Greater Sydney region, we investigate the prevalence and geographic distribution of a socially significant subset of cohabiting inter-ethnic couples: ethnic majority-minority couples. These couples are comprised of an Anglo/European or ('white') Australian partner and a partner from a 'visible' ethnic minority group. We find that ethnic majority-minority couples are most concentrated in inner-city areas of moderate ethnic diversity and high socio-economic status; and are more residentially dispersed than their respective ethnic minority groups. Inter-ethnic partnership appears to alter the residential geographies of ethnic minority groups. By shifting the scale of analysis from the individual to the household, our findings complicate established understandings of the ethnic geographies of Australian cities. INTER-ETHNIC PARTNERSHIPS: REMAKING URBAN ETHNIC DIVERSITY ABSTRACTInter-ethnic couples are a growing population with unique and understudied residential geographies. Using customised 2006 Census data for the Greater Sydney region, we investigate the prevalence and geographic distribution of a socially significant subset of co-habiting inter-ethnic couples: ethnic majority-minority couples. These couples are comprised of an Anglo/European or ('white') Australian partner and a partner from a 'visible' ethnic minority group. We find that ethnic majority-minority couples are most concentrated in inner city areas of moderate ethnic diversity and high socio-economic status; and are more residentially dispersed than their respective ethnic minority groups. Inter-ethnic partnership appears to alter the residential geographies of ethnic minority groups. By shifting the scale of analysis from the individual to the household, our findings complicate established understandings of the ethnic geographies of Australian cities.

The diverse geographies of mixed-ethnicity couples

“…In Australia, Walker and Heard (2014) and Biddle (2013) found that Indigenous persons with non-Indigenous partners tend to live in urban areas, which typically have lower proportions of Indigenous residents. Our research in Sydney (Tindale et al, 2014) demonstrated that ethnic minority persons with ethnic majority partners were considerably less likely (than their co-ethnically partnered peers) to live in neighbourhoods with a high presence of same-ethnicity residents. Dispersal was also evident amongst ethnic majority persons: those with an ethnic minority partner were much less likely to live in predominantly 'white' parts of Sydney.…”

“…These couples occupied an 'in-between' space in the ethno-racial landscape of cities, not aligned with existing racial geographies (Holloway et al, 2005;Wright et al, 2011). Lending support to Holloway et al's (2005) 'in-between' thesis, Tindale et al (2014) showed that mixed-ethnicity couples in Sydney live in more diverse areas than co-ethnic majority couples, but less diverse areas than co-ethnic minority couples.…”

“…Existing studies have also shown that mixed-ethnicity couples are less likely to live in socioeconomically disadvantaged neighbourhoods than broader ethnic minority populations (Tindale et al, 2014;Feng et al, 2014), even after controlling for their own personal socio-economic characteristics (White and Sassler, 2000). Relatedly, Tindale et al (2014) identified mixed-ethnicity couples' propensity to reside in expensive inner city areas of Sydney, a pattern that distinguishes them from broader ethnic minority populations. The latter exhibit highly suburbanised residential geographies.…”

Racism and Anti‐Racism in Families: Insights from Performativity Theory

“…There is an emerging interest amongst Australian and British geographers in interethnic relationships. For example, Tindale et al () explored the geography of interethnic couples in Sydney, Australia, noting that experiences of racism or the expectation that racism would be experienced in particular places likely influenced residential choices. Klocker () compared growing ethnic diversity within Australian family life with portrayals of interethnic couples on television, noting that portrayals of committed interethnic intimate relationships were few and far between (see also Klocker and Stanes, ).…”

Immigrants' adaptation to different cultural settings: A contextual perspective on acculturation

“…Affordable transportation and telecommunication allows immigrants to become increasingly transnational, keeping in touch with their homeland while successfully adjusting in the host nation (Iarmolenko, Titzmann, & Silbereisen, ; Leyendecker, ; Portes, Guarnizo, & Landolt, ). At the same time, interethnic partnerships are on the rise (Tindale, Klocker, & Gibson, ; Wright, Ellis, & Holloway, ) and, as one paper in this special section shows, transracial adoptions are gaining in prevalence (Ferrari, Ranieri, Barni, & Rosnati, ). In sum, more and more individuals are confronted with several cultures, even though they do not necessarily have a first‐hand migration experience.…”