Interracial Couples and Intergenerational Coresidence: The Role of Race/Ethnicity

Abstract

A sizeable share of interracial couples continue to report experiencing family opposition. However, few studies have empirically investigated whether intermarrying weakens ties with one’s kin and reduces exchanges between interracial couples and their family of origin. We examine whether interracial couples are less likely than same-race couples to live with an aging parent. We also investigate the role of each spouse’s race in shaping whether interracial couples reside with the wife’s or husband’s parents. Using data from the 2008-2022 American Community Surveys, we estimate logistic regression models to predict the odds of living with an aging parent. Next, we estimate multinomial logistic regression models to predict the competing risk of living with the wife's parents or husband's parents over the risk of living without an aging parent. Our study shows that interracial couples’ odds of living with any aging parents fall in between those of their same-race counterparts. Among White/Black couples, the risk of living with the parents of the White spouse exceeds the risk of living with the parents of the Black spouse. Among Black/Hispanic and White/Hispanic couples, the risk of living with the parent of the Hispanic spouse exceeds the risk of living with the parents of the other partner. Our findings detract from the view that intermarrying systematically weakens ties with the family of origin and reduces access to family support. Nonetheless, it also shows that race/ethnicity is an important correlate of interracial couples’ family exchange behavior.