Patterns of Asian American Intermarriage and Marital Assimilation

Abstract

The significance of intermarriage in the assimilation of Asians in the United States was examined using data based on the 1980 Population Census of the United States. Ethnic differentials in intermarriage patterns within the Asian American population was also addressed by comparing six groups - - Chinese, Filipino, Indian, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese. The main findings include a relatively high level of intermarriage among Asian Americans (25 percent of all marriages) and significant variations in outmarriage rates by ethnicity, nativity, age, and gender. We also observed that social distance, measured by an index of marital proximity, between Asian Americans and the majority population of non-Hispanic white Americans is lower than that for the two largest minority groups in the United States, blacks and Hispanics. Implications of the study for ethnic relations and assimilation of Asian Americans were discussed in the conclusion.

Intermarriage of Asian Americans in the New York City Region: Contemporary Patterns and Future Prospects

“…Consistent with findings of other researchers (Lee and Yamanaka, 1990;Sung, 1990a), intermarried Asians tend to have more school?…”

Racialized Assimilation of Asian Americans

“…There is also evidence of a negative relationship between education and intermarriage with whites, particularly among women (Hwang et al 1997). Other studies find that the impact of education on intermarriage varies by ethnic group (Lee & Yamanaka 1990, Qian et al 2001). In addition, some studies show no significant relationship between occupation and intermarriage and report inconsistent findings regarding the relationship between income and intermarriage (Fu 2008, Wong 1989.…”

Affirmative Action in Theory and Practice: issues of Power, Ambiguity, and Gender Versus Race

“…Census, only 2% of Blacks are married to partners outside their racial group (Lee & Yamanaka, 1990). This figure is extremely low in comparison to other groups, such as Latinos, Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, or Korean Americans who tend to outmarry at much higher rates (13070, 16%, 34%, and 329'0, respectively).…”