Social Structural and Psychological Correlates of Interethnic Dating

Abstract

This study is designed to: (a) describe current interethnic dating behavior and related attitudes among southern Californians; and (b) examine social structural and psychological correlates of interethnic dating. Data were derived from a telephone survey conducted with a probability sample of African American, Latino and white residents of southern California. lnterethnic dating was reported by over half of all ethnic groups and both sexes and more frequently among men. Most reported that family members knew of their behavior and few families objected, although white women were most likely to report family criticism. Whites and Latinos who admitted to exclusions for intermarriage were most likely to exclude blacks, and black women and Latinas were most likely to exclude Asians. Logistic regression analyses indicated that interethnic dating was associated with being male, younger, having more education, being less lonely, the perception of having more mating opportunities and being African American or Latino rather than white. Within ethnic group analyses demonstrated that the loneliness finding was specific to African American women and Latino males, suggesting that dating outside of one's ethnic group was perhaps an adaptive behavior for these groups. It appears that one's particular location in the social structure as a function of age, education, sex and ethnic group may facilitate or discourage interethnic dating. Furthermore, mate availability considerations contribute to such decisions.

My Parents Know Best: No Mating With Members From Other Ethnic Groups

“…This is in line with the more recent study by Tucker and Mitchell-Kernan (1995) in California who found that among Blacks, Whites and Latinos, men had more often than women engaged in interethnic dating. The stronger opposition against interethnic dating found in the present sample among males may reflect the fact that, when answering the questions, males had especially in mind men from other ethnic groups who were dating women from their own ethnic group.…”

“…Men tend to have generally more prejudices towards outgroup members than women (e.g., Pratto, Sidanius, & Levin, 2006), which might be accompanied by more negative attitudes towards intergroup marriages. However, it is difficult to make an unequivocal prediction on gender differences in the attitude towards dating members of other ethnic groups.For example, a study by Tucker and Mitchell-Kernan (1995) in California found that Black, White and Latino men had considerably more often than women from these groups engaged in interethnic dating (see also Feliciano, Robnett, & Komaie, 2009 …”

A confirmatory factor analysis of specific phobia domains in African American and Caucasian American young adults

“…Being African American and a first generation college student likely provides added pressure to succeed in an academic setting. Finally, worth noting is the notion that marriage rates have steadily declined among African Americans (BoydFranklin, 2003;Tucker & Mitchell-Kernan, 1995). Along these lines, many African American students may come from single parent homes where academic success may have added meaning not only to the individual, but also for the individual's immediate family.…”

Exploring the lives of Asian American men: Racial identity, male role norms, gender role conflict, and prejudicial attitudes.

“…While seemingly a positive image of Asian Americans, the model minority image carries a particular raced and gendered taint, that for Asian American men, manifests as both emasculating and desexualizing (J.W. Chan, 1998; J.P. Chan, et al , 1991 ;Cheung, 1993;Tucker & Mitchell-Kernan, 1995). Thus, for Asian American men to fully understand themselves and the challenges they must overcome, it is important for Asian American men to understand themselves simultaneously as raced, classed, and gendered individuals (Ting, 1998).…”