Interracial marriage trending upwards

According to a recent Gallup poll on interracial dating, 83% of Americans are okay with such relationships. Very positive sign indeed. As some would like to interpret it, we are steadily moving toward a society that is race-less, or better yet, one in which race will no longer such an overriding feature.

So they say that the number of interracial marriage in the US is around the 7% mark. So why is there a disparity between the high rate of approval of interracial dating and relatively low numbers of interracial couples who end up walking down the aisle? Well I must admit that much as the trend is growing, it’s been slow to develop. This isn’t surprising when you consider the prejudice that characterized the earlier part of the 20th century.

Good thing that ever happened to people who are pro interracial dating was the Supreme Court ruling that anti-miscegenation laws were unconstitutional in 1967. Sad thing is; this law didn’t change most people’s attitudes against interracial unions.

The resistance to interracial marriage doesn’t always come from declared racists. Surveys have found that most African American females are the most unwilling to the entertain idea of being in an interracial relationship, with a small minority even regarding intermarriage as “selling out the race”. Some people don’t mind their friends being in such relationships but as individuals, they would never do it. This is one of the explanations for the disparity.

Some people don’t declare their resistance to interracial marriage publicly. It tends to be hidden. And when surveys are being conducted, most respondents are like to appear progressive in their views and their answers may not entirely represent their true feelings.

Some interracial couples have also admitted number that domestic tension behind the scenes, frequently related to the attitudes of in-laws may eventually contribute to the break-up of the marriage. However this doesn’t entirely mean that interracial marriages aren’t successfully. On the contrary, many of the couples have reported their marriages were successful. The only complaints they had were on the attitudes from the public – but for the most part minor stuff such as rude stares or off-hand remarks.

Much as there are some hurdles these couples have to jump, I think its safe to say that we are gradually moving toward societies in which race will cease to matter as much as it has in the past. The interracial marriage trend will almost certainly increase over the next decade. It pays to be hopeful.