{"id":58182,"date":"2020-05-27T08:01:44","date_gmt":"2020-05-27T08:01:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/relationship\/challenges-faced-by-inter-ethnic-marriages\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T11:21:51","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T11:21:51","slug":"challenges-faced-by-inter-ethnic-marriages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.marriage.com\/advice\/relationship\/challenges-faced-by-inter-ethnic-marriages\/","title":{"rendered":"Unique Challenges Faced by Inter-Ethnic Marriages"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"BrideCan partners with profound differences in their ancestry and cultural backgrounds still marry successfully? Won’t love find a way in the end?<\/span><\/p>\n

In theory, yes, but in practice, it’s rarely so simple as that in inter-ethnic relationships.<\/span><\/p>\n

Keep reading to understand some of the unique and persistent challenges that many mixed couples and cross-cultural marriage face in achieving lasting happiness.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>The growth of intercultural marriage<\/span><\/h2>\n

Unquestionably, <\/span>inter-ethnic marriages are growing in number<\/span><\/a>. Currently, about 1 in 6 (or 17%) of all marriages feature spouses with different cultural backgrounds.<\/span><\/p>\n

That’s up from just 3% in 1967 and 7% in 1980. In fact, since 1990, the inter-ethnic marriage rate has more or less doubled.<\/span><\/p>\n

That’s surely a positive sign of greater tolerance and diversity in our culture. Old barriers are starting to come down, albeit slowly.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are various factors in play that contribute towards the growth in mixed marriages in America. One is sheer demographics.<\/span><\/p>\n

America is becoming increasingly multicultural,<\/b> especially with a dramatic increase in foreign immigration since 1990.<\/span><\/p>\n

The foreign-born share of the US population stands at 14%, its highest level since the 1900s.<\/span><\/p>\n

That means the pool of available spouses from non-White groups, especially Hispanics and Asians, has increased dramatically, affording new opportunities for inter-ethnic marriage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another factor, possibly related, is the explosion of <\/span>dating and marriage sites<\/span> that allow people from all over the world to get to know each other and eventually to marry, even if they were born and still live in different counties.<\/span><\/p>\n

A third factor is the weight of public opinion.<\/span><\/p>\n

Public support for inter-racial marriage has increased sharply, <\/b>especially over the past decade. This is especially true of Black-White intermarriage.<\/span><\/p>\n

As late as 1990, nearly two thirds 63% of non-Blacks opposed the idea of these couplings. Today, that figure is down to 14%, but it is still higher than non-Black opposition to White marriages with Asians and Hispanics (9% in each case).<\/span><\/p>\n

Sadly, opposition to Black-White pairings, a legacy of America’s long and painful history with slavery, perhaps, endures.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Sharp variation in Inter-ethnic marriage rates<\/span><\/h2>\n

\"OutdoorIt’s worth noting that some inter-ethnic pairings are significantly more common than others.<\/span><\/p>\n

The most common, by far, is one between a White man or woman and a Hispanic spouse. About 42% of Hispanics, men, and women marry a White spouse.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next most common is a marriage between a White man or woman and an Asian spouse (15%).<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the nativity is also a key factor. <\/span>Foreign-born Hispanics and Asians are far less likely to marry across ethnic lines than their more assimilated native-born counterparts.<\/b><\/p>\n

The discrepancy is stark. Only 15 % of foreign-born Hispanics married across ethnic lines. Three times as many native-born Hispanics did.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>Varying marital survival rates<\/span><\/h2>\n

Despite the <\/span>growth in inter-ethnic marriages<\/span><\/a>, there are vast discrepancies in their survival rates.<\/span><\/p>\n

Overall,<\/span> inter-ethnic marriages fail at a higher rate than same-ethnic marriages.<\/b><\/p>\n

The rate of marital success for Whites and Hispanics and Whites and Asians are relatively high, approaching the national average. By contrast, Black-White marriages are far less successful.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gender turns out to be a key factor in inter-ethnic marriage success.<\/span><\/p>\n

Marriages between non-White men and White women, especially in the case of Black and Asian men, have relatively high failure rates. The success rate for Black male-White female marriages, just 25%, is the lowest of any inter-ethnic pairing.<\/span><\/p>\n

By contrast, marriages between White men and non-White women tend to be highly successful. Some studies show that White male-Black female marriages are even more successful than marriages among Whites alone.<\/span><\/p>\n

Also watch: