Abstract
Little is known about the validity of group-level theories of ethnic intermarriage despite the fact that such theories are often invoked in explaining why certain ethnic groups are “closed,” whereas others are relatively “open.” We develop a comparative perspective by analyzing the marriage choices of 94 national-origin groups in the United States, using pooled data from the Current Population Surveys, 1994–2006, and multilevel models in which individual and contextual determinants of intermarriage are included simultaneously. Our analyses show large differences in endogamy across groups. After taking compositional effects into account, we find that both structural and cultural group-level factors have significant effects on endogamy. Cultural explanations (which focus on the role of norms and preferences) play a more important role than structural explanations (which focus on meeting and mating opportunities). Our results reinforce the common but untested interpretation of endogamy in terms of group boundaries.
The text of this article is only available as a PDF.
References
Alba, R. (
1990
). Ethnic Identity: The Transformation of White America
. New Haven
: Yale University Press
.Alba, R.D., & Golden, R.M. (
1986
). Patterns of Ethnic Marriage in the United States
. Social Forces
, 65
, 202
–23
. 10.2307/2578943Alba, R., & Nee, V. (
2003
). Remaking the American Mainstream: Assimilation and Contemporary Immigration
. Cambridge, MA
: Harvard University Press
.Alesina, A., Devleeschauwer, A., Easterly, W., Kurlat, S., & Wacziarg, R. (
2003
). Fractionalization
. Journal of Economic Growth
, 8
, 155
–94
. 10.1023/A:1024471506938Anderson, R.N., & Saenz, R. (
1994
). Structural Determinants of Mexican American Intermarriage, 1975–1980
. Social Science Quarterly
, 75
, 414
–30
.Angrist, J. (
2002
). How Do Sex Ratios Affect Marriage and Labor Markets? Evidence From America’s Second Generation
. Quarterly Journal of Economics
, 107
, 997
–1038
. 10.1162/003355302760193940Batson, C.D., Qian, Z., & Lichter, D.T. (
2006
). Interracial and Intraracial Patterns of Mate Selection Among America’s Diverse Black Populations
. Journal of Marriage and Family
, 68
, 658
–72
. 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2006.00281.xBlackwell, D.L., & Lichter, D.T. (
2004
). Homogamy Among Dating, Cohabiting, and Married Couples
. Sociological Quarterly
, 45
, 719
–37
. 10.1111/j.1533-8525.2004.tb02311.xBlau, P.M., & Schwartz, J.E. (
1984
). Crosscutting Social Circles: Testing a Macrostructural Theory of Intergroup Relations
. New York
: Academic Press
.Borjas, G.J. (
1992
). Ethnic Capital and Intergenerational Mobility
. Quarterly Journal of Economics
, 107
, 123
–50
. 10.2307/2118325Davis, F.J. (
1991
). Who Is Black? One Nation’s Definition
. University Park, PA
: Pennsylvania State University Press
.Dreher, A. (
2006
). Does Globalization Affect Growth? Empirical Evidence From a New Index
. Applied Economics
, 38
, 1091
–110
. 10.1080/00036840500392078Esveldt, I., & Schoorl, J.J. (
1998
). Veranderingen in de huwelijkssluiting van Turken en Marokkanen in Nederland
. Bevolking en Gezin
, 27
, 53
–86
.Feliciano, C. (
2001
). Assimilation or Enduring Racial Boundaries? Generational Differences in Intermarriage Among Asians and Latinos in the United States
. Race & Society
, 4
, 27
–45
. 10.1016/S1090-9524(02)00033-5Gilbertson, G.A., Fitzpatrick, J.P., & Lijun, Y. (
1996
). Hispanic Intermarriage in New York City: New Evidence From 1991
. International Migration Review
, 30
, 445
–59
. 10.2307/2547389Grimes, B.F. (
2000
). Ethnologue: Languages of the World
. 14th edDallas
: SIL International
.Gshur, B., & Okun, B.S. (
2003
). Generational Effects on Marriage Patterns: Four Decades of Jewish Immigrants and Their Descendents in Israel
. Journal of Marriage and Family
, 65
, 287
–301
. 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2003.00287.xHarris, D.R., & Ono, H. (
2005
). How Many Interracial Marriages Would There Be if All Groups Were of Equal Size in All Places? A New Look at National Estimates of Interracial Marriage
. Social Science Research
, 34
, 236
–51
. 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2004.01.002Hout, M., & Goldstein, J.R. (
1994
). How 4.5 Million Irish Immigrants Became 40 Million Irish Americans: Demographic and Subjective Aspects of the Ethnic Composition of White Americans
. American Sociological Review
, 59
, 64
–82
. 10.2307/2096133Hwang, S.-S., & Saenz, R. (
1990
). The Problem Posed by Immigrants Married Abroad on Intermarriage Research: The Case of Asian Americans
. International Migration Review
, 24
, 563
–76
. 10.2307/2546373Hwang, S.-S., Saenz, R., & Aguirre, B.E. (
1995
). The SES Selectivity of Interracially Married Asians
. International Migration Review
, 29
, 469
–91
. 10.2307/2546790Hwang, S.-S., Saenz, R., & Aguirre, B.E. (
1997
). Structural and Assimilationist Explanations of Asian American Intermarriage
. Journal of Marriage and the Family
, 59
, 758
–72
. 10.2307/353959Jacobs, J.A., & Labov, T.G. (
2002
). Gender Differentials in Intermarriage Among Sixteen Race and Ethnic Groups
. Sociological Forum
, 17
, 621
–46
. 10.1023/A:1021029507937Jasso, G., Massey, D.S., Rosenzweig, M.R., & Smith, J.P. (
2003
). Exploring the Religious Preference of Recent Immigrants to the United States: Evidence From the New Immigrant Pilot Survey
. In Haddad, Y.Y., & Esposito, J.L. (Eds.), Religion and immigration
(pp. 217
–53
). Walnut Creek
: Alta Mira Press
.Kalmijn, M. (
1993
). Spouse Selection Among the Children of European Immigrants: A Comparison of Marriage Cohorts in the 1960 Census
. International Migration Review
, 27
, 51
–78
. 10.2307/2546701Kalmijn, M. (
1998
). Intermarriage and Homogamy: Causes, Patterns, Trends
. Annual Review of Sociology
, 24
, 395
–421
. 10.1146/annurev.soc.24.1.395King, M., Ruggles, S., Alexander, T., Leicach, D., & Sobek, M. (
2004
). Integrated Public Use Microdata Series, Current Population Survey: Version 2.0
. Minneapolis
: Minnesota Population Center
.Landale, N.S., & Tolnay, S.E. (
1993
). Generation, Ethnicity, and Marriage: Historical Patterns in the Northern United States
. Demography
, 30
, 103
–26
. 10.2307/2061865Lee, S.M., & Fernandez, M. (
1998
). Trends in Asian American Racial/Ethnic Intermarriage: A Comparison of 1980 and 1990 Census Data
. Sociological Perspectives
, 41
, 323
–42
.Lee, S.M., & Yamanaka, K. (
1990
). Patterns of Asian American Intermarriage and Marital Assimilation
. Journal of Comparative Family Studies
, 21
, 287
–305
.Lehrer, E. (
1998
). Religious Intermarriage in the United States: Determinants and Trends
. Social Science Research
, 27
, 245
–63
. 10.1006/ssre.1998.0626Lichter, D.T., Brown, J.B., Qian, Z., & Carmalt, J.H. (
2007
). Marital Assimilation Among Hispanics: Evidence of Declining Cultural and Economic Incorporation?
. Social Science Quarterly
, 88
, 745
–65
. 10.1111/j.1540-6237.2007.00481.xLieberson, S., & Waters, M. (
1988
). From Many Strands: Ethnic and Racial Groups in Contemporary America
. New York
: Russell Sage Foundation
.Monden, C.W.S., & Smits, J. (
2005
). Ethnic Intermarriage in Times of Social Change: The Case of Latvia
. Demography
, 42
, 323
–45
. 10.1353/dem.2005.0015Okamoto, D.G. (
2007
). Marrying Out: A Boundary Approach to Understanding the Marital Integration of Asian Americans
. Social Science Research
, 36
, 1391
–414
. 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2007.02.006Pagnini, D.L., & Morgan, S.P. (
1990
). Intermarriage and Social Distance Among U.S. Immigrants at the Turn of the Century
. American Journal of Sociology
, 96
, 405
–32
. 10.1086/229534Portes, A., & Rumbaut, R.G. (
1996
). Immigrant America: A Portrait
. 2nd edBerkeley
: University of California Press
.Qian, Z., Blair, S.L., & Ruf, S.D. (
2001
). Asian American Interracial and Interethnic Marriages: Differences by Education and Nativity
. International Migration Review
, 35
, 557
–86
. 10.1111/j.1747-7379.2001.tb00029.xQian, Z., & Cobas, J.A. (
2004
). Latino’s Mate Selection: National Origin, Racial, and Nativity Differences
. Social Science Research
, 33
, 225
–47
. 10.1016/S0049-089X(03)00055-3Qian, Z., & Lichter, D.T. (
2007
). Social Boundaries and Marital Assimilation: Interpreting Trends in Racial and Ethnic Intermarriage
. American Sociological Review
, 72
, 68
–94
. 10.1177/000312240707200104Rumbaut, R.G. (
1994
). The Crucible Within: Ethnic Identity, Self-esteem, and Segmented Assimilation Among Children of Immigrants
. International Migration Review
, 28
, 748
–94
. 10.2307/2547157Sassler, S.L. (
1997
). Women’s Marital Timing at the Turn of the Century: Generational and Ethnic Differences
. Sociological Quarterly
, 38
, 567
–85
. 10.1111/j.1533-8525.1997.tb00754.xSherkat, D.E. (
2004
). Religious Intermarriage in the United States: Trends, Patterns, and Predictors
. Social Science Research
, 33
, 606
–25
. 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2003.11.001Snijders, T., & Bosker, R. (
1999
). Multilevel Analysis: An Introduction to Basic and Advanced Multilevel Modeling
. London
: Sage Publications
.Stevens, G. (
1999
). Age at Immigration and Second Language Proficiency Among Foreign-born Adults
. Language in Society
, 28
, 555
–78
. 10.1017/S0047404599004030Stevens, G., & Swicegood, G. (
1987
). The Linguistic Context of Ethnic Endogamy
. American Sociological Review
, 52
, 73
–82
. 10.2307/2095393Sung, B.L. (
1990
). Chinese American Intermarriage
. Journal of Comparative Family Studies
, 21
, 337
–52
.van Tubergen, F., & Maas, I. (
2007
). Ethnic Intermarriage Among Immigrants in the Netherlands: An Analysis of Population Data
. Social Science Research
, 36
, 1065
–86
. 10.1016/j.ssresearch.2006.09.003Waters, M. (
1990
). Ethnic Options: Choosing Identities in America
. Berkeley
: University of California Press
.Xie, Y., & Goyette, K. (
1997
). The Racial Identification of Biracial Children With One Asian Parent: Evidence From the 1990 Census
. Social Forces
, 76
, 547
–70
. 10.2307/2580724© Population Association of America 2010
2010
Issue Section:
Articles
