Intergroup marriage: An examination of opportunity structures

Though a number of authors have noted the increase in interracial marriages in the United States over the past few decades, few researchers have syste matically examined variables that affect the opportunity for intergroup mar riage among several different groups: Whites, African Americans, Asians, an d Hispanics. In this paper we examine several "opportunity" variables and t heir relationship to intergroup marriage for couples age 40 or younger: imm igration, military service, metropolitan residency, age, region, college at tendance, and socioeconomic status. We examine these relationships for Afri can, White, Asian, and Hispanic Americans. Results for both males and femal es are presented. The analysis is based on data from the 1990 census. The p ropensity to marry within one's own group dropped slightly for all groups b ut Asian Americans from 1980 to 1990. White and Black Americans continue to have the highest endogamy rates. Hispanic and Asian Americans have lower r aces, and regional variations are highest for them as well. The results sug gest that the opportunity variables are important factors affecting rates o f intergroup marriage.