Chinese American Interracial Marriages In The United States

During the past few decades, the United States has witnessed a phenomenal increase in the number of interracial marriages among Asians, partially attributable to the large influx of immigrants from Asia after the year of 1965. As a barometer of racial relations and intergroup social distance, interracial marriage has been a long-standing topic of interest in American sociological research. Yet, it has received scant attention in literature in China.Therefore, this study is one of the first few attempts in Chinese academia to deal with interracial marriage in America, an investigation that employs both qualitative and quantitative analytical methods. It combines structural factors with new assimilation theory to examine Chinese intermarriages with Caucasian Americans in California. The data collected for this study came from: 1) personal interviews with 20 Chinese and Caucasian American couples; 2) government official documents; and 3) existing literature. The results show that Chinese intermarriage is affected by social structural, cultural, historical and parental determinants.This dissertation is composed of five chapters. By exploring social structural predictors of intermarriage, Chapter I demonstrates that Chinese interracial marriage varies with the minority group size, population heterogeneity, gender and educational attainment. It argues when population grows in size, opportunities for intragroup contact automatically increase while interaction with the majority population correspondingly declines. Likewise, in a heterogeneous and integrated community, one's chances of meeting persons from other groups are higher than in a homogeneous and highly segregated one. Similarly, when one attains a higher educational level, he or she will have closer access to the mainstream society and thus is more likely to marry out. When all these structural conditions are held constant, chances are far greater for a female Chinese to marry a white man than her male counterpart.Chapter II examines the cultural predictors and argues that Chinese American intermarriage is a result of assimilation or cultural adaptation which involves both the minority and the majority populations. In other words, while the minority seeks to adapt to the host culture, the majority also expresses its readiness to accommodate and embrace the ethnic culture. This two-way process does not lead to the erosion or depletion of minority group's ethnicity. Instead, it still leaves much leeway for the latter to maintain its own ethnic distinctions, which may serve as a magnet to draw together members of the two different racial groups. However, distinctions alone do not work magic. Shared values between cultural groups are equally important for interracial relationships to forge and grow.Still, important as they are, they do not provide full explanation for the rise in interracial marriage among Chinese in California. Institutional changes, social movements, and government policies at any given time also play a significant role in shaping the marriage pattern. Chapter III discusses how anti-miscegenation laws along with discriminatory immigration acts served as major legal barriers against intermarriage between Chinese and American whites. It was not until 1960s were these restrictive laws repealed. Thanks to all these changes in law, Asian Americans, Chinese in particular, found themselves able to improve their socioeconomic status, and win greater acceptance by the white society as social equals and potential marriage partners.Such unique historical experiences have produced some direct impact on Chinese family's attitude toward intermarriage, particularly with whites. Chapter IV first discusses the first-generation immigrant families, which, being more likely to be affected by the biases and behaviors of the dominant society, tend to, in general, disapprove of their members'interracial dating or marriage with whites, through such emotional appeals as family solidarity and family name. Then, the chapter moves on to look into the second-generation Chinese Americans. It argues that, as they attain a higher socio-economic status and more opportunities to access the dominant culture, the barriers against interracial intimacy either by the white society or by the Chinese community gradually broke down, if not completely removed. Consequently, a more open and receptive attitude toward interracial relations and marital practices has been developed among both Chinese and Caucasian Americans, making interracial marriage not only possible, but also, in some cases, desirable.The concluding chapter summarizes the major findings as well as key points of the dissertation and looks forward to the future trend of intermarriage in the United States in the light of the most recent statistical reports. Additionally, limitations of this research are discussed for future improvement at the end of the chapter.