Is the Divorce Rate Higher in Interracial Marriages than in Same Race Marriages?

Image from gorigirl.com

The current divorce rate in US is about 50%. Another study has shown the divorce rate for interracial couples is sligthly higher compared to same race couples. This varies from year to year as shown in the table above.

A 2008 study conducted by Jenifer L. Bratter and Rosalind B. King on behalf of the Education Resources Information Center examined whether crossing racial boundaries increases the risk of divorce. Using the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, the likelihood of divorce for interracial couples to that of same-race couples was compared. Comparisons across marriage cohorts revealed that, overall, interracial couples have higher rates of divorce, particularly for those that married during the late-1980s. The authors also identified race and gender variation. White female/Black male and White female/Asian male marriages were more prone to divorce compared to White/White couples. Marriages involving non-White females and White males and Hispanics/non-Hispanic persons were found to have similar or lower risks of divorce than White/White couples.

The following are the common challenges that interracial couples may go through at some point in their relationship. Of course the same race couple may also go through this challenges, but their chance of a solution is more probable than interracial couples. This list may specially apply to Filipina women marrying Negro or Caucasian men.

1.Communication Barriers

Communication is sometimes hard when couples speak different languages. Expressing feelings such as anger and saying them in words is sometimes frustrating because oftentimes translation of words from one language to another is not exact. For a Filipina who barely speaks English and probably an accent, it can be an ordeal to get her points across. Conversely, her foreigner husband can misinterpret her actions for lack of verbal explanation or may misunderstood what she intends to say due to incorrect usage of words, accent and pronounciation.

2. Childhood Experiences, Family and Cultural Values

When two persons from different cultural background get married and live together, sooner or later they’ll discover differences in the way they handle things and these may cause some conflicts. It can be challenging when both persons are strongly grounded on what they believe to be correct way, and expect the other to give in. The trick is to compromise and give each other the chance to express themselves without belittling the other partner. As the saying goes marriage is not 50-50 but 100-100 proposition.

3.The In-laws Factor

In an interracial marriage, there are times either or both sides of the family want to get involved and put pressure on the couple.

For instance in terms of parenting, each side may want to influence how many kids you should have or insists to take their cultural upbringing to apply to your kids. Opinions, criticisms, and negative stereotyping about the union may also come up.

It’s important to note that in situations like these, you and your partner have the final say on how to run your relationship and family. Your in-laws inputs may be helpful, but both of you has the sole power to decide which ones to accept or reject.

References: www.filipinainamerica.com and gorigirl.com