Are Mixed Marriages Likely to Fail?

Every little girl dreams about her wedding day. As a kid, I remember telling my friends that I wanted to get married at 22, have a kid by 24, and have a fabulous career. I thought I had it all planned. But I never really placed a face on the guy standing next to me at the alter. My husband-to-be changed according to whoever my crush was at the time. But let’s face it- we don’t know exactly who or when we’ll marry, until it’s time.

As I’ve mentioned before, my husband is white and I’m black. I didn’t foresee marrying outside of my race. I just met a great guy-who happened to be white. We fell in love, got hitched, and had a beautiful daughter. Now it seems like there are a lot more interracial couples exchanging vows.

According to a Daily News article written by the Associated Press, the number of integrated marriages has reached 4.8 million. The Pew Research Center claims that marriages across racial and ethnic lines have more than doubled in the past three decades.

It’s pretty refreshing to read that people are becoming more open minded about finding a partner outside his or her race. I’ve always been a firm believer that one shouldn’t marry a person based on skin color or ethnicity. But when I read that divorce rates are higher for interracial couples it made me question why mixed couples choose to join hands in holy matrimony. According to the Associated Press,

"One study conducted a decade ago determined that mixed-race couples had a 41 percent chance of separation or divorce, compared to a 31 percent chance for those who married within their race.

Another analysis found divorce rates among mixed-race couples to be more dependent on the specific race combination, with white women who married outside their race more likely to divorce. Mixed marriages involving blacks and whites also were considered least stable, followed by Hispanic-white couples."

While this study seems to imply that people are getting divorced because they are in a mixed-race marriage, I question whether or not the rise in interracial couples tying the knot is such a huge accomplishment. If the rise in interracial marriage indicates that race relations have improved- according to Cornell University Professor Daniel Lichter- then divorce rates among mixed marriages may cancel out that theory. Don’t you think?

I can’t speak for all multicultural couples. But as a black woman married to a white man, I do agree that there are racial differences. I don’t expect my husband to fully understand my black struggles, but he is sensitive to them. He’ll never be able to relate to many racial experiences I’ve had, but he listens. He’s able to sympathize with whatever it is I’m going through. In general, I think all marriages have ups and downs. Sometimes you’ll have to make sacrifices, but that’s true for all marriages. As long as there’s love, communication, and understanding that all that matters. I would love to sit down with these integrated couples and find out why they decided to sign those divorce papers. I think the implication of marriages ending because of race seems quite bizarre.

My hubby and I have been married for 7 years and still going strong!

Are Mixed Marriages Likely to Fail?

Weather Anchor Mama