Interracial Marriages Essay

In any marriage relationship, it is usual or rather natural to have some adjustments in its early stage. This is so because there is a high degree of expectations in both parties; and so, because these expectations are mostly â€Å"unrealistic,† to modify or adjust them are somewhat difficult to both sides. It is a fact that when two individuals come into a marriage union, they bring with them two different perspectives in almost all respects, and this is no different with interracial marriages. However, there are more at stake when racial backgrounds or ethnicity is the core issue, as studies reveal. Marriage and the fruit of the union – the family – is the basic unit of society and regarded as one of the most principal institutions of the social order. When marriages fail and families disintegrate, there is without a doubt a â€Å"ripple† effect on the community’s functioning in terms of that community’s solidity, and law and order. Although many facets of the relationship operate as components to the enjoyment and development of the marriage bond, the common and usual fundamental rationale for the union is intimacy. It is this vital ingredient that draws couples from different persuasions, race, or creed together despite the potential drawbacks and heartaches that will soon shake the very foundations of that union. This paper dwells on these potentialities in terms of the advantages and disadvantages of interracial marriages. The author believes that despite the difficulties and at times the impossibilities that complications beset interracial marriages, for as long as both parties or the individuals involved have explored beforehand the complexities, and settled for the facts and realities, their relationship is off to a better start. This paper then offers to describe and explain the polarities that entail in a marriage coming from two different ethnic or racial backgrounds. Definition & demographics In US history, many things that speak of the American way of life are deeply affected and influenced on the issue of race and especially on cross-cultural marriages. Since its â€Å"pioneer† days, being attached with another not your own color, creed, or race is neither new, nor surprising. A study of endogamy’s other extreme, i. e. mixed marriage – then and now – is still quite of interest to many (Rosenfeld, 2007). To tackle the subject matter that this paper endeavors to explore, the author starts by defining the main concepts used throughout the study. Definition Marriage is defined as a â€Å"socially recognized and approved union between individuals† with the idea that both will commit themselves to a lifetime of togetherness in the hope that there will be stability and happiness that the couple will enjoy in their intimate relationship (Microsoft Encarta, 2005). Such relationship has legal, cultural, economic, moral, and psychological dimensions that may impinge on its eventual longevity and permanence. Miscegenation or â€Å"intermarriage between races†, according to Encarta, is defined as â€Å"marriage or cohabitation between people of different races† (2005). Demographics According to a study by Kara Joyner, assistant professor of policy analysis and management at Cornell and co-author of a study on interracial relationships in a recent issue of the American Sociological Review (Vol. 70:4), â€Å"Hispanics had the highest rate of interracial relationships: 45 percent of 18- to 19-year-olds and 33 percent of 24- to 25-year-olds were in interracial relationships in the early 2000s, compared with blacks (20 and 14 percent, respectively) and whites (16 and 12 percent, respectively† (Lang, 2005). Although Asians are comparatively the same with Hispanics in the aspects of interracial union in Joyner’s study, the ethnic group was not included due to lack of research yields when it comes to as when they likely get into their liaisons and when these end. However, in some studies, the case of Asians engaging in interracial marriage, demographics painted a different picture. Whereas in the case of Hispanics, Blacks, and Whites who intermarry, the surveys say that as they age, the tendency of these relationships’ potential to last dwindles, the Asians’ marriages tend to increase and last longer (Lang, 2005). The US Bureau of the Census points out that intermarriage is still â€Å"relatively uncommon† basing on a 2002 survey because only 2. 9 percent of all marriages come from interracial unions (Lang in Joyner study, 2005). Review of Literature – Family Values Every home has its set of beliefs or tradition that they hold in high esteem. This is referred to as family values. Anything that the family believes is important comprises a family values system. This paper attempts to explain what family values are and how people uphold their beliefs and what makes them hold on to those beliefs in a highly individualistic country such as ours. Among the values an individual possesses, the most important I believe is that a person must regard most his/her values about family as the most significant. Many people don’t usually pause and contemplate what their values are. They may not know whether these values they already have are still practical or useful in a modern day world. Moreover, they do not think how their values fit in with their kind of milieu that they evolve in. (â€Å"Values: what are they? †2007). There are families that take time out though to impart to their children what had been passed on to them when they too were yet very young. The values may not be as strong as when were yet children because the person may have adapted to his world and adjusted his values that others may be accommodated. Through the years, a family value system may be a combination of what had been passed on to an individual and the values system of one’s friends or colleagues at work. Why are family values important? The primary reason is that what we hold as important affects how we use time, money and energy or how we interact with people. If a family believes the importance of education then parents try to save for the schooling of their children which includes books among others. Family values influence how we spend our resources and make decisions. Parents then need to communicate what their own family values are, why these are important and the specifics of what are most essential that the children must also adopt or follow. Children also need to respect others who have dissimilar value system as compared to their own. Most likely values will evolve but when parents lead the children and model these beliefs, their children will be able to learn and pass these on to the next generation (â€Å"Values: what are they? †2007). – Social Clock The belief that there are descriptive and prescriptive age norms concerning adults during their developmental shift involves the concept of the social clock. The social clock hinges on its description of society’s expectations where time to get married and have children at the same time attaining more of life’s burdens. For example, the traditional or what has been considered as the perception of women who have not yet entered into matrimony as individuals who are negatively appraised during their middle adulthood stage in contrast to the young adults. Social clock has something to do with an expectation that a person must somehow behave or conduct him/herself according to established developmental milestones or else, risk the consequences that may happen because the individual has allowed it to slip through (Altenbernd, 2004).