Revised in Relationship Box - Essay Example

REVISED IN RELATIONSHIP BOX Introduction Interracial relationships can be defined as a union between two people from different race who are connected by emotions, which leads to dating, courtships and, to the larger extent, marriage. This should be differentiated from people of different ethnic grounds and cultures. The increase in the number of interracial marriages has not been fully accounted for in many articles and journals so as to portray the true picture of what is taking place in the entire globe. Interracial relationships and marriages were long deemed as illegal and unconstitutional in many countries of the world until recently, when anti-miscegenation laws were largely abolished in many countries. In the United States, the Supreme Court legalized all forms of interracial relationships in 1967, thus opening a new era of marriages across the races. The numbers of interracial relationships have been on the rise since the legalization with 2010 registering a figure of 9.0 million cases of multiracial Americans, which constitutes 2.9% of the total population. The figures are more dominant among the younger generation, especially those below the 18 age mark. There are several factors that affect the decision to engage in interracial relationships such as religious beliefs, education levels, cultural believe and economic status of individuals (Hughes, 2003). Major generational divides have greatly influenced the perception of mixed ethnic couples in the United States. There exist two view points on the general issue of interracial marriages which are the Egalitarianism based on the notion that the practice should be allowed in the society and the Cultural conservatism which views interracial marriages as a taboo and is socially not applicable. The views differ with age as the younger generation holds Egalitarianism view while the older generation advocates for conservatism viewpoint. Despite the fact that the practice has been authorized by law in the United States, there are however several challenges that interracial couples must be ready to face which include family perception, ethnic stereotypes, the interactions of their children with their peers, language barrier and culture shock ( Kao & Joyner, 2005). Forms of interracial relationships Forms of interracial relationships in this context can be divided into three main categories which include interracial dating, interracial cohabitation and interracial marriages. Interracial dating is mainly witnessed among college students from different races who are united by their quest for higher education. Dating is enhanced by the many interactive opportunities that they engage in which offers them with an opportunity to know each other well as they pursue common goals. Interracial dating has grown to be largely acceptable all over the world especially in the United States. Interracial cohabitation in which people from different races opt to stay together without any formal consent by the authorities has become very common in most urban centers in the U.S.A. One of the reasons attributed to such arrangements is the fear of stigma and rejection that may be associated with interracial relationships. Studies conducted between the years 2003 and 2006 indicated that 25% of couples involved in cohabitation are from mixed races. The number of interracial marriages has been on a steady rise since the year 1960 after the abolishment of key anti-miscegenation laws. The state of Hawaii has witnessed the highest number of interracial marriages in the United States in comparison to other states. Major developments made in the interracial marriages. The case of the Lovings in the year 1967 is one of the most well known cases of interracial marriages that resulted into landmark decisions being made that would later change the view of interracial relationships permanently. It involved Mildred Loving who was a black woman and Richard Loving who was a white man versus the state of Virginia. Their marriage was viewed to be against the Racial Integrity Act of 1924 which disallowed any sexual relationship between the whites and the other races commonly referred to as the people of the color. The story was later acted in two movies known as Mr. and Mrs. Loving in the year 1996 and The Long Story 2012 in order to make people of the current generation acquire a clear picture of what transpired then. Their step of courage which is marked annually in the United States’ calendar on every 12th of the month of June, paved way for many interracial marriages which followed in years after the landmark ruling (Lee, 2001). Other case of ruling against anti-miscegenation laws were witnessed in the cases between Pace and the State of Alabama of 1884 in which the court ruled against cohabitation between people of different races. The ruling was later overturned in the year 1964 by another case involving McLaughlin and the state of Florida. In the case of Perez versus Sharp in 1948 the Supreme Court based in California was able turn down a ban on interracial marriages on grounds that they had violated the Fourteenth Amendment of the Federal Constitution hence the need to let go the anti-miscegenation law. The case involved Andrea Perez who was a Mexican-American woman and Sylvester Davis who was an African-America man and they met each other while working in the city of Los Angeles. Their application to be granted a marriage license was declined by the county clerk who quoted Code Section 60 of the Californian state which considered marriages between people of different races illegal. The decision was petitioned by Perez and Davis on grounds of infringement to their rights. Some statistical evidence shows that the number of interracial marriages in Georgia increased from 21 in the year 1964 to about 115 in the year 1970 after the case was settled. The twenty year period between 1960 and 1980 saw a percentage increase in the number of interracial marriages from 0.4% to 2.0%. Census results released in the year 2010 indicated that 10% of the total registered marriages in the United States consisted of people from different races. The 2010 census showed a significant increase in the number of households in which the couples were from different races. It recorded that one out of ten marriages of people of the opposite sex had interracial background or were themselves from different races and it translated to about 5.4 million couples. The statistics indicated an increase of 28% in comparison to the situation ten years ago. Same-sex marriages indicated 21% increase from the year 2000 which translated to about 133,477 couples. One of the scholars in the field of sociology alluded to the fact that the results suggested a transition towards a new era of post-racial society even though most scholars in his field were still of the opinion that the world was still far from witnessing a fully integrated post-racial society. Despite the fact that race is still a factor that hinders proper coordination and harmony among the people of the world, the recent statistical indications offers hope towards the realization of a race free society. Other statistical factors of interracial relationships include an increase of 2.2 million in the number of unmarried interracial partners. Past researches have shown that interracial relationships are more prevalent among homosexual couples as compared to heterosexual couples and that more unmarried heterosexual relationships in the United States are witnessed among people of different races (Foeman & Nance, 1999). Factors promoting interracial marriages One of the main reasons for the tremendous increase in the number of interracial marriages is the fact that there has been a drastic change in the balance of power between the older generation and their off springs who have embraced a new form of living marked by increased integration. The parents no longer have a lot of influence on the future spouses of their children thus giving them a lot of freedom to choose widely on whom to marry or to get married to. Situations have also limited the level of interaction between the parents and their children especially when they have attained school going age. As a result, the younger generation is left on their own to make key decisions about their lives. Another reason given for the increased number of interracial relationships is the increased level of interaction which has been made possible by the availability of the internet. The internet through online dating has made it possible for people of different races to meet, interact and get married. Online dating platforms have greatly promoted interracial marriages as people from different parts of the globe can meet online, chat and plan to meet each other so that they can know each other better and as a result carry their friendship to greater heights which may eventually lead to marriage (Newbeck, 2008). The number of interracial relationships across the states in the U.S.A varies based on the level of availability. For example in New York and Atlanta there exist a huge number of Black-Americans living within the metropolis in comparison to Californian cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego hence there is more openness towards interracial marriages. Increased rate of immigration offers increased chances of interracial relationships and marriages especially between the Hispanics and the Whites. As a result strict rules that are aimed at minimizing the rate of immigration into the United States may reduce the chances of realization of a true mixed society. The manner of upbringing can also lead to interracial relationships. Some people engage in such form of relationships as a means of seeking solace outside their own race due to ill-treatment by people of their own race or from their parents and guardians. There are personal considerations before one decides to enter into interracial relationships which include the need to take a personal account of self before considering the views of others and how they expect to be judged by them. One should put in mind that their union is between the two of them and does not concern their race or culture. Personal attributes such as personality of a partner, level of concern for each other, maturity and ability to act responsibly in the marriage should be key factors for consideration towards marriage instead of culture and background. The key factors that are generally considered by interracial couples before they engage in any relationship can be summarized into attractiveness of the partner, shared entertainment interest, common life goals as well as socioeconomic similarities. Past researches have indicated that interracial marriages are commonly based on shared similarities as opposed to existing differences. Challenges facing interracial relationships and marriages In the United States, most of highly recorded interracial marriages are between the Asians and the Caucasians and there are a number of laws that restricted such unions as well as cultural beliefs. Some of the miscegenation laws that outlawed such unions include the extension of the 1850 Marriage Regulation Act so as to cover people of the Mongolians by the state of California. Despite the fact that the laws were later abolished, they had already created negative perceptions towards interracial relationships. Negative attitudes by the society are one of the major challenges facing interracial relationships. The perception is particularly more among interracial relationships involving the Caucasians and the Blacks in which the Caucasians are in many circumstances against the marriages while the Blacks generally approve of them. The aspect of culture poses another challenge in the sense that one particular culture may appear to be more superior in comparison to the other culture hence one of the couple will be forced to let go their culture for the sake of the other party in the union. It has been deemed as a limiting factor among races as it reduces the number of eligible men and women who would otherwise be married to or by people for their own races. The Asian- Americans are greatly concerned by the increased in the number of interracial marriages affecting people from their own race since it is viewed as a factor that is likely to cause extinction of people from their race. Many Asian-American men may end up not being married as they may not be in a position to find women from their own race because most of their women have been married by people from other races especially the Caucasians. Similar cases have also been witnessed among the Black-Americans women who feel that most of their eligible men are being taken away by people of other races hence they are left with very few options in as much as marrying people of their own races is concerned. There are a number of myths which are closely tied to interracial marriages and are more likely to cause ripples in the marriages. For examples, there is a common believe that interracial marriages generally fails to work and in the long run the couples will be separated. Another myth says that Black men get married to Caucasian women in order to take advantage of their financial position or to exploit their resources (Botham, 2009). Another challenge that later manifest in the later stages of life is the issue of parenting. Parents from different races are likely to witness challenges especially when they are not fully decided on the direction they would wish their children to adopt as far as cultural believes among races is concerned. The need to meet the expectations of each race in the marriage is made manifest in the upbringing of the children. The children need to be taught to accept as well as appreciate their mixed status and should be able to bear all the positive stories as well as way of life associated by both races as this will promote harmony in the family. Due to the numerous challenges associated with interracial marriages past studies have indicated that they register the highest level of divorce in the United States as opposed to marriages involving people of the same race. Most of such cases are witnessed between marriages involving White females and non-white males. Conclusion In some situations, interracial marriages were viewed as deviant behavior in which the parties involved were treated as having gone against the expectations of the society at large and was likely to attract the wrath of the entire system. The view has greatly changed as worldwide acceptance of interracial relationships is being realized. The 21st century has opened a new era of the view of interracial marriages in which the topic is no longer regarded as a taboo but is held with high esteem as a normal way of life. In the United States of America, the trend is expected to continue as more avenues that promote interracial marriages such as institutions of higher learning continue to advance as well as attracting people from various races. References Botham, F. (2009). Almighty God created the races: Christianity, interracial marriage, & American law. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press. Foeman, T., & Nance. (1999). Odd couples: Friendships at the intersection of gender and sexual orientation. Durham: Duke University Press. Hughes, A. (2003). Testing for language teachers. Cambridge [u.a.: Cambridge Univ. Press. Kao, B., & Joyner, G. (2005). Autobiography and independence: Selfhood and creativity in North African postcolonial writing in French. Liverpool: Liverpool Univ. Press. Lee, S. (2001). Intercultural couples: Crossing boundaries, negotiating difference. New York, NY: New York University Press. Newbeck, P. (2008). Virginia hasnt always been for lovers: Interracial marriage bans and the case of Richard and Mildred Loving. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press. Read More