JC
Newswise reports on a study to come out of the University of Maryland about marriages where one partner is black and one partner is white. While many of the interviewees mention that race is not central to the issues they face as a couple, the study shows that it remains an important dimension of the relationship that should not be overlooked.

“The most striking thing we found in our survey of interracial couples is the importance of racial identity, particularly for African Americans, in assessing the quality of the marriage. The more people had resolved issues of racial identity and had developed a strong black identity, while showing racial tolerance of other races, the more positively the evaluated their marriage.”

Conversely, whites who evaluated the white culture as superior expressed less love for their partner. “What is striking,” Leslie says, “is that the development of racial identity appears to influence interracial marriages even after the early establishment years. That may indicate that coming to grips with the meaning of race and cultural differences is an ongoing process for interracial couples.”

Leslie cautions that the small sample should not be used to generalize too greatly or to characterize racial factors in couples of other racial groups. Rather, she says, “This study offers direction for future research on interracial marriages. Race is such a significant factor in our society that you can’t be in a marriage where there are racial differences and not have it be a dimension in your marriage.”