By Khadija Allen
Race is slowly becoming a thing of the past to those who consider interracial marriages the next best thing, and the trend is rising according to a Pew Research Center study. The report released Friday, found that there is a growing trend among mixed couples who tend to marry outside their race versus inter-ethnic relationships.
Jeffrey Passel, a senior demographer for the Pew Research Center, suggested that interracial marriages are the highest they have ever been and continue to soar since the 1980’s when about 6.8 percent of newlyweds reported marrying outside their ethnicity. In 2008, it leaped to 14.6 percent and it derives from couples wanting to transcend racial barriers that have been a presiding issue.
According to CNN:
However, studies show that support for interracial marriages is stronger than in the past, especially among the Millennial generation. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, about 85 percent accept interracial marriages, according to a Pew study published in February. Scholars say interracial marriages are important to examine because they can be a barometer for race relations and cultural assimilation.
Today’s growing acceptance of interracial marriages is a contrast to the overwhelming attitudes 50 years ago that such marriage was wrong — and even illegal. During most of U.S. history, interracial marriages have been banned or considered taboo, sociologists say.
