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New Study to Determine If Asian-White Marriages Mean Greater Assimilation & Acceptance

Interracial Marriage
Photo by Michael Tan

The high interracial marriage rate in the Chinese and Japanese American communities and the relatively lower level in the Indian American community is the focus of a new research project at the University of California at Berkeley.

Louise Ly, a PhD. candidate in sociology, is looking into the intersection of race, ethnicity and gender in interracial marriages within the Asian American and White American communities. She’s speaking this Saturday at United Methodist Church in Berkeley, CA from 1:30 – 3:30 p.m. The free event is sponsored by the Japanese American Women’s Alumnae of UC Berkeley.

“On one level, it’s just simply to understand whether or not race and ethnic differences come up for interracial Asian/White relationships,” said Ly. “Not just between couple, but extended families and child rearing practices.

“On another level, the aim of my project is to better understand how interracial marriage relate to assimilation. Scholars have argued since the 1960s, when different groups intermarry, differences lessen. The assumption is Asian Americans are actually assimilating to a high degree.”

Ly hopes to put that theory to the test.

To do so, she’s interviewing 120 couples focusing primarily in Chinese-White relationships and Indian-White relationships. Data from 2003 -2006 found the intermarriage rate in the Asian American community ranges from 66 percent in the Japanese American community to just 9 percent in the Indian American community. The interracial marriage rate is 25 percent in the Chinese American community and 12 percent in the Vietnamese American community.

Ly is the middle of still doing interviews and has yet to begin to compile her data or begin her analysis. She does not expect to complete her project for another 12 to 18 months.

In her very preliminary findings that could change as the project develops, she finds that Asian and Whites are attracted by differences.

“Some Asian women I interview say they aren’t interested in Asian men, but are more interested in White men because they’re not like their fathers,” said Ly. “Whatever they’ve seen in their families or have observed in other Asian American families, they are not interested in seeing that in their own families. They mention chauvinism, patriarchy, sort of large discrepancies in gender power in the household. It’s sort of ideas they have about Asian men. They sort of look to White men because they’ll have a different experience with them.”

Ly is still looking for couples to interview and is especially interested in talking to Indian American and White couples. If you are interested, you can contact her at [email protected].

 

 

 

 

 

 

7 COMMENTS

  1. RE: New study to determine if Asian-White marriages mean more assimilation: ““Some Asian women I interview say they aren’t interested in Asian men, but are more interested in White men because they’re not like their fathers,” said Ly. “Whatever they’ve seen in their families or have observed in other Asian American families, they are not interested in seeing that in their own families. They mention chauvinism, patriarchy, sort of large discrepancies in gender power in the household. It’s sort of ideas they have about Asian men. They sort of look to White men because they’ll have a different experience with them.””

    I need to comment on THIS. I find this true for some Asian American women. However I overwhelmingly hear this SAME CRAP about WHITE MEN and newly arrived ASIAN FEMALES!!! My wife has seen it firsthand too living with a friend. The American men of course are MORE DOMINANT, because it is their country of origin, which allows them more POWER in regards to being able to live and socialize in mainstream society easier.

    So in order to get this ECONOMIC & SOCIAL POWER, they EAT DOG SH*T and STFU!!! For some it is just like, please play your Asian Submissive Role otherwise I will dump you and find another one out of the billion Asian women out there… I have seen it TOO MANY TIMES. If SHE says anything, DIVORCE!!! Immigration problems can arise along with financial. Living with a DOMINANT white male who can give you economic and social empowerment, versus living in a cramped room with many other migrant immigrant workers is not a bad sacrifice for some.

    I find this reversed perspective IRONIC!!!

    • RE: New study to determine if Asian-White interracial marriages mean greater assimilation: Holy shyte. “Chauvanism?” “Patriarchy?”

      Asian men are among the most liberal men in the world. The reason asian women are allowed to marry outside of their race is because Asian men are liberal and allow it and bring their daughters up to be free to make their own decisions.

      Asian countries didn’t have anti miscegenation laws against intermarriage of asian females historically, while it was western countries who banned white women from marrying outside of their race until very recently.

      Japan and Vietnam opened up brothels for serving white men and I’m talking about before westerners were powerful like in the 17th century when the Dutch could still be defeated by Chinese and Vietnamese. The Dutch were crushed in battle by the Vietnamese Nguyen yet the Vietnamese permitted Dutch sailors to come and patronize Vietnamese prostitutes and women. The Japanese allowed Dutch to sleep with Japanese women in Nagasaki.

      Asian men don’t get enraged and attack foreigners with asian women.

      In some parts of the world women are absolutely not permitted to marry outside their race. In many Arab countries Arab men forbid Arab women from marrying non-Arab men and this is de facto enforced by the authorities in Gulf Arab countries. This continues to this day. Foreigners know not to fool around in Arab countries because Arab men would pounce on them and kill them.

      East Asian men are extremely liberal and non chauvinist. Women’s rights and feminism in China was driven by nerdy male asian intellectuals during the May Fourth Movement and late Qing dynasty advocating for women’s education and freedom. It was male Chinese who sent Chinese women out to be educated and encourage them to advocate for feminism.

      The reason asian women date out so much is because asian men allow it because of a stupid twisted white knight complex, in which asian men think by allowing asian women freedom and relaxing so much control by being liberal is the ideal of what a man should be like.

      In other cultures, being macho and restricting your women and being firm with them is the ideal of what a man should be like.

    • RE: New study to determine if Asian White marriages mean more assimilation and acceptance: Observation bias is not science… Therefore, your comment isn’t relavent.

  2. RE: New study to determine if Asian-White marriages mean more assimilation: All the Asian girls I know have white fever.

  3. RE: New study to determine if Asian-White marriages mean more assimilation: they want to marry white man to have beautiful children, but very few are considered beautiful and accepted in the white community!

  4. RE: New study to determine if Asian-White marriages mean more assimilation and acceptance: I am laughing at Yas who claims to be so non-chauvinist and liberal, yet he claims that the only reason Asian women get ahead is because Asian men “allow” it. Women don’t need male approval. The more you speak this nonsense the dumber and more chauvinistic you look.

    • re: new study to Determine If Asian-White Marriages Mean Greater Assimilation & Acceptance:

      Most East Asian men would not bat an eye if their daughters changed religion or married out. They would still love their daughters and keep them in the family. East Asians generally don’t care about religion or race and are more liberal than any other group of people in that regard. Much more than so called “liberal” white westerners, who still heavily cling to religion and race. East Asians are the most non-religious and liberal people on the planet.

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