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Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Why do some couples mix while others don't?
I've been trying to figure out why some people choose a spouse of the same ethnicity while others choose a spouse of a different ethnicity.
Speaking for myself (European-American), I choose a spouse of a different ethnicity because:
* I have a preference for pigmentation and dark hair.
* I didn't want someone who looks like my mom or sister.
* I don't feel particularly comfortable around the historical oppressor phenotype.
* I want to move away from "whiteness" (historical oppressor phenotype).
* I like the idea of hybrids.
* I get to think I'm thwarting the system of "racial" categories to avoid future segregation.
As to why some people choose a spouse of the same ethnicity, I would assume.
* They have a preference for the phenotype that happens to match their own.
* They don't have any weird hangups about people who might look like their relative.
* They might be proud of their ethnicity and want to make more of their ethnic type.
For more on the topic see:
Integrated Memoirs | Scientific American Explains “Race” Relations
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Maybe it's simpler than all of that for some of us? For me: I fell in love with someone who fell in love with me :) It was that simple when it came to choosing a spouse, but got more complicated when we thought about having children...
ReplyDeleteHi Jen! Yeah. When I was in my twenties I went with my gut feelings to select my spouse. Only in retrospect did I realize the underlying reasons I had my gut feelings.
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