The Age of Independence, Revisited: Parents and Interracial Union Formation Across the Life Course

Abstract

Romantic relationships that cross racial lines have grown since anti-miscegenation laws were deemed unconstitutional. In The Age of Independence, Rosenfeld argued that parental influence over children’s mate selection processes had waned. Rosenfeld, however, was not able to test this supposition directly because of his reliance on cross-sectional census data. Using Waves I and III of Add Health for a cohort of individuals from 1994 to 2002, we examine whether parents matter in shaping their offspring’s romantic attachments, by exploring whether adolescent reports of maternal closeness and parental control are associated with youth’s likelihood of being in an interracial relationship in emerging adulthood. We find that parental factors do influence emerging adults’ romantic relationships; these associations vary by race, ethnicity, and gender. Among white men, maternal closeness in adolescence reduces the likelihood of being in an interracial relationship in emerging adulthood. Parental control elevates the odds of being in an interracial relationship among black and Hispanic women. We also find that parental decisions on where families live shape offspring’s choices, as relative exogamous group size in adolescence is associated with interracial union formation in later life. Our findings suggest that parental influence remains salient in the partner choices made by emerging adults.

Cohabitation and Marriage: Complexity and Diversity in Union‐Formation Patterns

“…The Add Health data, a school‐based study of adolescence that began in the 1990s, also has now reached a stage where most respondents have begun entering and exiting coresidential unions and have become parents. Adolescent experiences can be usefully linked to later patterns of partnering and parenting (Zhang & Sassler, ). Post‐2010 panels of Add Health now include biological data (e.g., genetic samples and anthropomorphic indicators) that facilitate analyses of union formation and health or health behaviors (Frech, Lynch, & Barr, ; Yang et al, ).…”

Parenting young adults across social class: A review and synthesis

“…Given the strong correlations between race/ethnicity, religion, and social class in the United States (Wilde et al., 2018), these processes are also highly relevant to socioeconomic stratification. However, few studies incorporate measures of direct parental involvement or focus on social class differences (Huijnk & Liefbroer, 2012; Zhang & Sassler, 2019). Additionally, although Streib (2015) described tensions in cross‐class marriages, this study did not examine class dynamics in spouses' interactions with parents or in‐laws.…”

Modeling Local Variations in Intermarriage

“…Conceptually, patterns of assortative mating result from the interplay among three forces: individual preferences, third-party influences (i.e., church, state, and family), and the structural context of opportunities [5,6]. Most individuals in modern society are assumed to have the freedom to choose their partners because third parties have lost most of their historical influence on partner choice [7,8]. However, for some ethnic groups, this may not be the case (e.g., migrants coming from countries with different religions).…”