Racial Pairings and Fertility: Do Interracial Couples Have Fewer Children?

Area of Science:

• Sociology
• Demography
• Family Studies

Background:

• Rising rates of interracial marriage and biracial children.
• Uneven fertility rates across racial/ethnic groups, potentially due to stigma and cultural norms.
• Uncertainty regarding fertility patterns in interracial couples and their implications for social integration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare recent fertility patterns between racially endogamous and exogamous couples in the U.S.
• To examine if fertility differences in interracial couples indicate social distance or integration.
• To explore gender dynamics in fertility decision-making within interracial unions.

Main Methods:

• Utilized pooled data from the 2008-2017 American Community Survey.
• Compared past-year fertility patterns of endogamously married/cohabiting couples with interracially married/cohabiting couples.
• Analyzed fertility differentials based on the racial and gender composition of couples.

Main Results:

• Overall, racially exogamous unions exhibit lower fertility than endogamous unions.
• Fertility is notably lower in Asian American-White couples compared to endogamous couples.
• Fertility in American Indian-White couples more closely resembles White couples' patterns than American Indian couples'.
• Fertility in Black male/White female and Hispanic male/White female couples mirrors endogamous Black and Hispanic patterns, respectively.
• White male/Black female and White male/Hispanic female couples follow White fertility patterns.

Conclusions:

• Fertility levels in interracial couples are generally intermediate between White endogamous couples and their Black, Hispanic, or American Indian counterparts.
• Significant variations in fertility exist based on the specific race-gender combination of partners.
• Fertility patterns suggest a complex interplay of social integration, cultural norms, and gender dynamics in interracial unions.