Interracial Mating and Sexual Selection

Andi Caudill
Danielle Slavick
Jake Witt
NSII Final

Interracial Mating and Sexual Selection

Motivation for Study:
We feel that the social climate at Miami University is an anomaly. The campus environment is characterized by the student body's unusually divided manner of cross-cultural and interclass interaction. The primary recruiting resource that makes up most of Miami's population is the Midwest. While other regions of the US bring in a limited number of students to the University as well as Miami's International student program, Miami's lack of diversity remains an unsettling problem. Even with the more recent efforts made by Miami's administration to diversify the campus, student capacity for actually participating in an exchange in pleasantries outside of their own learned comfort levels is low. Possible factors fostering this phenomenon is the high percentage of Greek life on campus which contributes to staying within one's small social group, and again the seemingly homogeneous geographical, cultural and economic background of the average Miami student.
Throughout our two years here at the university the constant reminders of such a non-progressive atmosphere has led us to choose to research issues of cross- cultural interactions, specifically interracial dating here at Miami University. We chose race in particular because; it is the most visually apparent quality distinction, it is a hot topic in discussion, and Miami University is notorious for having poor feelings about race relations.

Purpose:
In this day of increased geographic mobility and cultural exposure mate selection has expanded drastically compared with all former generations. This is why inter racial dating is a controversial current issue challenging societies today. The purpose of this experiment is to examine the responses to interracial relationships at Miami University as an example of a specific social climate. Our hypothesis is that within the setting of Miami University there is a more conservative response to interracial dating than in metropolitan areas such as Cincinnati. Though these are close in proximity there will be many differences in the way in which interracial couples are responded to and accepted by the general public. Through this experiment we plan to discover what factors create this distinction.
In today's media there is an ever-growing presence of diversity. This is representational of society's changing racial mores. From news coverage of issues concerning these once left out groups to network sitcoms with "minority" characters, diversity is being channeled into homes around the nation.

Experiment:
We originally planned to send several couples of different race combinations into public settings to observe the responses of those surrounding them. The public settings would have included restaurants, bars, stores, etc. located both on Miamiís Campus and in the Cincinnati metropolis. We had planned to place an observer on the scene to document our results. But due to the subjectivity of behavioral interpretation based solely on verbal and visual reactions, we decided the room for error was too great to validate a truly empirical scientific study.

Survey:
Our survey consists of questions about feelings towards interracial dating including aesthetic preferences, racial background, parental influence, personal experiences and stereotypes. The surveys were distributed throughout Miamiís campus through dining halls, places of employment and classrooms. The survey was restricted to students. We passed out approximately 200 surveys because we felt this was a reasonable percentage of the student population. We compared the results of our surveys to statistics recorded in large cities and across the United States of America.
We took 40 surveys to 5 different dining halls; Alexander, Erikson, Harris, Shriver and Ogden. We went to these particular dining halls because we believed we would receive the best diversity in responses. They are in separate quads of the university, appeal to different social groups, ages, and food selection. Alexander offered a high percentage of international students. Erikson primarily caters to freshman and is adjacent to the "diversity dorm." Harris is a typical underclass dining hall. Shriver is the campus center and caters to upperclassman as well as underclassman and Ogden is the new hip hang out drawing in big crowds.

Our Survey:

Age________

Gender________

Race (Circle One) ñ Caucasian (White) African-American
Asian Hispanic Other

Would you date outside of your race? Y N

Have you dated outside of your race? Y N

Would you marry outside of your race? Y N

Would your parent(s)/guardian(s) agree with interracial dating? Y N

Would your parent(s)/guardian(s) agree with interracial marriage? Y N

In which region of the United States have you spent the majority of your life?
A. Northeast
B. Southeast
C. Midwest
D. Southwest
E. Northwest
F. Other (outside of the US)
Did you spend the majority of your life in a rural, urban, or suburban area?
Rural Urban Suburban

Are you a member of an organized religion? Y N If yes, do you believe that this religion influences your perception of interracial relationships? Y N

Approximately what percentage of your elementary and high school population was made up of races other than your own?
0-10 11-25 26-50 51-75 76-100

What percentage of your closest acquaintances is of a different race than your own?
0-10 11-25 26-50 51-75 76-100

Interpretation of Results: (see graphs at end)

The spectrum of age that resulted from our survey was 17-24. We surveyed more females than males at a ratio of 117:83. We separated the genders in most of our charts in order to examine the implicit differences between males and females. We attempted to see if there was a difference between the sexes in their tendencies to date or be willing to date outside their race.
Obviously, Miami University is primarily Caucasian. 84% of females considered themselves white, African- American 11%, Asian 2.5%, Hispanic 1%, and other was 1.5%. 84% of males considered themselves white, African-American 13%, Asian 1.5%, and Hispanic 1.5%. Those that reported themselves as "other" were Indian and native Africans. While it is apparent that there are more variations of race than those offered on our survey, we did not encounter them in any significant numbers during our research.
When the question was posed as to whether or not one would date outside their race, the results indicated in both genders that nearly all students were willing to. 97% of females and 94% of males reported that they would date outside their race. These responses may be skewed because many individuals convince themselves that they are more open minded than they really are due to social pressures and political correctness. They may also be embarrassed of their own viewpoints and unwilling to share it with strangers.
Though 94-97% reported as willing to date outside their race, only 24% of females and 22% of males have actually done it. These figures are surprisingly high compared to our original intuitions. We never would have predicted that nearly one fourth of the student body has dated interracially. This figure reflects each individual's definition of race. Some may consider dating an individual that is mostly their race or partially their race as interracial dating and some may not.
When the question was raised if one would marry outside their race, the numbers of positive responses dropped. We conjecture that this is result of concerns about reproducing offspring. In our library research we discovered that one of the biggest fears and possible cause of the difference in numbers between dating and marriage of interracial couples is how their mixed race children will be treated by society. According to Jacquelyn Mitchard's article in "Parenting," parents need to "prepare their children for a world that too often sees in black in white."
The next four pie charts address issues of generation gaps and parental influence.

Students felt that their parents would be significantly less likely to approve of interracial dating and marriage than themselves. In the 1960ís, along with the Civil Rights movement, great advances were made towards breaking down the general publicís conception of the separation of the races. Since that time the US has become increasingly more accepting of interracial relationships. This is demonstrated by the contrast in opinions of each new generation. In general college students are more apt to welcome mixed couples than their grandparents. Parents also were more accepting of their children dating members of other races than marrying them.
Parents were less likely to disagree with their child marrying or dating a member of a different race if their child was male. 33% of females' parents were opposed to dating while only 28% of males' parents were. 38% of females' parents were opposed to marrying while 37% of males' parents were. This can be explained by the idea that parents are more protective of their daughters than their sons.
Our next two graphs illustrate where individuals developed their ideas about race. 74% of our participants are from the Midwest, 9% from the Northeast, 3% from the Southeast, 2% from the Southwest, 4% Northwest and 8% from outside the U.S. 21% of the individuals surveyed were from rural areas, 11% urban and 68% suburban. Miami University, as a reflection of the suburban midwestern population responded with less aversion to interracial dating and marriage than we expected. This expectation that a Midwestern population would respond with more aversion to interracial relationships is based on the Midwest being a more rural region with a more homogenous population lacking the diversity of a coastal urban area or a region such as the southwest which borders Mexico.
90% of both males and females are members of an organized religion of some sort, but this was not a motivating factor on their perception of interracial relationships due to only 3% of those members citing religion as an influence.
The highest percentage (41%) of Miami students surveyed stated that only 11-25% of their elementary and high school populations were made up of races other than their own. This lack of exposure to other races may be part of the reason why so few students who would be willing to date outside their race have actually participated in it. Likewise, once arriving at college the participation in interracial relationships could be stifled by the lack of racial diversity within social groups. This is illustrated in our final graph where the highest percentage (43%) of students claimed that only 0-10% of their closest acquaintances were of a race other than their own.

Discussion and Conclusion:

"57% of teens who go out on dates said that they have dated someone of another race. " Among blacks, 60% have dated outside their race, 47% among whites, and 90% among Hispanics. This is data from a study in Jet Magazine from 1997. These are the youth that are presently attending universities across the nation. Because minorities are primarily the ones dating outside of their race and Miami University has few minorities, this may help explain why Miami is lacking in interracial relationships. But even in comparison to whites Miami is still below the average.
Originally we predicted that Miami would be very conservative and in some ways our findings supported this assertion. But, we were also surprised by some data, especially the high percentages of both male and female students that were in favor of interracial dating.
"By 2050, according to a National Academy of Sciences estimate, a fifth of the U.S. population will be of mixed ancestry and won't necessarily identify themselves as minorities," while mixed races presently do. Miami students are a product of their surroundings and their influences. Everyone has trouble with change, but it is inevitable. Perhaps one day we will be a true melting pot.

Works Cited and Consulted

Anonymous. "Melting At Last", The Wilson Quarterly, Washington, Winter 2000, p11

Anonymous. "More Than Half Of Teens Who Date Have Dated Interracially: Study", Jet, Chicago, November 24, 1997

Anonymous. "Why Interracial Marriages Are Increasing", Jet, Chicago, June 3, 1996, p12-15

Kirschten, Dick. "Americaís Demographic Divide", National Journal, Washington, January 16, 1999

Mitchard, Jacquelyn. "In Loving Color", Parenting, March 1995, p88-90

Shea, Christopher. "Intermarriage Rates Found To Be On The Rise" The Chronicle of Higher Education, May 2, 1997, pA14

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