An interesting article by Rachel Swarns in the New York Times (April 1, 2012) took up the question of why interracial marriage among Asians is on the decline, while interracial marriage in general has never been more common. Though still among the highest interracial marriage rates in the USA–28% today–Asians interracial marriage has been declining since the 1980’s. The article proposes that the huge influx of Asian immigrants in the last thirty years has hugely increased the potential for finding partners as well as inspired renewed interest in native language and traditions among many newlyweds. The recent census showed that foreign-born Asians now account for 60% of the Asian-American population. Marriage statistics differ among nationalities, with Japanese-Americans having the highest rate of intermarriage and Vietnamese-American men and Indian women the lowest. The figures differ significantly by gender as well, with 38% of Asian-American women marrying non-Asians and only 17% of men.

Most interesting is how couples explain their decisions, frequently articulating a simple desire to share their lives with someone of a similar background. One Vietnamese-American lawyer said she feared that a man of Vietnamese origin would expect a wife to assume all responsibilities for childcare and household work, so she dated only non-Asians. In time, however, she began to wish for someone who would share her “cultural sensibilities,” such as a deference to and respect for elders. Ultimately, she married an Indian-American lawyer who shared both her western views of marriage and her eastern sense of generation hierarchy. I can’t help but think this couple presents a very odd example: with different religions, cuisines, histories, and cultures, what does the Vietnamese culture share with the Indian beyond a common attitude toward one’s parents?

Certainly changing demographics must be a major factor in the trend. But another factor may be changing social expectations among young Asians, with the presumption of gender equality within marriage becoming more common among foreign-born immigrants, as traditions change within their societies. Asian women have long been romanticized and sexualized by non-Asian men, who admire their exotic beauty and see them as demure, acquiescent, and raised to please men. One woman interviewed for the article described becoming increasingly uncomfortable dating white men who dated only Asian-American women. “It’s like they have an Asian fetish..I felt like I was more like this ‘concept.’They couldn’t really understand me as a person completely.”

Another factor may be the increasing western interest in ethnicity and the resistance to cultural homogenization. The immigrant’s wish to Americanize as fast as possible, abandoning what was once thought of as old-country, backward ways, has been largely replaced by multiculturalism. Perhaps what is really changing is the Americanizing of the expectations of marriage along with an appreciation for cultural diversity.