You have a downloadable workbook called, Relationship Magic that helps people understand their relationship values.
In a world where 12 million Tinder matches are made each day, one third of marriages now start online… and these lines are blurring.
Relationship expert Susan Bratton is in the studio again today with new corroborating data from both MIT’s Technology Review and the Pew Research Center that explains: Even though the share of Americans who are married is at it’s lowest point since 1920, one in six marriages are now interracial. And Arizona is in the largest cohort with 25% or more of marriages having dual ethnicity.
What is causing this trend?
Today 15% of Americans use online dating to meet Mr. or Mrs. Right, and in the18-24 age group, that percentage soars to 24%. This accelerating trend is causing the nature of marital ethnicity to change as well.
Where we used to marry from a small pool of similar people, social networks expose us to a wider variety of ethnicities. Metros like Phoenix have an ever-increasing array of ethnicities, further accelerating interracial relationship. Now multi-ethnic spouse’s account for 10% of all marriages. Today that numbers 11 million people. And if you take into account people living together — cohabitating — 18% are now inter-racial.
With all the racial marches and protests, do you think this will cause things to get worse in America?
According to Pew Social Trends, attitudes about interracial marriage are changing rapidly. 39% of adults say marrying someone of a different race is good for society — up from 24% in 2010. The most dramatic attitudinal shift comes from non-blacks who would oppose a relative marrying a black person. In 1990, 63% were opposed, but in the last 25 years that number slid all the way down to 14%… That’s nearly a 50% change in attitude. As well, Asians and Hispanics are now half as likely to oppose interracial marriages, declining in opposition from just 19% down to only 9% against interracial marriage. Accordingly, Asian (29%) and Hispanic (27%) are most likely to be intermarried.
The most common interracial pairing among newlyweds is Hispanic/White at 42%. And if you add having a bachelor degree you hit 46% (nearly half) of Hispanic newlyweds married to someone of a different ethnicity… primarily White. To date, 42% of multi-racial children are White/Hispanic.
What kind of future impact will all these larger networks of different races from online dating sites and apps have on marriage?
According to researchers at the University of Essex in the UK and the University of Vienna in Austria who’ve modeled dating network impact over time say:
1) Their model “predicts nearly complete racial integration.”
2) “Marriages created in a society with online dating tend to be stronger.”
3) Married couples who meet online have fewer marital breakup than those who meet in traditional ways.
And you know the saying…. First comes love, then comes, marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage… What about the children from these couples? How is that changing the family landscape in America?
One in seven US infants (14%) are now of mixed ethnicity.
America is moving from blended families to blended ethnicities. More than ever, an understanding of an individual’s core relationship values is what will keep the bonds strong in relationships. When we merge cultures, we can’t treat our partner the way we want to be treated and expect them to understand what that is. That’s why it’s important to follow the Platinum Rule… treat your partner the way they want to be treated by understanding their relationship values.
You have a downloadable workbook called, Relationship Magic that helps people understand their relationship values. Tell us about it.
Yes. This workbook helps you figure out what it is that is most important to you so you can communicate your needs succinctly to your partner. Even with long-term couples, doing this exercise together explains curious behaviors that used to baffle you.
Waking up everyday and simply focusing on your partner’s “must haves” makes them feel like they are in a perfect relationship. It’s a powerful shift from just treating your partner the way you want to be treated.
Thank you, Susan Bratton.
Here are links to the data:
MIT www.technologyreview.com/s/609091/first-evidence-that-online-dating-is-changing-the-nature-of-society/
PEW www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/02/13/5-facts-about-love-and-marriage/ www.pewsocialtrends.org/2013/02/13/love-and-marriage/
