Interracial marriage, a fairly new concept, has been increasing throughout the United States.  The law forbidding interracial marriage was terminated in 1967, and as a result, since 1970 to 1993, interracial marriages have increased from 310,000 to 1,161,000.  Statistically speaking, interracial unions have expanded from .7 percent of all marriages in 1970 to 2.2 percent in 1992 (Qian, 1999).
         Interracial relationships and marriage is a very important concept to study due to the large increase in the number of these marriages in the United States.  Many positive and negative factors contribute to interracial marriage including acceptance within each race, and family acceptance.  Before one can consider this type of relationship, these factors as well as other statistical information concerning this topic should be understood.  Despite the recent growth in interracial marriages, many negative attitudes still control this type of union, and as a result, this topic becomes very difficult to discuss.
         Viewing and understanding the statistics among marriage in general and interracial marriage will help adolescents and adults with the transition into this type of relationship.  Furthermore, an open mind and knowledge about this subject will also contribute to an easy transition.

Marital Status of the Population
       According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, in 1998, 58,633 (numbers in thousands) men of all races were married.  From this total, 51,299 of the men were white, and 4,675 were black.  In comparison, there were 59,333 women of all races married in 1998, 51,410 being white and 4,983 being black.  Moreover, the men and women accounted for were aged fifteen years and above, and this information only included men and women who were at that time married, not divorced or widowed.
 In 1998, the average age for men of all races to marry was 26.7, as compared to a mean age of 25 for women.  These ages have remained fairly consistent throughout the eighties and nineties for both men and women.  However, due to the changing times and greater opportunities for men and women, the average age of marriage has shown an increase from the early 1900's.  This is not a surprising finding since the roles of men and women have changed and most people feel they do not have to marry to obtain true success and happiness (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1998).

Marital Status of Interracial Couples
       According to the U.S. Bureau of the Census, in1998, 2.4 percent of all married couples were interracial.  This figure does not differ significantly from 1990, in which 1.8 percent of all married couples were interracial.  Moreover, 1.3 percent of marriages were interracial unions in 1980.  These increases, although not high, do represent a significant finding that interracial marriages, in time, will be more acceptable in society.
 The U.S. Bureau of the Census also indicated in 1998, 24.5 percent of interracial marriages were between black and white women and men.  This percent decreases to 21.9 in 1990; however, in 1980 the rate was 25.6 percent of interracial unions were black and white women and men.  These findings were surprising since the percent of interracial unions decreased in 1990.  Of these black/white marriages, in 1998, 63.6 percent of the couples consisted of a black husband and a white wife.  In 1990, 71.1 percent of husbands were black compared to 73.1 percent in 1980.

Acceptance of Interracial Marriage
       There have been many studies devoted to the attitudes and acceptance of interracial marriage.  The increase in interracial unions has conjured up many positive and negative beliefs throughout black and white communities.  Although interracial relationships has caused racism to decline, many black and white individuals feel it has increased racial distances due to the negative stereotypes that surround the couples.  Both black and white communities share various opinions on this topic, as well as families of individuals who are in interracial relationships.  It is imperative to study black, white and family acceptance of interracial marriage in order to gain an understanding of all the positive and negative aspects surrounding this issue (Qian, 1999).
Black Acceptance
         Researcher Mwamwenda (1998) devoted two studies to African college students and their attitudes toward interracial relationships and marriage.  In response to having an intimate relationship with a white individual of the opposite sex, Mwamwenda found black women to be more reluctant to date outside of her race.  Black men however, found the race of his girlfriend to be insignificant.  Most of the college students in this study agreed to marrying a person of their race, and the majority of the students felt family preference was a huge factor in their decision.
         In contrast to this study, many researchers have found black individuals to be more accepting of interracial relationships and marriage than white individuals.  This may be due to the fact as a minority, black individuals are sometimes pressured into seeking relationships with white individuals (Mills, Daly, Longmore, & Kilbride, 1994). Within the black community, however, women have been found to disagree more with interracial marriage than men.  Researchers Paset and Taylor (1991) studied black and white college women and their attitudes toward interracial marriage.  Their results proved their hypothesis that black women see interracial relationships of black men and white women as a threat to their personal and community well being.
Todd, McKinney, Harris, Chadderton, and Small (1992) did a similar study, and their findings were almost identical to the previous study.  Black women were found to be the most negative group in the study since almost half of the female participants disagreed with interracial dating and marriage.  These women held traditional values and felt that dating and marrying outside their race was perceived as a "let down."  They also resented the competition of white women dating black men since they felt their minority group has a lack of available partners.

White Acceptance
       The rate of interracial marriage for whites has increased over the past two decades.  Eighty-two percent of white men were more likely to wed black women in the nineties as compared to the eighties.  Moreover, thirty-two percent of white women were more likely to marry a black man within the same time period.  These rates can be associated with educational attainment of both white men and women (Qian, 1996).
         It has been found that a white man's education is not associated with his likelihood of marrying a black women.  However, white men who have reached high educational levels are more inclined to marry Asian women than black women.  Furthermore, there is a decline in interracial marriage for white women when high educational levels have been obtained.  A white woman who has a college degree is forty-two percent less likely to wed a black man, however, she is 374 percent more likely to wed an Asian man (Qian, 1999).

Family Acceptance
       Interracial marriage is more likely to occur in families who accept the union.  Men and women who have traditional family values may be less likely to be involved in these relationships.  Overall, it has been proven that white families have a more negative acceptance toward interracial couples than black families.  This can be due to social conditioning and stereotypical attitudes held by these traditional families (Mills, Daly, Longmore, & Kilbride, 1994).
         Individuals who find themselves stepping outside of their race when looking for a relationship, rate themselves as being more independent and assertive than those who do not accept interracial relationships.  These same individuals, regardless of their own race, described themselves as "able to get their own way."  Family acceptance for these interracial couples does not have a strong impact on the decisions they made.  Instead, these individuals found themselves to be their own person, as well as persuasive and powerful (Todd, McKinney, Harris, Chadderton, & Small, 1992).

Conclusion
         Interracial marriages are extremely important to study since the rate of such unions continues to increase.  When adolescents and young adults develop these types of relationships, it is imperative that they have support and understanding from family and friends.  Although racism has declined as a result of interracial relationships, it is still difficult to find full acceptance on this issue.  Looking at the statistics and various studies on interracial marriage and dating, one can begin to understand and view these unions as acceptable.
         Prejudices due to social conditioning and strong stereotypes are barriers to interracial relationships.  It is indeed true that traditional family attitudes act as a threat to interracial unions.  When someone is raised in a household where this type of relationship is absolutely forbidden, it is difficult for that person to even seek interracial friendships.  Favorable attitudes toward interracial friendships and relationships will make the transition from adolescence to young adulthood much easier.  Holding prejudices and stereotypes do not help the adolescent expand their relationships, in fact, the adolescent is being held back to meeting new people and following their hearts (Mills, Daly, Longmore, & Kilbride, 1994).  Through time and as interracial relationships become more accepting, these statistics will indeed increase and make it easier for adolescents and young adults to maintain these types of relationships.