Skip to main content

Neighbourhood Ethnic Mix and the Formation of Mixed-Ethnic Unions in Britain

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Ethnicity and Integration

Part of the book series: Understanding Population Trends and Processes ((UPTA,volume 3))

Abstract

Building on a long history of research on residential segregation, this chapter explores how mixed-ethnic couples contribute to changing ethnic geographies. The study uses data from the Longitudinal Study (LS) for England and Wales and is the first UK study to examine the influence of geographical context on the formation of mixed-ethnic unions. By using longitudinal data, the authors establish whether living in a mixed-ethnic neighbourhood makes it more likely for people to end up in mixed-ethnic unions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Ballard, R. (1997) Negotiating race and ethnicity: Exploring the implications of the 1991 Census, Patterns of Prejudice, 30: 3–33.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berrington, A. (1996) Marriage patterns and inter-ethnic unions in Coleman, D. and Salt, J. (eds.), Ethnicity in the 1991 Census: Demographic Characteristics of the Ethnic Minority Populations, HMSO, London, pp. 178–212.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blau, P.M. (1977) Inequality and Heterogeneity, The Free Press, New York, NY.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blau, P.M., Blum, T.C. and Schwartz, J.E. (1982) Heterogeneity and intermarriage, American Sociological Review, 47: 45–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bossard, J.H. (1932) Residential propinquity as a factor in marriage selection, American Journal of Sociology, 38: 219–224.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bozon, M. and Heran, F. (1989) Finding a spouse: A survey of how French couples meet, Population, 44: 91–121.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bradford, P. (2006, May) Who Are the Mixed-Ethnic Group? Office for National Statistics, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgess, S., Wilson, D. and Lupton, R. (2005) Parallel lives? Ethnic segregation in the playground and the neighbourhood, Urban Studies, 42: 1027–1056.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, D. (1985) Ethnic intermarriage in Great Britain, Population Trends, 40: 4–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Coleman, D. (2004) Partner choice and the growth of ethnic minority populations, Bevolking en Gezin, 33: 7–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) UK (2006) Integration, Multiculturalism and the CRE. http://www.cre.gov.uk/diversity/integration/index.html

  • Cready, C.M. and Saenz, R. (1997) The nonmetro/metro context of racial/ethnic outmarriage: Some differences between African Americans and Mexican Americans, Rural Sociology, 62: 335–362.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Data Management and Analysis Group Update (2005) Inter-Ethnic Unions, DMAG, London.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delaney, D. (2002) The space that race makes, The Professional Geographer, 54: 6–14.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellis, M., Wright, R. and Parks, V. (2006) The immigrant household and spatial assimilation: Partnership, nativity, and neighbourhood location, Urban Geography, 27: 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ellison, C.G. and Powers, D.A. (1994) The contact hypothesis and racial attitudes among black Americans, Social Science Quarterly, 75: 385–400.

    Google Scholar 

  • Emerson, M.O., Kimbro, R.T. and Yancey, G. (2002) Contact theory extended: The effects of prior racial contact on current social ties, Social Science Quarterly, 83: 745–761.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fu, X.N. (2006) Impact of socioeconomic status on inter-racial mate selection and divorce, Social Science Journal, 43(2): 239–258.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gordon, M.M. (1964) Assimilation in American Life, Oxford University Press, New York, NY.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holdsworth, C. and Dale, A. (1997) Issues in the analysis of ethnicity in the 1991 British census, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 20: 160–180.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holloway, S.R., Ellis, M., Wright, R. and Hudson, M. (2005) Partnering ‘out’ and fitting in: Residential segregation and the neighbourhood contexts of mixed-race households, Population, Space and Place, 11: 299–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Houston, S., Wright, R., Ellis, M., Holloway, S. and Hudson, M. (2005) Places of possibilities: Where mixed-race partners meet? Progress in Human Geography, 29: 700–717.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hwang, S.S., Saenz, R. and Aguirre, B.E. (1994) Structural and individual determinants of outmarriage among Chinese, Filipino, and Japanese Americans in California, Sociological Inquiry, 64: 396–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hwang, S.S., Saenz, R. and Aguirre, B.E. (1997) Structural and assimilationist explanations of Asian American intermarriage, Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59: 758–772.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ihlanfeldt, K.R. and Scafidi, B.P. (2002) The Neighbourhood contact hypothesis: Evidence from the multicity study of urban inequality, Urban Studies, 39: 619–641.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, R., Poulsen, M. and Forrest, J. (2005) On the measurement and meaning of residential segregation: A response to Simpson, Urban Studies, 42: 1221–1227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnston, R., Poulsen, M. and Forrest, J. (2006) Ethnic residential segregation and assimilation in British towns and cities: A comparison of those claiming single and dual ethnic identities, Migration Letters, 3: 11–30.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalmijn, M. (1993) Trends in black/white intermarriage, Social Forces, 72: 119–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalmijn, M. (1998) Intermarriage and homogamy: Causes, patterns, trends, Annual Review of Sociology, 24: 395–421.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalmijn, M. and Flap, H. (2001) Assortative meeting and mating: Unintended consequences of organized settings for partner choices, Social Forces, 79(4): 1289–1312.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liang, Z. and Ito, N. (1999) Intermarriage of Asian Americans in the New York City region: Contemporary patterns and future prospects, International Migration Review, 33(4): 876–900.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lievens, J. (1998) Interethnic marriages: Bringing in the context through multilevel modelling, European Journal of Population, 14: 117–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Model, S. and Fisher, G. (2002) Unions between Blacks and Whites: England and the US compared, Ethnic and Racial Studies, 25: 728–754.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morgan, B. (1981) A contribution to the debate on homogamy, propinquity, and segregation, Journal of Marriage and the Family, 43: 909–921.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muttarak, R. (2003) Who Intermarries in Britain? MSc thesis, Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, Oxford.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muttarak, R. (2004) Marital assimilation: Interethnic marriage in Britain, population and society: Issues, research, policy. Paper presented at the 12th biennial conference of Australian Population Association, 15–17 September 2004, Canberra, Australia.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peach, C. (1980) Ethnic segregation and intermarriage, Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 70: 371–381.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peach, C. (1996) Does Britain have ghettos? Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, 21: 216–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Platt, L., Simpson, L. and Akinwale, B. (2005) Stability and change in ethnic groups in England and Wales, Population Trends, 121: 35–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sabater, A. (2010) Ethnic residential segregation over time and age cohorts in England and Wales, 1991–2001 in Stillwell, J. and van Ham, M. (eds.), Ethnicity and Integration, Understanding Population Trends and Processes, Vol. 3, Springer, Dordrecht, pp. 47–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schoen, R. and Thomas, B. (1989) Intergroup marriage in Hawaii, 1969–1971 and 1979–1981, Sociological Perspectives, 32(3): 65–82.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schoen, R. and Wooldredge, J. (1989) Marriage choices in North Carolina and Virginia, 1969–71 and 1979–81, Journal of Marriage and Family, 51: 465–481.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sigelman, L., Bledsoe, T., Welch, S. and Combs, M.W. (1996) Making contact? Black-White social interaction in an urban setting, American Journal Sociology, 101: 1306–1332.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, L. (2004) Statistics of racial segregation: Measures, evidence and policy, Urban Studies, 41: 661–681.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • White, M.J. and Sassler, S. (2000) Judging not only by color: Ethnicity, nativity, and neighbourhood attainment, Social Science Quarterly, 81: 997–1013.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wong, D. (1999) A geographical analysis of multiethnic households in the United States, International Journal of Population Geography, 5: 31–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wright, R., Houston, S., Ellis, M., Holloway, S. and Hudson, M. (2003) Crossing racial lines: Geographies of mixed-race partnering and multiraciality in the United States, Progress in Human Geography, 27: 457–474.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • van Ham, M. and Feijten, P.M. (2008) Who wants to leave the neighbourhood? The effect of being different from the neighbourhood population on wishes to move, Environment and Planning A, 40 (5): 1151–1170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research is funded by the ESRC under the Understanding Population Trends and Processes (UPTAP) programme (Award Ref: RES-1563-25-0045). The permission of the Office for National Statistics to use the Longitudinal Study is gratefully acknowledged, as is the help provided by Julian Buxton of the Centre for Longitudinal Study Information & User Support (CeLSIUS). CeLSIUS is supported by the ESRC Census of Population Programme (Award Ref: RES-348-25-0004). The data from ONS which is Crown copyright and reproduced with the permission of the controller of HMSO and Queen’s Printer for Scotland. This work uses research datasets which may not exactly reproduce National Statistics aggregates. The authors alone are responsible for the interpretation of the data.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Zhiqiang Feng .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2010 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Feng, Z., Boyle, P., van Ham, M., Raab, G. (2010). Neighbourhood Ethnic Mix and the Formation of Mixed-Ethnic Unions in Britain. In: Stillwell, J., van Ham, M. (eds) Ethnicity and Integration. Understanding Population Trends and Processes, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9103-1_5

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-9103-1_5

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-9102-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-90-481-9103-1

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics